I think my last post brought the mood around here down to near depression level, so I thought we’d lighten things up.
Let’s talk about pizza.
Oh, delicious, cheesy, salty, crispy pizza. I don’t think a more perfect food exists. (Prove me wrong)
Living in Connecticut means being able to enjoy the best pizza any time you desire.
My perfect pie looks like this:
It’s a mozz, bacon and black olive pie. Perfectly thin and crispy, salty from the bacon and olives, gooey from the cheese. Well done but not burnt. Minimal bubbles. If given the time and elastic waist pants, I could probably eat the entire thing myself. (Seriously, just look at that pizza! If your mouth isn’t watering you are made of stone!)
New Haven pizza is the only pizza, in my opinion. You’ve got the big 3: Pepe’s, Sally’s and Modern (my personal favorite). But then, as you slowly move away from Wooster and State Streets, you still are surrounded by amazing pizza joints. Olde World (our Friday night go-to). Fuoco. Ernie’s.
Non-New Haven pizza? You have no place here.
Square pizza? Um, no.
Deep dish pizza? Why is it so thick?
Chicago-style pizza? Is this a cake?
Pizza is good hot, warm, or cold out of the fridge. And while you could eat it any day of the week, I feel like Fridays are the traditional pizza night.
Much to Mr. KK’s dismay, I am a knife and fork girl when it comes to pizza. At least the first two slices. Then, once the pizza is at it’s optimal stand-up-on-its-own temperature, I’ll pick it up. I’ll leave you guessing if I fold oversized piece in half.
And, sure, I could call it pizza like everyone else. But I prefer to call it by it’s proper name: Ahbeetz!
When it first happened, those four words – I was laid off – were hard to think, let alone write or speak. How could I be laid off? I am a great employee, hard worker, and hell – I was even recruited for the role I was in. But, it happened anyway. My client just didn’t have the money to support keeping me on their business. So I was let go. Ugh, and that term “let go”, like I’m a kite or a piece of rope.
Part of my exit plan was to bestow all of my knowledge of the client and the business onto the remaining team members, as well as the senior team member who was going to take over my role. I showed up every day, gave them my best, and even traveled to manage a TV shoot for four days. Two weeks later, I mailed my laptop back.
In the days that followed my last day of work, I experienced all of the stages of unemployment: shock, anger, fear, grief, and then…a quiet acceptance. I would find a job, the right job, and I would fill my time in other ways. After all, I couldn’t just do nothing. I have always had a job, since I was 15 years old. I don’t know what it feels like to not have a job.
Here, in 2025, it’s easier to find Bigfoot than it is to find a job. Resumes being read by computers. Ghost posts of jobs that don’t even exist. Your application going into a black hole, your hopes and dreams along with it.
This is the actual applicant count for a job to which I applied.
The job market is so broken. 7,000 applicants? Sure, some of them are bots. Others are not qualified. But I have to think at least a few thousand of those 7700 have the chops to do the job. My LinkedIn feed is filled with hundreds of connections all looking for work right now. It’s scary. We’re all of a certain age, experience level, and salary. We’re all vying for the same roles. It’s bananas.
I can honestly say, I’ve been tremendously busy each day in the last month.
Of course I’m spending time networking and job searching for roles that I truly can see myself in. After two days of panic applying to every job in sight, I’ve calmed down. I don’t just want to “work anywhere”. I’m looking to work for a company or brand, not a creative agency again. Titles like “Creative Director, Copy” and “Senior Writer, Brand” excite me. I love to write, and I’m good at it.
I’m also taking care of things that I could never find time for. Organizing. Appointments. Crafting (more on this in another post!). I end each day with a sense of accomplishment; checking items of a to do list or making time for myself.
Lastly, I’m freelancing until the right permanent role comes along. It’s giving me the flexibility I need right now while life is…life-ing.
When I shared the news of my layoff on LinkedIn, I was humbled by how many people from my past life and jobs reached out to me. Some I knew well, others I had managed, and a few were coworkers who were at the same company at the same time, yet we didn’t even work together. But their messages were all alike: “I’m sorry” and “they are crazy to let you go!” and “let me know how I can help”. These messages boosted me up and reminded me that I know a lot of really amazing people.
