The Bachelor premiere is quickly approaching, which means the return of chatting with some of our favorites from season's pasts. Today I'm checking in with Jared Haibon, who was on Kaitlyn's season of The Bachelorette and two seasons of Bachelor in Paradise.

Jared is most famous for making Ashley I. ugly cry, but prior to going on The Bachelorette, Jared was a restaurant manager in Rhode Island. Following filming he returned to his normal life, only to realize it was going to be far from normal. A couple weeks after filming, his local newspaper released his photo on their website and asked people for information on him. Strangers began showing up claiming they were friends, people he hadn't seen in years were adding him on Facebook, and he began to get a rapidly increasing social media following.


Whether Jared was posing as Love Man, hanging at the MET dressed like Bond with Kaitlyn, or sipping alcoholic beverages on the beach with his true love Tanner, Jared has always graced our televisions as a gentleman. One thing he wishes people realized though is that this show is real to him and everyone else who participates. It was a wonderful experience that he is grateful for, but it wasn't easy. While it is just reality TV to the most of us, for Jared it was a real, authentic, look for love that did not end with wedding bells.

Recently Jared moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in digital media. While he uses his following to promote fun companies like Hello Fresh, he is also using it to raise awareness of causes important to him, most recently doing a campaign to raise money with The American Cancer Society. I admire a man who uses his platform to make miracles happen.

For more of Brady-Belichick super fan Jared, follow him on Instagram @jaredhaibon

Decorating for the holidays is a sure way to put me into a great mood! I am always chomping at the bit to decorate for Christmas, often fighting the urge to decorate before Thanksgiving. This year decorating for the holidays is extra special because I am in my new apartment and it is the first time I have my own place to decorate. In the past I have often rented rooms and the decorations were confined to a small space. This year I have tons of space to fill and have enjoyed every moment!

One of my favorite new decorations this year is this framed printable. I chose a beautiful Christmas printable that says Tis The Season and uploaded it to Framebridge to be printed and framed.


Upload a photo or mail in your art, choose a frame style, and Framebridge will get to work on making your frame picture perfect! The prices are honest and reasonable, which I appreciate because I have previously tried to frame an extremely oversized item (like 4 feet by 3 feet oversized!) and never could get a straight forward answer on the price. This was never a concern with Framebridge.

If you are looking to decorate your home or find the perfect Christmas gift, I highly recommend checking out Framebridge. They are offering 15% off all frames until December 10th when you use the code SANTABABY at checkout!

FTC Disclosure: Framebridge sent me this frame free of cost in exchange for a review. All opinions are true and my own.

Holiday shopping is in full swing. I try to do as much shopping as I can with Amazon Prime, but for some gifts, it just is not possible. Here are 4 gift ideas for friends and family!

Bonding Bees: Bonding Bees is perfect for the couple in your life! It is a monthly date box for couples to have a fun night together. Each box has a theme and includes an activity to build your relationship. Use code kickback15 for $15 off your first box!

Recently I started thinking about the roles in my life. I am a teacher, a student, a girlfriend, a daughter, an aunt, a sister, a friend, a blogger, amongst many other titles. And while I am used to having so much on my plate, I feel like I am not fulfilling every role to the best of my ability.

Lately I was presented with the question, "What can you do to be better?" I wrote it on a post it note at work and have been thinking over it the last couple weeks. This morning it hit me. Each day I need to wake up and I figure out what I can do each day to be better. How can I be a better teacher this day and this day only? How can I be a better aunt this day and this day only? Channeling my focus on how I can be better that day and only that day is my focus this month!

What can YOU do to be better?

November is OVER. Christmas season is 100% here! I am so excited to get my Christmas tree, decorate cookies, listen to holiday music, and just be surrounded by people I love. November was a wild month that happened in the blink of an eye. Here are my five favorite things from November!

