a sight to behold.

Goodbye, Mary Poppins! Hello, beautiful old friend!
It's like all my dreams are coming true (or at least all the dreams I ever had for a walk to class).

my hcomm life.

A revelation I came to tonight whilst begrudgingly writing a paper:

When I'm at HCFA, I'm thinking about health policy, reform and campaigns.

When I'm not at my internship, I'm at work thinking about health insurance, health administration and prevention efforts.

When I'm not at work, I'm in class thinking about patient-provider interaction, communication and relationships.

When I'm not in class, I'm thinking about writing about health policy, reform, campaigns, insurance, administration, prevention efforts, and the interactions, communications and relationships therein in some 15-page paper.

Whatever is the opposite of health comm, that part of my brain is going by the wayside (and fast!) because I sure as heck haven't been using it. Speaking of brains, I think mine hurts. I need to watch some reality television and how!!

say i'm-not-complaining-i-love-it-but-it-sure-makes-for-a-small-yet-crazy-vast-world!!

katy c. 

haley's fave.

So if Jocelyn helps a friend move out of her apartment, I reap the benefits of leftover, unopened perishable items :)

(Put them in the freezer for a super unhealthy, but cold, summer snack!)

say cream filling!
katy c.

hot date.

Jocelyn, Susan and I took each other out on a fancy date tonight to see "Bad Teacher" (B-) and "Bridesmaids" (A++). <<If you love it, then you'll love me....oh, and vice versa.

Unfortunately, while I can speak of the quality of the flicks, I cannot do the same for this pic....

say "very large, cheeeeesy pizza,"
katy c.

wwf.

No, it's not an expletive abbreviation. And it's not a wrestling match. While it is a competition, to be sure, it's not one in which ya wield your power physically...but mentally, my friend. "Words with Friends," which is basically Scrabble on your phone that you can play with friends or strangers, could very well be the death of me. I'm obsessed. I've currently got nine games going on with six friends and two strangers. I'm pathetic and I love it! There's a lot of grunting and sweating and frustration going on, and that's mostly because of too many consonants and super tight puzzles -- which is almost worse than a cage match punch in the gut, if ya ask me. All you fellow English-majors out there: Am I right or am I right?!

MHC currently has me stuck with WGMDOFD.

WTF, WWF?!?!
katy c.

no self-respectin' southerner...

I've been threatening to wow my friends with some homemade Southern cuisine for quite a while now, and I reckoned it was about that time to put my fanny in the kitchen and whip up some Southern lovin' for 'em! There was a TON of food, and everyone did their part to ration meals adequately beforehand :) 

Our "No Self-Respectin' Southerner" Sunday Supper menu included:
- Shrimp and grits (fabulous recipe compliments of Chef Haley's chef-mom!)
- Daddy's famous Louisiana gumbo
- Grape salad
- The ever-simple-and-stinky-but-delicious collard greens with vinegar and hot sauce
- Peach cobbler and vanilla ice cream
- Biscuits from a can (which, coincidentally, was the only thing not homemade and the only thing that burned)
- Maw Maw's sweet tea
- Mint juleps
Thanks to Greggory, Laura, Susan, Karan, Matt, Katie, Jocelyn, Rachel and Kristen for gobbling it all up (and being good sports by taking home leftovers that may or may not have been forced upon them). Can't wait to do it again -- and next time, I promise that I won't chicken out and not make the fried chicken :)


"hey y'all!"
katy c. 

extra!! extra!!

I was very excited today to hear that an article I originally wrote for HCFA's blog would be posted on our parent organization's national blog!! I realize that in the grand scheme of things, this really is not that big of a deal and that bigger, better and badder accomplishments are to come in my career (or at least they better!!) -- but I was just so excited that my supervisor was excited! I've been there for a little over a month now and my portfolio (both physical and mental) is overflowing!! It's always easy to do well and be excited about your work when your organization is so busy doing good things.

....have you read our blog yet? Liked us on Facebook? Followed us on Twitter? Scrolled through our Flickr pics?....ummm because ya should.....

As Garth Brooks would say, "I'm shameless!"
katy c.

bruins win! bruins win!