At the same time, I was disheartened by people I DIDN’T hear from. The ones who I thought for sure would say something (even just a ‘it’s been great working with you! good luck!’ before I was shut off from Teams). In certain situations, people will surprise you. And not always in a good way.
It takes a village to land a job in 2025, and I’m truly grateful to those willing to make a connection, pass on a resume, send a referral link. I certainly didn’t have “Get Laid Off” on my 2025 BINGO card. But I’m ready to play a new game.
In perusing the DSW clearance rack, this pair of sneakers stopped me in my tracks.
It was seventh grade gym class. Our teacher took us all out to the track and informed us that we all had to run a full mile, and that we’d be timed. Excuse me? At the time I had no concept of how far a mile was, and I also was not a fan of running. I was – and am – more of an indoors kind of girl.
On this particular, horrible gym day, I remember panicking at the thought of running a mile. A mile was something you drove in a car! I didn’t even live a mile from the school! Plus, I was wearing my raspberry colored high top Converse sneakers; not exactly athletic footwear.
The class staggered and took off running on the teacher’s cue. Or – in my case – more like wogging, which was a clumsy cross between jogging (when the teacher was looking at me) and walking (which was every other minute on the track). My feet ached, my arches were screaming, and I wanted to cry.
After being lapped by most of the class (who didn’t stick around the cheer me on), I was, officially, the last person to finish. I think I clocked a 10+ minute mile, barely finishing in our allotted time for gym class.
That day is burned into my memory, and likely the reason why I never wanted to run. In my late thirties I ran my first 5K, mostly because I needed to do some type of exercise and a friend said she’d train with me. And there I was, back on that SAME track, doing the couch to 5K. Hating it just as much as I had 20 years earlier.
But back to the sneakers. How I LOVED those raspberry Converse! Fast forward a few decades and here was this pair sitting on the clearance rack, in almost the exact same color, except they were suede – a total upgrade. But I didn’t get them, because the minute I saw them, I was transported back to that horrible day of gym class, and how they were the worst shoes to have on that day. And I reminded myself that I’m too old to wear shoes with no arch support and that hurt my feet.
We’ve all been there: you’re mindlessly scrolling on Instagram and your finger slips, accidentally clicking on a sponsored post of a dog dressed up as a newscaster, and all of a sudden your entire feed is filled with talking dogs. Or kids who swear. Or the clogs that will haunt you until you buy them. Or whatever plagues your feed.
For me, it was a ring. A gold ring that looked like an octopus. Except I didn’t click on it by accident, I clicked on it purposefully.
I’m not a big jewelry wearer. I have a ‘kk’ necklace that I’ll wear. And my wedding rings. But that’s about it. No earrings. Nothing extra.
But there was something about this ring. I couldn’t stop thinking about it. And then – because I clicked (or thought about it?) – it was everywhere in my socialsphere.
image from atolea.com
I showed it to Mr. KK one day casually. Like, ‘you know me, I’m not a jewelry girl, but this ring is pretty cool’. And then life went on, as it does.
In August, Mr. KK and I celebrated our 20-year wedding anniversary. I’m using the term “celebrated” loosely, because while the three of us had a nice dinner out on the actual day, we didn’t really do it up big. In the past, we likely would have gone away somewhere. But, because 2025 was such a bitch, our anniversary came and went quietly.
A few days after our anniversary, Mr. KK handed me a box. And inside was the octopus ring! (Mr. KK is always paying attention and listening! Even after 20 years!)
I love the ring! And not only is it a cool design, what it represents is so meaningful to me. My friend ChatGPT had this to say:
The significance of the octopus lies in its remarkable intelligence, adaptability, and regenerative abilities, which symbolize a range of concepts including versatility, creativity, resilience, and transformation….in contemporary culture, they represent problem-solving and innovation.
But that’s not all!
Octopus Symbolic Meaning
Intelligence and Creativity:
As one of the most intelligent invertebrates, the octopus represents problem-solving, creative thinking, and innovation.