Best Beauty Product:
Bioclarity is a face treatment I have been using the past couple weeks that cleanses, treats, and restores the skin. The products use chlorophyll to clean and rejuvenate the skin and it is a natural way to detox the skin. I noticed an immediate change within the first week and it keeps looking better and better. Be sure to return next week for my holiday gift guide that will have a 50% coupon code off Bioclarity!

I still can't believe my blog turned 4 years old!!!
I would like to congratulate the winner of the Starbucks gift card, Amber B.

Amber is a newlywed, soon to be mama to a sweet little boy, and a creative genius. Growing up I remember Amber always having perfect handwriting and the most creative art projects. Now she is implementing that creativity into her Etsy shop, AB Creative. She is currently running a Black Friday sale, offering 25% off purchases of $5 or more!

When I was in college I loved receiving care packages. Whether it was a card with a little extra cash from my parents, or homemade cookies overnighted from my bestie's mom, it always left me feeling extra special. While I am no longer far from home living in the dorms, I still love mystery packages arriving full of fun treats. Enter Dot Boxx.

Dot Boxx is a monthly care package for women of all ages. It includes beauty products, accessories, skin care products, feminine hygiene products, and all sorts of essentials for your time of the month! The type and amount of products vary dependent on what type of box you choose: Basic, Mini, I Want It All!, or Teen.



Dot Boxx also offers care packages for college students! All packages are themed with goodies to fit, including the Sickie Ickie Care Package, the Exam Cram Care Package, and the Happy Birthday! Care Package.

Their website is full of a magnitude of other objects that will make PERFECT stocking stuffers that are currently on sale. Some of these products include Kylie Jenner lip gloss, wine glasses, and scarves.

The best part? Dot Boxx is having a HUGE Black Friday SALE!
From 11/23-11/25 use the promo code HAPPY when you purchase a 3 month subscription and get the 3rd month FREE!

Black Friday has a reputation of being purely chaotic. Three years ago was the first (and probably last) year I have ever tackled it and ironically, there were ZERO crowds. I did not wait for parking for hours, I did not even wait in line when buying at the stores. That being said, I did not think there were any overly satisfying deals. I think it is a great day if you are making a big purchase or buying electronics, but for cosmetics, clothing, and smaller items, Black Friday makes no big difference.

If you are going to trek out shopping this weekend, here are a few tips:

1. Have a plan. Know what you are shopping for so that you do not overspend on unnecessary items or spend more time than needed at the mall.
2. Compare prices ahead of time. Many websites, such as Price Grabber and Shop Advisor, will tell you which store will have the best price for what you are looking for. This will cut out any pain of purchasing immediately at Nordstrom's, then finding the jeans $20 cheaper at Macy's.
3. Get a good night's rest. When you are sleep deprived you are likely to overeat and overspend. Being sure you got 6-8 hours of sleep (the tryptophan in the turkey should help!) could prevent you from binge eating Wetzel's Pretzels at the food court and buying the same sweater in eight different colors.
4. Read the fine print. A lot of stores will mark up the "original" price, to make the discount look greater than it really is. Be sure you know that you are really getting a discount before you purchase.
5. Do not limit yourself to Black Friday. Many stores seem to be doing "Black November" and bargains are already out. Cyber Monday is another great way to get fabulous deals without even having to leave your bed.

Next week this blog turns 4 years old! When I started this blog I was a month away from graduating college and completely lost. I had no clue what was to come after graduation and was scared. One of my roommates encouraged me to start writing about it, and Kick Back With Cate was born. I never dreamed it would turn into this. 4 years later this blog is my baby, my biggest passion, and my creative outlet. Thank you to everyone who has supported my blog along the way. I love you.

As a token of gratitude to my loyal readers, friends, and family over the past 4 years, I am hosting a $20 Starbucks gift card GIVEAWAY!

To Enter:
Click HERE.

There is a lot of new music out this month that I am loving. Between Taylor Swift's new album, Niall Horan's new album, and all the miscellaneous singles that dropped in the past couple weeks, I thought it would be appropriate to compile a list of the new music I am loving. Here are ten newly released songs that I can't get enough of lately.