Jocelyn, her cousin, Rachel, and I had the most insane/loud/fun/high-five filled night of our lives last night in Boston as we walked through streets of absolute jubilee and celebration! In case ya didn't hear, the Bruins won the Stanley Cup in a seven-game series :) ....and everyone here was just a smidge excited about it!

say cheese,
katy c.

(Sorry this is back-blogged -- my phone was being funky that day so I had to wait to get it from our lovely visitor, Rachel)

candid camera.

Here's some of the great work I've had the opportunity to work on at HCFA the last few weeks at my internship. We held a press event at the State House prior to a panel hearing testimonies regarding Massachusetts' pharma gift ban. I'm learning a ton and having a blast!

Don't forget to follow our blog: blog.hcfama.org

say cheese,

katy c.

never leave home without it.

I've been working very hard to earn this sucker and word on the street is that the real deal is on his way (in 4-6 weeks)!!! Yessssssss!!

barney. cabbage. alice walker.

There was obviously a theme on my walk home today from work....I don't know their real names (we haven't been properly introduced yet), so I just made up some that I thought would do perfectly! Enjoy!

Dr. Seuss'imums

Our Lady of Cotton Candy

Binomial nomenclature: C. Errchin

Jazzy Jazzy Jazz Jasmine

Paint-by-numbers Sheila

nkotbsb!!

A few friends and I enjoyed the wonderfully exciting reunion of NKOTBSB (that's New Kids on the Block & the Backstreet Boys!) tonight at Fenway, so I thought I'd share some of the highlights!!

Jordin Sparks opened with "Battlefield" and the cutest shirt I ever saw!!

Laura loves some NKOTB. And I loves some BSB. We share the B. Afterall, NKOTBSB brings people together.

Our whole gang: Susan, Mary Beth, Laura, me, Sam, Lilly & Katrina!

Laura hanging out with MARKY MARK WAHLBERG!!!

Gang's all here!!

The Little Wahlberg literally ripped his shirt off and pretty much all of Fenway passed out....

Naughty By Nature showed up, too (ya know, "You down with OPP? Yea you know me!" & "Hey! Ho! Hey! Ho!")!
Best concert EVER.

Awesome finale on top of the Green Monster! We were all totally soaked in the rain, but hands down best concert ever. 
All my 6th-grade dreams have finally come true :)

psalm 145.

This song, by Shane & Shane, was stuck in my head all day today!! I absolutely adore it and thought I'd share it, and the accompanying Bible verse which inspired it, with you all. I hope it encourages you and fills you up with love and joy! Turn your speakers up real loud and listen to the whole thing (the end is crazy good!). And enjoy the Lord :)

Psalm 145

A psalm of praise. Of David.

1I will exalt you, my God the King;

I will praise your name for ever and ever.

2Every day I will praise you

and extol your name for ever and ever.

3Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;

his greatness no one can fathom.

4One generation will commend your works to another;

they will tell of your mighty acts.

5They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty,

and I will meditate on your wonderful works.

6They will tell of the power of your awesome works,

and I will proclaim your great deeds.

7They will celebrate your abundant goodness

and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

8The LORD is gracious and compassionate,

slow to anger and rich in love.

9The LORD is good to all;

he has compassion on all he has made.

10All you have made will praise you, O LORD;

your saints will extol you.

11They will tell of the glory of your kingdom

and speak of your might,

12so that all men may know of your mighty acts

and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

13Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,

and your dominion endures through all generations.

The LORD is faithful to all his promises

and loving toward all he has made.

14The LORD upholds all those who fall

and lifts up all who are bowed down.

15The eyes of all look to you,

and you give them their food at the proper time.

16You open your hand

and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

17The LORD is righteous in all his ways

and loving toward all he has made.

18The LORD is near to all who call on him,

to all who call on him in truth.

19He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;

he hears their cry and saves them.

20The LORD watches over all who love him,

but all the wicked he will destroy.

21My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD.

Let every creature praise his holy name

for ever and ever.

she's back!!

Feels like we've come full-circle, right?! One of my first blog posts was about the searchin', findin' and usin' of this ole lady and it's finally getting warm enough--94* here today, with no AC mind you--to dust her off and put her back to work :) Yay! We're back in action!

say cheese,
katy c.

my britney girls.