Adaptability and Versatility:
Its ability to change its color, shape, and texture, along with its fluid movement, makes it a symbol of adaptability and the capacity to navigate complex situations.
Resilience and Regeneration:
The octopus’s power to regrow lost limbs symbolizes renewal, healing, growth, and the ability to overcome adversity.
Multitasking:
The eight limbs of the octopus are often seen as a representation of the human ability to juggle multiple tasks and responsibilities.
This is me! Maybe I loved this ring subconsciously because of what it represents.
It’s November! That means I’m back for another full month of blogging.
Apologies for starting the month off on such a negative vibe, but the last 10 months have felt like a heaping pile of steamy shit.
First, our country is a disaster. I’m embarrassed to live here. We traveled outside of the United States in April, and while I was floating in gorgeous turquoise waters sipping on a frozen cocktail trying to forget real life, travelers nearby from Canada heard our American accents and dog paddled over to simply ask, “What is happening to your country?”
I don’t know, fellas. It’s falling apart?
Closer to home, 2025 has tested our resilience, emotional strength, and mental stability.
So far this year, we have endured:
Surgeries
Illness
Loss of a family member
Job loss
Hospitalizations
And that’s just the big stuff.
Doom and gloom aside, there have been some bright moments this year. I traveled to Europe for the first time. I prioritized my health, I joined a gym and stuck with it. Little Mister is thriving in his last year of elementary school.
But big picture, 2025, you have been lackluster at best.
I love that the last day of November blogging coincides with my cancerversary – it’s a great reminder of how thankful I am for the doctors and nurses – thank god for nurses! – at Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
I woke up feeling grateful today, and I sent an email to my oncologist, whom I have not had to see for 15 years. I included a photo of the two of us (below) and a thank you message. I know she likely doesn’t remember me – she helps thousands of women – but she replied (!) and was so happy to hear that I was healthy and well.
All smiles on my last oncology check-in, five years after my surgery. Sidenote: I LOVED that little peplum wool jacket I was wearing. And, I STILL WEAR THAT SCARF!
We often retell the story of the day of my surgery 20 years ago; in true fashion to our family, we had some laughs for sure. Mr. KK and I arrived early, I don’t even think the sun was up, to check in. An hour or so later, my friend and my parents and my future mother-in-law arrived, and we all hunkered down in the surgical waiting room. My mother whipped out a ziploc bag of brownies and we watched the morning talk shows. It was the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. I wouldn’t leave the hospital after my surgery for 6 days.
My surgery was long – about 5 hours; this was 20 years ago and it was incredibly invasive. (Now, the surgery is done laparoscopically with a much shorter in-hospital recovery time.) While the surgeon was performing surgery, she noticed that my appendix was not looking 100% so she took it out. Bonus appendectomy!
Me and Dr. Feltmate, an amazing human, doctor and surgeon.
When I came out of surgery, I was in recovery, and only 2 people were allowed to come in at a time. Mr. KK came in first. I was mostly out of it, complaining that my lips were chapped, going in and out of sleep. Next, my parents came in. Then Mr. KK came back. “Where’s your mom?” I asked him.
“She’s in the waiting room, she’ll be here soon. She’s just watching the end of Jeopardy!, it looks like Ken Jennings is going to win and be the winningest contestant on the show!”
WHAT?? Ken Jennings?? She was watching Ken Jennings? Immediately he became my nemesis! And this became the family joke, how my mother-in-law didn’t come see me right away because she had to watch Ken Jennings win Jeopardy! (Imagine the ridicule when he came back to host! The jokes never end.)
Thanks for reading along this month, and happy cancerversary to me!
Yesterday we dined on turkeys next to trees, our house having been fully decorated for Christmas (sans trees) for a week. And guess what? Everyone survived! You actually CAN have Thanksgiving dinner while your halls are decked and the mantel is glistening.
Every year I do a Thanksgiving recap in photos, so here goes:
Our “night before Thanksgiving” partying craziness has turned into putting the leaves in the dining room table, ironing a tablecloth and being in bed by 9:30pm.
Our one drink the night before Thanksgiving because “we have a lot to do tomorrow”. Me, at 5am, mentally preparing for the day.Super proud of my Turkuterie!Frying one of the turkeys in the rain!So very thankful for a delicious meal with family, and so much more.A house full of wiener dogs.
And I couldn’t resist this, since Mr. KK is NOTORIOUS for blowing leaves on Thanksgiving when we’re getting ready for guests to come:
Except this year it was raining, so he blew “pine needles” on Wednesday, and then spent Wednesday night washing and cleaning glasses and dishes that we were not going to use on Thanksgiving! Love you, sweetie!
And now, it’s Black Friday. Though according to retailers, it’s been Black Friday since November 12th. I’m sitting on the couch, covered in puppies and a blanket, enjoying tea and typing, while Little Mister sleeps like the almost-teenager he is.
It is officially the start of Christmas! We’re getting trees! We’re decorating those trees! We’re playing Christmas music! We’re shopping online! I can barely contain my excitement!
Monday I will be hit with reality as I board a plane for a work trip. Making the most of the start of the Christmas season as I can this weekend!
I was scrolling through my camera roll the other day looking for a specific photo, and I came across a photo I took of an Easter cake that make me laugh.
The cake:
After I laughed yet again at the photo, I thought about how jealous I am of people who organize their photos in albums so they don’t have to search 35,000 photos to try and find what they’re looking for. Whoever you are, you are #winning.
The further I scrolled, the more photos I saw that put a smile on my face. So I thought I’d share them with you here.
This is the dog poop that I stepped – and slid in – walking Bruno. See how it slides there? That’s my sneaker track. I was talking to Mr. KK on the phone and a little distracted, so I didn’t see the dog poop that was literally in the middle of the road that a dog owner didn’t bother to pick up. He heard my reaction to sliding in the poop (insert vulgarities here), so I had to snap a pic to send him so he could see the evidence.
This is Marty. (His real name). He’s our grocery store robot. On this particular day, he was dressed up like a chicken. Personally, I feel the robot is costume enough, but perhaps Marty was feeling a little frisky this day. Also? Marty is always in my effing way when I’m shopping.
Little Mister likes hot dogs, but I don’t make them for him very often. So I keep them in the freezer and use them periodically. This is how I defrost his hot dogs. Imagine if once the hot dog was out of the water, and the glass was accidentally left on the counter, someone mistakenly took a sip of hot dog water? Gross right. (Hypothetical question, I swear).
This photo tells the story of a morning after a party, and the glow necklace left behind as the evidence of a good time. The real story was that there was a type of creature (insect? I can’t remember) that was on the driveway and I put this necklace around it so no one would step on it. The next day, the creature was gone (a miracle!) and only the necklace remained.
Is there anything more disgusting than an airport bathroom? This particular stall looks like it should be submitted as evidence in a murder. WTF happened in this stall in the Charlotte airport? There was a struggle…with a toddler?
This card speaks for itself. It’s awesome.
This scene is from the movie Identity Thief, starring Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy (from 2013, I don’t see a lot of movies). I took this photo because I went to college with this guy in the movie, and had to send it to my college friends. Like, “WE KNOW HIM!” (Or at the very least, “WE GOT DRUNK WITH HIM!”)
Not funny, just a humble brag.
Me, voice texting to Google, “Skinnytaste Acini di Pepe soup”, and Google being funny.
And lastly, me. During senior week in college, where 10 girls stayed in a 3 bedroom house on the Cape. This outfit is how we went out. If college girls could see this now, they would have heart attacks. The chunky heel white sneakers (perhaps from Payless?). Shirt from The Gap. Cuffed jeans because I’m so short. Oh yeah, total babe.
Anyone is welcome to organize photos for me. Not sure where I’d put these…
This past April we took our second trip to Disney with Little Mister. Now that we had our first trip under our belts, we felt better prepared to take on Disney. We knew what we liked, didn’t need to do again, and what we had skipped the first time around. I planned park days, booked restaurants, researched, listened to podcasts, read blogs, drove Mr. KK crazy. And now I will share all that knowledge with you.