Call It What You Want by Taylor Swift
I Hate Love Songs by Kelsea Ballerini
When the Wine Wears Off by Blake Shelton
Diane by Cam
Hold the Light by Dierks Bentley
Leave Me Wanting More by Chris Young
Seeing Blind by Niall Horan & Maren Morris
Hide the Wine by Carly Pearce
Eyes on You by Chase Rice
The Best Part of Me by Lee Brice

What songs are you loving lately?

Each month I receive a box of love and encouragement on my front porch. The theme of this month's Loved + Blessed Box is WAITING. It focuses on being patient and trusting that God has something good in store for you in the periods when he has you waiting.

Recently I learned about the benefits of hydrogen in skin products. Hydrogen can make the skin feel neutralized, hydrated, and youthful. The release of oxygen when using the products removes toxins, cleanses the skin, and tightens the pores.

Lisse is a skin company that uses hydrogen as the main ingredient in their skin care products to allow individuals a natural way to perfect their skin. They kindly sent me a moisturizing cream and a rejuvenating mask to sample the benefits of hydrogen on my sensitive, acne-prone skin and I was impressed!


The Real Hydrogen Yuza Snow Ice Cooling Cream resembles ice cream, but is healthy for the skin! It soothes and hydrates the skin, chalking it full of antioxidants and sebum control. One scoop on the skin and you will be filling soft and tight. It is made of natural ingredients including yuza extract, which tightens the pores and brightens the skin, and papaya extract, which removes dead skin cells.

The Real Hydrogen Rejuvenate Mask is anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and moisturizing. It detoxes the skin and eliminates swelling. It is made from natural ingredients including scutellaria baicalensis extract, which is anti-inflammatory and anti allergenic, tea tree leaf extract, which is used to treat wounds, and yersba mate leaf extract, which speeds up the metabolism. This sheet mask has ear tags to help lift the skin and remove swelling and chin fat.

After using the cream and mask my skin felt more hydrated in an hour than it had in a year. My skin felt milky and vibrant for the next couple days following use. These are perfect to purchase with winter fast approaching. Skin will be dryer and needs extra TLC this season!

Today we salute those who have served our nation. Thank you to those who have put their lives on the line for the rest of us. I admire your bravery, hard work, and honor. Today I encourage you to sit down with a veteran, thank them, and get to know them and their story more. God bless.

October has come and gone and we are entering the holiday season. I am really excited for the holidays this year because I will have my own place to decorate and call my own. The most exciting thing to happen to me in October was signing a lease on a new place. I have always rented rooms from people, so this is a big step in my life. I can't wait to have a Christmas tree to decorate, be able to have friends over to bake gingerbread cookies, and to be able to binge watch Hallmark movies whenever I choose.

Here are 5 other things I loved in October:

1.) Dean Unglert's Halloween costume: Dean and his roommate Jackson dressed up as Arnold and Gerald from Hey Arnold. It was my favorite costume I saw this season.


What were your favorite things in October?

My $20 Conair curling iron I have had since high school crapped out on my recently and I realized it was time to finally upgrade. Out with the clamp curler and in with the cue clip curling wand! This wand from Vanity Planet is an aluminum rod with a 360 degree swivel cord. This swivel allows you to curl at all angles without any annoying breaks. The aluminum keeps your hair frizz free and kink free, allowing for natural looking curls. The best part about the wand is it allows for a variety of looks from tight curls to loose beach waves.



Vanity Planet is graciously offering Kick Back With Cate readers 25% off with the coupon code CUETIFUL25 at checkout!

FTC DISCLOSURE: VANITY PLANET SENT ME THE CUE CLIP FREE CURLING WAND IN EXCHANGE FOR A REVIEW. ALL OPINIONS ARE HONEST AND MY OWN.