All the prom pictures have been flooding my inbox the last few months, and seeing all my little Britney girls dressed up just makes me wanna cry!! Look how beautiful they all are! These are some of my gorgeous cousins on my mom's side of the family who were all born within one year of each other. They've all done the prom thing, some have done the graduation thing and none of them are doing the stay young thing!! I can't believe how quickly time is passing and what beautiful women they're all morphing into! Let me introduce you...

This is Milly I-can-rock-a-Y-too Mercer of Atlanta, GA :) Her stunning smile always turns heads when she's being a devoted Chick-fil-a employee and sports medicine assistant to her school's football team! And she always has the best-looking dates to everything...for real!! 

This is Elise I-can-do-a-bicycle-kick Mercer of Spartanburg, SC :) She is the perfect little debutante who plays soccer and does YL. And regardless of my UGA allegiance, I am very proud of this Auburn Tiger who will start schoolin' in Alabama in the fall! 
(At least she's smart and keeps it in the SEC...)

This is Catherine I-love-Phelps-Monteith-Radcliffe-Bieber-Grint-Efron-in-no-particular-order Abernathy of Jacksonville, FL :) She is a cheerleader, swimmer and pageant contestant who will soon (fingers crossed, but no pressure!) be a Georgia Bulldawg and, inevitably, a New Yorker news anchor!

This is Kenzie I'll-be-at-the-lake Markland of Eagan, MN :) The most petite thing you'll ever see, this little lady is a knockout firecracker with a big ole brain to boot! 

We all know her as Kenz or Kenzie, but Mackenzie is a lover of all things dance and will always be pictured in a tutu in my mind!

My Britney Girls are all grown up! Still dancing and smiling and wearing shiny clothing that their mothers would never allow on a normal day -- but they're rockin' it and making me proud all the time!! I had to give a little shout out to these wonderful ladies as they all begin to embark on such crazy good things! Love y'all.....get your mama's to pay for a flight over to Boston :)

say cheese,
katy c.

@HCFA.

Three fellow HCFA'ers and I drove out to Salem, MA this morning for a local payment reform hearing, hosted by Rep. Steven Walsh. We heard from several consumers regarding their personal stories in and out of the health care and insurance worlds while we live tweeted the whole time (follow @HCFA) and snagged a few pics. After what felt like an eternity (because that room felt like a meat locker!), we grabbed a bite at Brother's Deli and ate our lunch, here:

i heart my internship!
katy c.

foodbaby.

before.

after.

No especially clever way to say this...but Jocelyn and I were clearly out of food...so we went to el mercado...and we bought some food...and carried it back to our apartment...and put it in our fridge. We might eat it, someday.

say cheese. we did.
katy c.

night in.

Red Sox. Sushi. Starbucks. Scarf. Sandals. Jacket. June? Deck. Sunset. Joanna. Jean. Brendan. Bruins. Trivia. SNL. Home. Simple evening. Simply wonderful!

say cheese,
katy c.

123GO!!

This is supposed to be a picture of Karan and me doing the Macarena while at work (it's how we make our days fun!). However, it's actually a picture of Karan grunting "No self-respecting Southerner uses instant grits" and me trying not to laugh.....fail.

I love the Health Center (and our super boss, and photographer, LauraO!!)

say cheese,
katy c.

wooooosaaah.

I love Groupon.

It lets you buy a full on manicure and pedicure and one-hour full-body massage (normally $145!) for a discounted $69. That's a 52% discount, thank ya very much. Holy cow, you're jealous. Susan and I bought our Groupons in Febru-stinkin-ary, while feelin' the heat of the midterm battle-zone, and we just redeemed them today :) We both took off work and internships and everything....we're that important.

i demand cucumbers in my ice water from now on,
katy c.

wuacamole.

Jocelyn has returned! Susan is back in action! And Gregg(ory) is alive and well!!

Met up with some of my fave peeps tonight--after the longest two weeks of loneliness in my life!--at my new fave spot (Lolita's) and we got these fancy stick-on tats that I just had to show ya....in addition to our pop-rock-covered-cotton-candy, of which you've already been informed :)

say cheese!
katy c.