(everything here is my opinions only!)
Where to stay in Disney World
On our first trip, we stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, because Little Mister was – and still is – obsession with animals. We knew we were doing two park days at Animal Kingdom (1 park day too many) and that park is a 5 minute bus ride from the AK Lodge. Plus, the AK Lodge is a gorgeous hotel, with animals on the property. We saw giraffes out our balcony every single day. And the lobby has the most amazing scent. Walking in and taking a deep breath was luxurious after a day in the parks.
This trip, we opted to stay closer to the other parks. Our hotel requirements were this:
Great pool
Good location
Deluxe hotel
The deluxe hotel is well worth the money, if for no other reason than you’re staying on property and have early park entry, AND you are able to take advantage of extended nighttime park hours at the parks that have them available. More on that later.
We chose to stay at the Beach Club, which was a 5 minute walk to Epcot, the same 5 minutes to the Skyliner that could take you to Hollywood Studios, and other hotels, and a 20 minute walk to the Hollywood Studios (which is how we chose to get to that park). The location could not be more perfect. Highly recommend any of the hotels in that area (Beach Club, Yacht Club, Boardwalk).
Getting the Most out of your Disney World Trip
The most important thing you could do when planning a trip to Disney is to know your audience. Plan for your family, and your family only. There is so much to see and do, but not every attraction or park or restaurant or experience is for everyone.
Here’s what worked for us:
Plan your park days. Know which park you’re going to on which days so you can plan your restaurants
Plan your restaurants. If you don’t care where you eat, then you probably don’t have to do too much planning. But if there are restaurants you definitely want to hit, plan ahead and book them when you can (currently 60 days prior to your trip).
Take advantage of early entry. If you can get up early, DO IT. We did early entry every day at the park we were going it. Not everyone has this perk, and fewer people like to get up early. Getting to the park 45 minutes before early entry starts (that’s right, you can’t get there at the exact time early entry starts, but even earlier than that) means you can probably knock out 2-3 of the “big” rides before the park opens to the general public. Those extra 30 minutes in the morning can make a real difference.
Take advantage of extended park hours at night. Select parks will stay open late for Deluxe hotel guests on certain nights. During our trip, that was EPCOT and Magic Kingdom. This means that when the park closes at let’s say 10pm to the public, deluxe hotel guests can stay TWO EXTRA HOURS at the park. It was pretty magical walking through the deserted countries in EPCOT after the park closed on the way back to the hotel. And riding Big Thunder Mountain over and over and over again with no line in the dark was pretty cool, too.
The Birthday Button
Perhaps the best part of our trip was my Birthday Button.
When we checked into the hotel, guest services asked if we were celebrating anything. And since my big birthday was the week prior, I told them it was my birthday trip! And they gave me a green birthday button.
I pinned my button on my crossbody bag, and wore it every day. Disney cast members are trained well – when you see a green button you wish the person happy birthday. And that’s what happened…all week long. Mr. KK and Little Mister would get so worked up every time someone wished me a happy birthday. “It’s not even your birthday anymore!” Little Mister kept saying. But it didn’t matter. I had the birthday button and I was wearing the birthday button.
But the real pixie dust happened on our second to last day. It was our Magic Kingdom day, and we arrived really early for early entry morning. We were the first people at the gate in our line, and we chatted with the cast member until she could let us all in. We were the second family inside of the Magic Kingdom that day, and we speed walked over to the rope at Fantasy Land because we wanted to ride Seven Dwarfs Mine Train first. We were so early that we were right up against the rope. We had our mickey shirts on and I was wearing my Minnie ears and – of course – my birthday button.
About 10 minutes before the park was going to open for us, a cast member approached us and said, “Each day we choose a family to be our family of the day and today we choose you!” He then took us under the rope and announced to the crowd of hundreds and hundreds of people that it was my birthday (THE BIRTHDAY BUTTON!) and had them all sing happy birthday to me. Little Mister was ready to DIE of embarrassment until they told us that we could be the first family to ride Seven Dwarfs Mine Train all by ourselves!
What a dream come true! They took us into the ride, let us take pictures in front of the cottage, and then we got to choose our seats and ride all by ourselves! (True story: this was our first ride on our Magic Kingdom day and it was also our last on our way out of the park at midnight!)
Memorable Disney Moments
Every day I took a pic of my watch to see how far we had walked!
We saw so many characters!
Should I be jealous?
Just a girl and her giant turkey leg.
We are not big fireworks people, but this show was pretty cool.
I hate that that guy’s hat is in my photo! I lose too much photo if I try and crop it!
FACT: I will never grow tired of seeing giraffes.
This was a great second trip, and we got to do everything we wanted to do including riding TRON, Guardians, Everest, and Slinky Dog Dash (my personal favorite; and we got to ride it at night, and while we were on it we could see the fireworks from Hollywood Studios AND Magic Kingdom!). Until next time, Disney!
The comedian Jim Gaffigan does this bit where he talks about having 5 kids. He describes it as, “Imagine you’re drowning, and someone hands you a baby.”
I compare that to what it’s like adding a third dog to your home pack.
When we told people we were getting a puppy, most of them responded something like this:
US: “We’re getting a puppy!”
THEM: “Don’t you already have two dogs?”
US: “Yes!”
THEM: “You’re insane.”
It is quite possible they were correct.
Meet Lucy!
First, look at that face. How do you say no to that face?
Lucy is a rescue. She was brought to a shelter with her siblings when they were 1 day old – read that again, ONE DAY OLD – and were left there. The shelter bottle fed them until they were old enough to go to a foster home. Lucy was fostered with her 4 brothers for a few months before she was transported up north directly into our hearts.
Lucy is our first female doggy. She was only 6 pounds when we got here at 4 months old, but she’s thriving and growing big and strong and was 10 pounds at 5 months old. (Seems Lucy and I gain weight at the same rate.)
Lucy and Bruno at playtime. Bruno is literally smiling that he has a new playmate.
We were confident that Lucy’s two big brothers – Rocco and Bruno – would be good role models when it came to showing Lucy the ropes on how to behave like a good dog. That hasn’t exactly happened yet. Bruno likes to play with Lucy, mostly putting her entire head in his mouth and chewing on her leg like a chicken drumstick. Rocco can’t stand her, and constantly growls and tries to escape. Lucy is nothing if not persistent in geting Rocco to like her. She’s a stubborn one!
The first two months with a puppy
Three things are happening in the early days with a puppy:
You are (hopefully) house training the puppy. I’m talking fully house training, none of this “wee wee pad” stuff. That’s like training the puppy two times: once to go on the pads and once to stop going on the pads and going outside.
You are finding teeth everywhere. Puppy teeth just fall out – while they’re playing, when they start eating and also just when evert and hell they feel like it.
You are learning your puppy’s personality and cues. Lucy’s personality is – and I quote Ava Max – “Sweet But Psycho!”
But look at that face! It should be illegal to be this cute.
We were so very lucky that when we brought Lucy home, she slept through the night. She was just about 4 months old – so not a teeny tiny puppy – but still, having her sleep for a full 8 hours was magical. And she’s done it ever since.
Have our lives been turned upside down? Yes.
Do we forget all about that when she snuggles up under our chins and breaths that deep sign of comfort before falling asleep on us? Also yes.
People have been very vocal about how crazy we are having three dogs.
So I thought I’d answer some FAQs here for everyone.
Q: Is it hard potty training a puppy while you are working from home? A: Working from home makes it easier than if I were at an office, but it’s still very difficult.
Q: Do your three dogs all snuggle together and sleep curled up with each other like those dogs on Instagram? A. Not even close.
Q: Do your dogs all get along? A. Also, no. The big one plays with her and the smaller one can’t stand her.
Q: Where do your dogs sleep at night? A. Lucy sleeps in a crate next to our bed. The other two dogs go to sleep with Little Mister, but migrate to our bed in the middle of the night.
Q: Will you get yet another dog? A. NOPE. We’re happy with our little triumvirate.
Life of kk 