I have talked previously about how 2017 has been a rebuilding year for me. I have been recreating the person I used to be and striving towards my dreams. A lot of this has been done through prayer, wisdom from family and friends, and journaling. I recently read She's Still There by Chrystal Evans Hurst and it made me realize I am not alone in trying to find the little girl inside of me in my adult life.

Sometimes I hit a creative block. Coming up with DIY Halloween costumes that are easy to make that I have not done in the past four years of blogging has been a struggle this year. I have to admit I had to turn to Dr. Google this week to help me get the creative juices flowing. However, after searching "DIY Halloween Costumes" I could not help but recreate this look that brought me back to childhood.

Decorating my home for the holidays is one of my favorite things to do, especially for fall! While it sometimes is not cheap, there are many affordable or free options out there! Custom Labels created these spooky Halloween labels, which are perfect for decorating goodie bags, for a party, or the classroom. The best part is they are FREE! To get your own Halloween printables, visit Custom Labels!

I have no shame in my love for the Teen Mom franchise. It's a guilty pleasure of mine. And whether it's because of her relationship with Cole or the hilarious words out of Aubree's mouth, Chelsea Houska is my favorite of the moms. Not only is she the realest and classiest of all the moms, her hair, makeup, and outfit choices are always on point. I recreated this fun fall look from a recent photo shoot of Chelsea's for under $100.

Praying by Kesha

Week 2 of DIY Halloween costumes is here and this is a fun one that can probably be made from stuff you already have in your closet. I got this idea on a recent Disneyland trip...Indiana Jones!

It's October! Wow! I can't believe 2017 is nearly over. I have some fun stuff on the agenda this month and I don't see a slow down anytime soon. I am praying peace and joy for the month and I am looking forward to seeing what it brings.

My goal this month is to have quality time every morning with the Lord. On days I wake up earlier and read my Bible or a devotional and spend time journaling and praying, it sets up my day for success. It frees any anxieties and gives me a clear head for the rest of the day.

Comment below with your goal for October!

My favorite month is coming to an end and it was such an amazing month for me! It was full of lots of fun, but also some chaos.

I kicked off September in Colorado with my family enjoying football and time together.

The following weekend I got a surprise visit from my family in Florida who had flown west when the harsh reality of Hurricane Irma hit. It was great to spend some time with my brother, his wife, and my beautiful nephew. While the reason we spent time together was not pleasant, it was great to see them sooner than Christmas. I had not seen my nephew for two months and it was miraculous the development he had from mid-June to early-September.

Weekend number three I got rear ended. What a drag. Thank the Lord I was safe and damage was minimal and a stress free experience. The rest of that weekend was spent at Disneyland! My boyfriend and I became annual passholders and it was an exciting purchase. I can't wait to spend many weekends at the park in the coming year. It was nice to enjoy the park without feeling rushed or forced to get on every single ride, because we have the ability to go back whenever we want.

Last Friday I took my final CSET for teaching credential (I find out if I pass on October 20...please pray!) and then spent the night at the Greek Theater with Walker Hayes, Old Dominion, and Thomas Rhett. What a show. I loved every second of it. I would love to see Thomas Rhett again. His new album is incredible and I recommend you check it out if you have not yet.

The next day I turned 25! Wow. I have never had a more special birthday. My boyfriend and friends made it an incredible day for me. I have never felt so loved before. We celebrated at a brewery. It was neat to watch all my friends from different walks of life interacting with each other and forming their own friendships.

On Monday a pain I had been experiencing in my foot all month come to a head and I had to get x-rays. Unfortunately I learned I had a bone spur and a stress fracture which are likely related. I will be spending October in walking boot which is already frustrating, but I am trying to have an attitude of gratitude with the fact that at least I have a foot and the ability to walk.

Now someone go wake up that guy from Green Day...

What a year 24 has been. It has been one of the hardest years of my life and has brought upon a lot of changes. Fortunately with these changes has brought upon a lot of personal growth.

