Frequently Asked Questions

Welcome to the FAQ page – there’s a lot of em on here so feel free to scroll through. I’ve tried to group them by categories so they’re a little easier to sort through: Weight Loss, Personal, Fun Stuff, Dogs, and Blogging.

::Weight Loss Stuff::

How tall are you?

I’m about 5’10″

How much weight are you trying to lose?

The exact number is changing all the time, but my goal weight is to be around 160-170 pounds. When I started this I was 268 pounds – so around 100 pounds. As soon as my BMI is in the healthy range I’ll be more focused on how I look instead of the exact number on the scale.

Are you following a diet plan?

Not right now – I have tried a lot of different things but couldn’t stick to any one plan for very long (though I did see results when I followed them!). Right now I am counting calories.

How do you track your calories?

I use MyFitnessPal. My username is TheKateMixes if you want to be friends but let me know you came over from the blog so I know who you are!

How do you swim with music?

I use a waterproof iShuffle case. It has completely changed my life and I seriously doubt I could ever swim without it again.

::Personal Stuff::

I don’t think you actually have OCD.

No, I don’t have OCD. I’m just particular.

Is your apartment actually clean all the time?

I work from home a lot and can’t get anything done until everything is put away so it actually stays really tidy 99% of the time.

Where do you live?

I am a Northern Virginia girl, born and bred. I can’t go to the grocery store without it turning into a high school reunion. Sometimes I love to hate on NoVA but I love it through and through. And, yes, I grew up when “NOVA” was a community college – not an acronym.

What is your job? Does your employer know you have a blog?

I work in nursing administration as what my boss likes to call the “chief communications officer.” My real title isn’t that sexy (or lucrative, if you’re curious – but I’m not complaining). In summary, I do marketing, events, programs, and communications work for our nursing division. No, I am not a nurse and no, I cannot get you a job. Sorry!

Yes, everyone I work with knows that I have a blog – including our marketing/communications team (who are the ones who really care most when it comes to this kind of thing). That’s also why you see that awesome disclaimer on my policies page about how I don’t represent the company. But I think the majority of my coworkers forget about this blog and that’s okay with me. 99.5% of what I do has nothing to do with this blog so I really don’t write about work. I do, however, get better opportunities at work because of my personal blogging/social media experience.

What church do you belong to?

I attend a nondenominational bible church and it is absolutely awesome.

What’s your deal with drinking/not drinking? I can’t keep track.

Try not to worry about it. I don’t drink (or do drugs or smoke). But even though I “stopped drinking” three years ago, I will have a drink (or several) from time to time and that’s confusing for some people. No, nothing happened it’s just a personal preference.

::Fun Stuff::

Okay – What’s the deal with “Kate Pink” ?

Kate pink is my signature color. I call it “Kate” pink to differentiate between this one shade of deep pink and all other shades out there. I think of it as more of a magenta than a fuchsia or bubblegum (seriously I’ve thought about this). If you’d like me to get more specific, it’s Pantone 213 (PMS213c). No, Pantone does not call it “Kate Pink” – I think they call it “Cherry Blossom.”

So is pink your favorite color?

No. Black is. But pink and black look really great together, don’t they?

Can I marry you?

That position is still open if you’re interested. I have some prerequisites, but I’m sure you can handle them.

Why would you be a Slytherin? Are you serious about that whole Death Eater thing?

Basically I associate being Slytherin with a level of prestige and tradition. But according to the Sorting Hat they’re also really ambitious and achievement oriented and that just sounds like me. I know they get a lot of bad PR in the Harry Potter series but I like to think there’s more to that story than what we get to see. Besides if I want to be a Death Eater you know I’d have to be a Slytherin.

Yes, I realize it’s not cool to want to be part of a fictional terrorist group. But I have a thing for skulls and bad boys. Does that mean I have a thing for killing people who get in my way or don’t think/act/believe what I do or meet my standards? Nah. I just want the tattoo.

::Dog Stuff::

What are your dogs names?

My oldest is Latte, but his full AKC name is La Petite Monsieur Latte Du Boire. Pretentious much? Yep. But we never call him that. He’s just Latte to us. I also call him “lots” or “Big lots” and occasionally “Lote” (rhymes with boat) because one of my friends once wrote his name down and it looked like Lote instead of Latte.

My new baby is Mocha. He’s registered with the AKC as “Grande Monsieur White Mocha du Boire” – Grande like the drink, because Latte is obviously a “tall.”   Sometimes I call him Mokes.

What kind of dog is Latte? And Mocha?

Latte is a purebred toy poodle and Mocha is a miniature poodle. I have their hair cut so they don’t look like a poodles though cause I dislike the poodle cut. However I did one time give Latte an honest to goodness, full on English saddle clip:

Not his best look, not to mention the upkeep was awful.

These days we keep the boys in what’s called a “teddy bear” clip (though I sometimes call it an “ewok” clip).

How old are your dogs?

Latte was born on March 30, 2008. Mocha was born February 2012.

How big are they?

Latte’s around 8 pounds. Mocha is still growing – last weigh-in he was 9 pounds!

Is Latte really as angry as his blog posts make him sound?

Will a picture help answer this?

Kidding. Unless you’re trying to brush his hair or his teeth. He’s my little ball of energy, and he’s oh-so-sweet. He loves to snuggle and play fetch. Latte also loves the sneak attack – Be aware that if you sit down in his presence, you’ve extended him an invite to sit on your lap. I tried to train him to ask first but that basically means he will ask me and only me.

What is Mocha like?

He’s just as sweet as can be. I knew he would be my dog when he snuggled into my neck the minute I picked him up. I thought Latte was a snuggler but Mocha puts him to shame. Mocha, however, is a very jealous boy – if someone is being held he wants it to be him!

Are Latte and Mocha the only dogs in your house?

In the apartment, yes. My parents have a miniature poodle named, of all things, Sorcha – which means Princess in Gaelic, and she lives up to that name. She is my mother’s dog and will not let anyone forget that. If you picture a stereotypical poodle, Sorcha is exactly that. Come to our house and she bark until your ears bleed and then she will run from you.

My parents other dog is a miniature poodle named Phog after Phog Allen, a famous University of Kansas basketball coach. He’s actually Mocha’s littermate but he has grown exponentially faster than Mocha! At their last weigh in, he was 6 pounds heavier.

::Blog Stuff::

How long have you been blogging?

Since high school (2001ish) when I had an OpenDiary and then a LiveJournal (both are now deleted – I’m quite sad cause I’d love to go back and read some of those posts). I started my first blogger blog in college and deleted it when I moved to my own self-hosted wordpress site.

Who made your layout?

I’m using the Thesis theme. I did all of my own graphics (if you can’t tell…). The header font is New Romantics, my About page uses KG Seven Sixteen.

Do you accept guest posts or sponsors?

I accept guest posts from people I know either from blogging or in real life. If you’ve never tried to connect with me I won’t accept a guest post from you. I definitely welcome other bloggers as sponsors – contact me for more details!

My question isn’t listed here.

Feel free to email it to me and I’ll definitely get back to you. KateSullivanBlogs at Gmail dot com.