I spent my 24th birthday in tears. I was alone in a new town, missing my friends and family, knowing deep down that something had to give. Through the next couple months I kept going through the motions praying for a change. In December I went home for my Dad's 60th birthday and being around my family proved to me what I had already believed. I needed to come home and start over. I needed to put myself first and chase my dreams, whatever those may be. As 2017 began, I started to make plans to come home. I reconnected with a career I loved and began to take the steps to transition back into it. On February 1st I came home and made the leap to fall back in love with myself and find my personal happiness. As the months went on I began to get my joy back. Some days were difficult, but through Christian fellowship, supportive family, and a lot of journaling, I added more and more into my plan, including completing my teaching credential. I began to peel back the layers as I rebuilt my life, which meant removing people I truly cared for. One day I looked back on it all and realized I was falling in love with myself. By the grace of God I regained my independence, my self worth, and began unlocking my dreams.

24 was a hard year, but I would not change a thing. I can't wait to see what 25 is going to look like. Something tells me that the trials of 24 set me up for success and joy in the coming year.

It's time for my favorite giveaway of the year! Birthday giveaway! One lucky winner will receive happy mail with my favorite things from my 24th year. There will be snacks and makeup products, but most importantly there will be a $25 Starbucks gift card!

To enter to win:
Visit HERE and follow the steps!

Winner will be announced Monday September 25th.
US residents only.
Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.
CONGRATULATIONS TO TANYA K. FOR WINNING!
PLEASE EMAIL ME WITHIN 72 HOURS!

September is here! It's my favorite time of year. I can't wait for all the fun activities I have planned this month. I am kicking it off tonight with a college football game and will also be celebrating turning 25 this month!

This month I want to focus on forming deeper connections. Instead of spending time with a group of friends or sending someone a text to check in, I would love to have one on one time with friends I would like to get to know better. I want to pick up the phone and hear a friend's voice instead of sending a text while doing three other things at the same time. I want to connect with people I see day in and day out at work, but know nothing about besides their name and what they teach. This month I want to actively listen to others, get to know them on a deeper, personal level, and really pay attention to what people are saying.

We live in a society where everyone is rushing to the next thing or thinking about what is on their to do list instead of focusing on who they are surrounding themselves with. This month I challenge you to break the barrier and get to know someone better.

Another one way to form deeper bonds is to pour into those who need pouring into. Right now, the city of Houston and surrounding areas is experiencing devastating loss, damage to their homes, and a broken city. Please join me in praying for them and consider donating to help those impacted rebuild. Woodlands Church in Houston is collecting donations here to help cover costs of people displaced, clean up supplies, and more.

At the start of the month I expressed my dislike for August. But I have to say it was a darn good month. It was full of good people, good times, and surprisingly lacked stress. I am excited to dive head first into September.

My 5 favorite things in August:

1. Dean Unglert -- He won me over post Bachelorette via the Almost Famous podcast and has continued to steal it on Paradise. He even Venmoed me $1.49 last week so I could buy a bag of Hot Cheetoes. Yup. I'm a Deanie Baby.
2. Unforgettable by Thomas Rhett -- This has been playing on repeat in my car for the last couple weeks. I can't wait to hear it live this month at his Home Team Tour.
3. Bang Energy Drink -- This energy drink is perfect pre-workout. I had the champagne flavor and I am definitely going to be ordering a case of it to dig into before the intense workout days. It has amino acids, creatine, and mass amounts of caffeine.
4. The Real Housewives of Dallas -- I never watched this until Brandi Redmond was recently on the Reality Steve podcast and I fell in love with her! I am halfway through season one and these girls are crazy but Brandi and Stephanie are friendship goals!
5. Crunch Fitness -- A friend convinced me to join with her and the classes are amazing! I have been loving spinning, dancing, and squatting my way into better shape!

Back to school shopping is my favorite time of year. Even as an adult, I love the brightly lined aisles of Target full of college-ruled notebooks, #2 pencils, and locker decorations. While the key of back to school shopping starts with the perfect backpack, the most fun is found in filling it up. Here are some of my back to school backpack necessities: