Perfect Day

Today is a great day!

Let me count the ways:

I am getting a fun new toy today, and don't you worry, tomorrow I will show it to you. I'm GIDDY with excitement at my new toy and I can barely stand waiting until my lunch break to go get it. I love new toys.

Today I start physical therapy. Not QUITE as exciting as the new toy, however, I'm running a good, solid mile every time I go to the gym and having my hip NOT hurt when I'm done sounds very, very pleasant.

I cleaned my entire kitchen last night . . . not that it was that dirty, but I did the whole "granite cleaner" and "stainless steel polisher" thing and it's all sparkly and beautiful like it was when we moved in and that makes me happy. I love coming home to a sparkling, clean kitchen. Then I mess it up cooking and have to start all over again, but at least I started with sparkly and clean!

I'm having a good hair day, which hasn't happened much lately. My straight, flat hair even has body, and it NEVER has body unless I tease and hairspray it in!

I found my favorite, previously lost earrings, and I'm feeling all decked out and festive.

My jeans are fitting better thanks to my running, biking thing. Shrink, thighs! Shrink!

My husband is amazing. He said the sweetest thing to me yesterday that just made my heart melt and I think I fell in love with him all over again.

I talked to one of my best friends, Jewels, for 45 minutes last night about singing and I'm still sighing in happiness about it. She's going to kick butt at her audition, I just know it.

This morning I talked to another best friend, Hannah, on the way to work. The subject wasn't exactly pleasant, due to people being retarded, but the conversation once again proved to me that Hannah is awesome and strong and an amazing friend, not only to myself but others as well.

I am hosting Soap Opera Sunday this week and I'm so excited to do it! I have the sequel to my last post all planned and I can't wait to read everything you guys have to say!!

I'm a few short weeks from going home to Utah for Christmas. I get very homesick this time of year and I'm counting down the days until I'm there, but today it doesn't seem very far away!!

I am a lucky girl. I have an amazing husband and family, incredible friends, a great job, a beautiful home . . . I am blessed beyond words and more grateful than I could ever express.

I hope all of you have great days too!

The I can breathe out of one nostril Thankfuls

I'm on the road to recovery! Thank you to all of you for your well-wishes. Half of my face has recovered and hopefully the other half isn't far behind. I can breathe a little better and can sleep better as well. At least my Thanksgiving wasn't ruined! Phew!

I've realized that I have way too much to do lately, and no energy whatsoever with which to do it. I need to get a new couch, but I'm too tired to get up off the OLD couch to go look for a new one. I need to go to a friend's house to pick up some accessories I bought from them but the thought of driving out there has me ready for bed. I need to paint my family room, start decorating for Christmas (and buy new decorations because holy crap my old decorations don't cut it!), landscape the backyard and a whole host of other things that need to be done and I'm just.so.tired.

Oh yeah, and I have to shop for Christmas. Most of you know that a) I love to shop and b)I work for an eCommerce company . . . A tends to conflict with B because I like to go to the mall and shop for presents but I SHOULD shop online to support my industry. I just don't usually do it. Except for maybe this year. I'm thinking of going virtual for my Christmas shopping and even I can't believe it. What do you guys think? How do you shop for the Holidays? Does paying for shipping make you want to pull out your hair like it does me, yet somehow you add up the time it takes to go to the mall, find a parking space, drag your butt from store to store and realize that it might just be worth it? I'm still trying to decide.

Also, what the CRAP do I get my husband? He's very hard to shop for. I can't get him tools because "tools aren't FUN they mean I have to do work with them. I like fun presents." I can't get him what he really wants because hi, I don't have $40,000 sitting around with which to buy him a nice truck. Clothes seem boring to buy because he has a uniform of sorts and getting him the fiftieth blue and tan plaid shirt just seems . . . wrong. HELP!!?!?!?

Ok and on to Thankfuls. I skipped yesterday because, well, see the first paragraph. So ten Thankfuls on the way and then I'll see you all tomorrow!!

1. Hannah. We had the funniest conversation yesterday over email and I miss her and her gorgeous babies to death right now. I was thinking about a night many years ago when we laughed so hard for almost an hour that we couldn't talk, breathe or do anything. All over a guy's lip zit. AHAHAHAHA. Dear Hannah how I love you.

2. A clean car. I'm not good at keeping my car clean and I wish I was because it's sure nice to be in when it's not a disaster.

3. Chocolate hazelnut mousse cake with fondant. It was a co-workers birthday today and we got the most delicious cake. Mmmmm.

4. The ease with which I can buy music on iTunes. It's bad for the bank account but good for the soul.

5. That my husband didn't get one bit mad when I called him up AFTER I'd just spent almost $200 on concert tickets.

6. Instant Messenger. I'm not sure I'd know anything about some of my best friends without it. I haven't talked to one friend on the phone in almost six months, but we talk every day on IM.

7. Carbohydrates. That's all I'm gonna say about that.

8. The thought of eating my Grandma's creamed corn on Thursday. If I could get away with it, that's all I'd eat at Thanksgiving.

9. Little kids voices. SO precious.

10. My brother Sean. We talked yesterday and somehow got on the subject of tap-dancing lawyers and we were dying laughing. He's become such an amazing man and one of my greatest friends. I'm so proud of him and how much he's overcome. He's literally and figuratively my hero.

Another Lame Post

Let's see . . . I seem to suck at blogging about . . . anything relevant lately. I feel as though I've been in a writers slump. Not that I consider myself a real writer or anything important like that because I don't.

I do have two minor Kateastrophes to report on, so I suppose I should share, and there are a couple of other things to update you on. So I guess I present MORE RANDOMNESS!

First of all, I rolled - that's right ROLLED - my brother-in-law's quad at the Dunes last week. Several things make the story funny. First, Taylor (the B-I-L) laid it down sideways WITH his poor wife on it the first time they rode together. He hurt his wrist but overall they were OK. Second, my father-in-law also laid it down on his first ride on it. So basically, Matt is the only person who rode it who didn't wreck it. The other thing that makes the story funny is that the reason I rolled it was because I was going too slow. That's right. I crashed because I was going TOO.SLOW. I was on the side of a steep dune and rather than gunning it to prevent the roll, I got scared and slowed down. Aaaaaand down I went. Luckily I slid about ten feet down the hill so the quad didn't roll ON me. I was only about fifty feet from Matt and he was so scared that I was hurt and came running down the hill. I was just lying there on my back, holding the quad (which is still running) with my legs so it wouldn't roll any further and of course laughing my head off. I wasn't hurt, thank goodness, but I think that quad might be the devil.

My second Kateastrophe happened the night we got back from the dunes. I was doing serious laundry because EVERYTHING smelled horrible, and I didn't clean out the pocket of my riding pants, and I washed my iPod shuffle. What's really sad is that on the drive home, I told Matt I was worried that I'd wash it so he needed to help me remember to clean out all the pockets. After he found out I washed it he laughs and says

"You know what's funny, wifey? You KNOW what you're going to do wrong. You always ask me to remind you NOT to do something stupid that you think you might do."

It's totally true. I know I do this crap. I know I forget stuff like that, so I ask people to help me remember not to be stupid. Unfortunately, it doesn't always work. So I figured my iPod was dead, but remembered a time a few years ago when I dropped my cell phone in the lake and it somehow survived the damage after it dried out for a few days. SO, I let the Shuffle dry out and magically, it works! I'm guessing it's going to be a little retarded for the rest of it's life but it WORKS! YAY! Kateastrophe averted! That sure doesn't happen very often!!

Update on my fatness . . . I'm on a serious diet. I've started eating less than 2000 calories a day and making sure that it's mostly veggies, whole grains and lean protein and I give myself one day off a week to eat what I want. The only cheating I've done in over a week was last night for the chicken noodle soup. It's actually very healthy but the noodles aren't made with whole grains. So my cheating technically wasn't that bad but I do have to call a spade a spade and admit to the cheat. I'm sort of sick of salad and lettuce but I'm loving the Trader Joe's whole grain mixes. They are super delicious! I'm a carb junkie, so the NO carb thing doesn't work for me, but the whole grain carb thing does. I figure I can do the calorie counting and some of the other stuff . . . it doesn't feel as extreme. I'm also loving fresh fruit. Mmmm yum.

In addition to the diet, I'm also working out six days a week. Right now I'm working up to serious workouts, but I do 45 minutes of cardio every day and when I have the energy I add in some weight training. It feels pretty good.

Sadly, I'm being UBER superficial and using my ten year high school reunion as my motivation right now. I don't really know why . . . I'm still in touch with most of my friends from high school and they know what I look like now but I guess any motivation is good motivation right?!

So um, I will end this post with Friday's Thankfuls, as most of you will see this post on Friday.

1. Perfect weather. We're finally, FINALLY out of the hotness in Arizona and the weather is gorgeous. I sure love me a good 78 degree day.

2. Dove shampoo and conditioner. See I used to be a hair care product snob. Only Aveda was good enough for my hair. But then I got a house and a husband (and a life?) and got cheap and I got the HUGE, cheap bottles of Dove at Costco. Surprisingly, I LOVE it! My hair always smells clean and is SO soft and silky. Yay for cheap, great haircare!

3. Julia. I got the FUNNIEST message from her today at work and died laughing right there in my cube. I'm so grateful for her and her undying friendship and amazing sense of humor. We've been through a lot and I'm grateful that it's only brought us closer rather than ripping us apart. I love her so.

4. Chapstick. In such a dry climate my lips always feel so parched, so I'm glad somebody a long time ago had the good sense to package some of that goodness in a tube.

5. Remote controls. How annoying would it have been to have to get up to change the channel? Ugh. Yay for laziness and fun buttons.

Thankfuls

So my best friend Jewels and her sister Andrea are both posting five things they are grateful for every day in November and it got me thinking. See, I am a HUGE fan of Christmas. I have been obsessed every since I was little. My birthday is near Christmas as well, so December is sort of the focus of my year and I sort of skip the month of thankfulness.

I realize that part of Christmas is being grateful and helping others, but, as Julia and Andrea pointed out, November and it's focus on being Thankful is often overlooked due to the overload of Christmas that starts the second Halloween is over. So, I'm jumping on their bandwagon and I'm going to post five things I'm grateful for every day for the rest of the month. (Or at least try to. We all know how life happens, right?)

So today, I give you my first five Thankfuls:

1. I'm thankful for sunshine. Sitting in a cubicle without a window nearby sometimes causes me to forget the amazing mood power of the sun. I walked to lunch today and it felt so good to be warm and covered in light.

2. I'm thankful for Diet Coke. I'm on a serious diet right now, and Diet Coke is the only sort of sugary tasting think I'm allowing myself, and oh my gosh does it taste good and even better, no calories! (Those of you who know bad things about soda, shhhhh not listening.)

3. I'm thankful for high thread count sateen sheets. There is nothing like crawling into bed and being enveloped by that cool, softy, slightly silky feeling. Ahhh bliss.

4. Apples. Yes, I'm thankful for apples today. I'm eating a lot of them lately and I love that crunchy, crisp yet juicy first bite. Seriously, it's no wonder Eve caved! Hahah. (dreading lightening bolt from Heaven about now . . . )

5. I'm thankful for the internet. I got an email from an old friend today and it made me realize how lucky we are to have instant communication. PLUS, I wouldn't know most of you, my favorite internet people if we didn't have it!

So there you go. My five Thankfuls.

What are you thankful for?

Jump for Jollies

So, I have this friend, right? And she's like . . . amazing, right? In like, every way possible see, but today, she crossed the amazing line. As just a little background, Julia (or Jewels as we lovingly call her) has a two year old boy, just gave birth to another darling boy and has a Fire Chief husband who pretty much works around the clock and she still manages to look like a million bucks, throw amazing parties and is a creative genius like none I've seen.

Jewels has always had a knack for making the best ANYTHING from scratch. Apple pie, Halloween costumes . . . you name it, she's good at it. SO, she had a friend who had a baby shower back around the time she herself was about ready to have her second baby and she got a wild hair that she would custom design and sew onsies and burp cloths. And oh my gosh, she did an amazing job. So I asked her to make some similar things for a couple of baby showers I'm attending this week.

People, do you have any idea how cute the stuff she made for me is? ANY IDEA? Probably not off the top of your heads so I will show you just how cute this stuff is.

Exhibit A:

Vaa Vaa Vroom!

Exhibit B,C,D and E: OK, I'm talking hand sewn sequins, custom designed trees AND monograms? Goodness! And check out the butts of the butterfly and zebra ones!!!

I.COULD.JUST.DIE.

Shake your bon bon!

And last but certainly not least . . . the burp cloths. They are seriously too cute to let anyone spit up on!!

Pink damask with pom pom lining!? Ruffles!? Flowers and paisley patterns? Be still my quivering uterus.

Seriously, have you ever seen anything cuter? And she did this all with a two year old and a newborn on her watch. She is so amazing.

So, darlings, if you or anyone you know is in need of something like this, I have a feeling Jewels might be willing to help you out in that department! Just hop on over to her blog and see what she can do! I think she's decided to call her line "Jollies." So dang cute. I bow down to her amazingness.

I know a really nice person who's birthday is TODAY-O!

Today (or tomorrow, depending on whether you're reading this late Sunday night or on Monday) is my best friend Julia’s (aka Jewels) birthday and, as is my custom, this is my “Ode to Jewels.” Oh, and for the record, I probably have more pictures of Jewels than anyone else in the world. So prepare yourself. (And Julia, please still be my friend after I post some of these.)

I seriously don’t even know where to begin. I’ve known Julia for fifteen years, which means I’ve known her longer than I’ve not known her, and she’s been my best friend for twelve, going on thirteen of those years. She’s pretty much been there for every important occasion in my life and if she wasn’t actually there, you bet your butt I was on the phone with her that night telling her about it.

We met in Junior High Orchestra and pretty much were just acquaintances until eighth grade, when we were both in Advanced Drama together. At that point we were . . . better acquaintances but not really friends. It wasn’t until we ended up in Freshman Drama together and incidentally with the same assigned lunch period that we became close. Freshman and the beginning of Sophomore year weren’t easy for me. I was still figuring out who I was and overcoming some of my weirdness. We went in and out of each other’s good graces for that first year and a half or so, and then Sophomore year, we reconnected over a blast from the past, and we’ve pretty much been inseparable since.

Jewels is probably the most fiercely loyal person I know. She has stood up for me on more occasions than I can even remember. If a guy was mean to me, she was the first person in his face telling him to back off. If we had been in a tiff (trust me, there were plenty! We’re girls, right?) she was the first one to apologize and make it better. My family life was a little crazy and she made sure I knew that there was always a place for me to go if I needed peace, a hug or a piece of her kick-ace apple pie. She has told me when I’m being stupid and given me much needed wake-up calls to let me know when I need to make a change. She was also always there for a kickin' good time.

Julia is HILARIOUS. I have numerous memories of having to pull over the car I was driving because she had me laughing so hard I couldn’t breathe or see anymore. She has a myriad of funny faces, expressions and sayings, and if I’m with her for more than an hour, I’ve picked up on all of them and am imitating her like a freaking mockingbird. I aspire to be as witty and clever as Jewels is. She’s always got the best snide remark or comeback for any situation, and they’re always so funny you end up laughing so hard your sides hurt.

She can pretty much talk me into doing ANYTHING. If I resist at first she comes up with some awesome/hilarious reason and then says “pleeeeaaaasseee?” in a voice I can’t resist and I give in every time. And I’m always glad I did. There is never a dull or boring moment with Jewels around. Even while waiting for her to get ready, she entertains you with her rendition of a Golden Era song, and before long you’re singing along with her and she’s making up amazing harmonies. Riding in a car with her is probably the most fun you'll ever have in a vehicle.

She is the party planner to end all party planners. Every year she takes on the daunting task of planning our Annual Ladies Soiree and EVERY YEAR she outdoes herself. She throws a mean Christmas AND Halloween party every year (Halloween is her specialty) and she is one of the most creative, original people I’ve ever met. And she can cook too! Did I mention she makes a mean apple pie? Well she does. Martha Stewart, watch out. Julia’s coming along to kick your butt.

Seriously, I don’t think there’s anything she can’t do!

We have been through so much together. She was there for all of my many, many heartbreaks, and I shared hers. We cried together over ice cream, sappy movies and sometimes even bad Brazilian Rodizio. We have danced until our legs felt like they were going to fall off. We have sang until our voices were hoarse. We have laughed until we had tears streaming down our faces and had no idea what had started us laughing in the first place.

I think of Julia and I can’t help but smile. She has brought so much joy into my life. I have loved being with her as we both grew up and became the women we are today. She is an amazing mother to two beautiful little boys. She has taught me so much about what being a good wife really is. Most of all, she has shown me how to be a true friend.

So today I wish Jewels the happiest of birthdays and you should all go and do the same.

By the way Jewels, I’m asking you on a date for September 10^th, 2008. How does Rocky Point sound?!

Baby News!

In much, much happier news than my previous post of misery, one of my bestest, dearest friends, Julia of Blonde Canary delivered a beautiful baby boy (no name yet!) today.

He is 7 lb. 9 oz. and 19" and just LOOK at that blonde hair!!

Congrats Jewels and Cody, and GREAT JOB!

Another Teaser of the Soiree!

Sorry I still don't have time to talk about the trip much, but here is a teaser!


We LOOOOOOVEEDDDDD Hairspray. We seriously wanted to go see it again as soon as it was over.

Exhausted and Full

So, um, yeah . . . this weekend with the girls was A BLAST. But I'm exhausted. And full. We ate a lot. No, a TON. See?

Hahaha. Don't get any ideas (mother and mother-in-law specifically!). Julia (on the right) is really "with child." I am just "with pregnancy imitating pillow at the Maternity store."

I promise to post more pictures and tell the great stories of our weekend soon. Right now I just want to slip into a carb/sugar induced coma for like the next week, until I'm off to DC for work. Sigh . . .

Oldest, wonderfulest

Yes folks, it's another dear friend's birthday! Happy 27th Birthday Sheila!!

I don't remember meeting Sheila. Our mother's lived two doors down from each other growing up, joined the LDS church together, and remain the best of friends to this day. Sheila and I were born four months apart and probably met when I was just a couple of months old. We have never not been friends. We have always been in each other's lives.

We were vacation friends for the first 15 years or so . . . then we started taking longer visits to each other's homes. We started sharing the same friends, keeping in touch better, and slowly but surely, we became practically joined at the hip.

Our freshman year in college we took all the same GE classes, and then continued to do so for the rest of our time there. We were there for some of each other's funniest college moments. My favorite examples include:

The inability to read the word debris (it's derbis, I swear!)

Sheila's near death experience with a rock on a field trip

A teacher's with upside down slides who didn't know it and was explaining the "blue layer" as a strange rock formation from days gone by when, in fact, it was the sky

And my personal favorite, my being hit on the head with a remote control

. . . and those are just a few.

Sophomore year we moved in to the same apartment, and we lived together until the summer Sheila met and married her wonderful husband.

Together, throughout our 26ish years of life, we have laughed harder than I ever thought possible. I cant' even count the number of times I remember us lying in bed laughing so hard we thought we might pee ourselves.

Chicky Chicky and Lady Buggie Pants!!

We have shared heartbreak, joy, true love, marriage, arrival of children (hers not mine :D ) and we continue to be the best of friends. She is an amazing example of calm, serene spirituality blended perfectly with joy and laughter. She is an amazing mother and wife, and I look up to her so much. She is my oldest, wonderfulest friend.

I am devastated because I can't find the box that contains the best of our pictures together, but next year I'll get her good ;) For now, I think these ones will suffice. Specifically this one, for which she might shed my blood this week during the Girl's Trip. Hahaha.

Love your guts Bo-Beila! I'm so excited to get to be with you on your birthday this year!! We'll party like rock stars!

Add this post to the list of reasons I'm lame

So, um, for those of you who read for my brilliant (hahah) writing, I am afraid you will be disappointed today. This is a "catch-up" post of sorts, and unfortunately, probably one of the only posts I'll have time to do for a while. Because . . .

THIS WEEK IS THE ANNUAL LADIES SOIREE! I am so excited. For those who don't know, I have a slew of fabulous girlfriends and we get together once a year for a vacation with just the girls. (There are more than I linked, but some don't have blogs and some have private blogs.) Jewels does the amazing job of planning the event every year, and this year, and she is SO amazing at it. She picks a theme every year (Year 1 was Diva Las Vegas, Year 2 was Divafornia) and organizes and plans everything. She sends out "Diva Packets" and makes sure we all have some piece of coordinating clothing or accessory. (Accessories? Eh, whatever.)

This year, I think she's outdone herself.

We are going to Utah, to the place where we all went to school at one time or another, so the theme this year is Diva U. Jewels sent us all admission packets with an invitation to join the sorority "Phi Omega Diva" and we have ID cards, a pom-pom, a DVD of songs to pump us up, a DVD with pictures from last year and also HILARIOUS pictures from the past 12 years or so that we've all been friends. I laughed and cried. It was way better than Cats.

Check out all this sweet stuff! Oh and did I mention she pulled all of this off 7 months pregnant?? Uh, hello, Superwoman!

So, I leave on Tuesday for the trip. It's going to be awesome but I won't be having time for the 'puter, but it will be so worth it.

In other news, we've finally had some traffic on our house, but it still hasn't sold, but I'm feeling good about it selling before our new house is done. We're saving up just in case we have to pay two mortgages for a little while, but we have lots of options right now and so we're feeling good.

SPEAKING of the new house, it's been forever since I posted pictures. So here are a few to catch us up. They have made TONS of progress and we're scheduled to close at the end of September. Only five months after our original closing date, but what can you do!

June 25th we were here:

Um, this is the front of the house, in case you couldn't tell.

The kitchen! Weeeeee!

July 8th we were here:

Um, white stuff on the outside! I know so much about building homes . . .

Wires and water and gas lines, oh my!

As of this afternoon, we were here:

She's looooong and narrow!

DRYWALL!!!!

So, there you have it. The lamest blog ever, but at least I feel like I've done some updating! I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Haaaapppyy BIRRRRTHHDAYYY dear BRILLIG!

Today is the birfday o'the Brillig, and you're going to get to see some hilarious (and slightly embarrassing) pictures of the two of us. And she might kill me.But I do not care.

I met Brill under unusual, awkward circumstances. She was two years above me in school and we were both in Drama and Choir, and somehow, our groups of friends ended up hating each other during my freshman year. It was weird and I cannot 'splain it now, but we didn't like each other.

The next year, my friends and I were in a rough patch, and I was having a hard time with them. Brillig and I had been cast as "leads" (I only say it in quotes because she was the lead and I was . . . like a half lead) in the school musical. And miraculously, we became insta-friends.

As cheesy as this is going to sound, when I became friends with Brillig, I felt as though I had found the other half of my soul. Brillig was the most amazing person I'd ever met. She was/is hilarious, brilliant, interesting, full of joy and fun . . . we were fascinated by SO many of the same things and had SO many of the same mannerisms. We shared a love for quesadillas, pasta and saltine crackers that is hard to describe. We even found out that we slept in the same position. We sang duets (I'm a soprano and she has a GORGEOUS alto voice) and would spend hours at her parent's piano just plunking away and singing at the top of our lungs.She introduced me to new, cuter boys, we stayed up all night sharing our hopes and dreams for the future and listening to her extensive record collection . . . we had SO MUCH FUN. We even make the same face in most of our pictures. See?

I don't know if Brillig would say the same thing about me, but she brought true joy into my life and was my first real, no strings attached friend. (For the record, I have many of those true, amazing friends now, but I had an . . . awkward adolescence, so it took me a while to find my stride and discover myself and figure out how to be a friend. I think Brillig is the first friend where I did something right.)

We had more adventures than I could even begin to describe. I remember one involving a flat tire in my Mom's van . . . another involving and officer thinking we were drunk drivers . . . and somehow (thanks much in part to our/her friend Matt) I have much evidence of rubber gloves . . .

We were away from each other for most holidays and summers because we both spent a great deal of time traveling. We were devastated to have to be apart so she ALWAYS made me fabulous 80's mix tapes to keep me company during the long. lonely days we were forced to spend apart. We'd write each other lengthy letters and I still have BOXES of notes and letters from school and from our times apart and reading them just cracks me up. I love that I still have all of them and can reference them at will.

I guess all those times apart were preparing me to someday be far, far away from her, with no permanent reunion yet in sight. Yet, thanks to miracles of technology, I get to "talk" to her every day. (Holy goodness I am so grateful for IM!!)

Now, I want y'all to go over and with Miss Brillig a happy,happy, happy birthday. And if you figure out how, do it true Kate and Brillig style, and give her the birthday greeting Opera style.

And now my required personal note . . .

Dearest friend . . . I don't think you will ever know how much I love you and how grateful I am that you are in my life. I will forever treasure our friendship and since I can't be there with you, I thought this was the best way to wish you the HAPPIEST of birthdays. I just wish I could be there to share it with you. Now I want you to go out and celebrate in style for me!! LOVE YOU!!

Linkin' la vida Lovin'! (that doesn't make any sense at all . . . )

While I have been overwhelmed with Memes in the past . . . I was kind of relieved when Brillig mentioned to me that Cherann had tagged me AND given me "linky-love" as dear Brills lovingly calls it. I have been a bad blogger. I must have writers block or something, or it could possibly be that work has finally become busy and challenging, with the complete initiation of the new minion . . .who knows, but I haven't been feelin' the blogging this week.

Anyway, back to the point . . . I am supposed to list five blogs that I read but aren't on my Blogroll (which is growing day by day.) This is actually going to be somewhat challenging, because I try hard to immediately add a new blog when I decide I love it. (I am such a blog whore.) So here goes . . .

1. Cherann, I'm ashamed to admit it, but you are number one. I read you and haven't added you to my list. BAD KATE! Bad! You have fun things to say and I do love reading you. I will remedy the situation toute suite!

2. Lizzy the Botanist is a newly discovered blog, linked through my other BFF, the amazing Jewels of Blonde Canary. She is super funny and has all these hilarious nicknames for everyone and her son Nash "Radical" is SUPER cute.

3. Amy Furstenau I "read" for her amazing photography. Most of the pictures are of her gorgeous daughter Estee, but she has other stuff in there too. I'm uber jealous of her uber talent and I uber want to be like her someday. Uber.

4. Follow Ling Ling As She Gives Lymphoma the Beatdown is the most uplifting, heartbreaking blog I've ever read. If you read it, you must start at the beginning to understand what's been going on. I put a disclaimer: HEARTBREAKING. I sat and cried the first time I read it. It is however, also very hopeful and wonderful, so, as hard as it is to read from the beginning, trust me, it's worth it.

Honestly though? Four is all I can-can come up with. I try really hard to pass the love on to everyone. But hey, any lurkers out there . . . come ye forth! I LOVE finding new friends in cyberland. Just today I discovered that one of my favorite bloggers might be my long lost twin!

And uh . . . I tag . . . uh . . . everyone! It's good to share the blog love right?

So Many Babies!

I am an Auntie yet another time over (third time in a month!!)

Internets, meet Avella Renee (or Ella, as she'll be called). She was born this morning and weighed in at 8lb 12oz and was only 19 inches long. So round and chubby and precious!

Ella, meet the internets.

A Pause

So, I realize I have made promises of Kateastrophes and Flashbacks, but unfortunately, this week has been a little insane and I have been unable to deliver thus far.

Please accept my most humble apologies.

Tonight I am flying to Utah for a well needed trip to the 'hood and to see my gals, Brillig, Jewels and the soon to pop out a baby Hannah, as well as my most loved Mother, sister Tofutti and SHIRLEY! THE GRANDMA OF ALL GRANDMA'S! And I'm there until TUESDAY! FOUR WHOLE DAYS?!?! Wooo hoooo!

If you can't tell, I'm excited . . . and I have a full schedule.

I will try to post while I'm there, because I know all five of my loyal readers that are not included in that list up there will miss me so . . . but I'm not making any promises.

So in a little less than seven hours . . . let the vacation begin!!

There Are No Words

Who needs alcohol when you've got Jewels, trashy tween stores, and me?!

Flashback: Bad, Bad Santa Dance

First of all, allow me to say that this page was taken from my scrapbook. And I tried to be a real scrapbooker, but as you can see, that didn't work out so much. I'm AWFUL at it.
Second of all . . . the picture. Sigh.

There I am in the middle on the back row in the GREEN SATIN DRESS WITH FLOWERS ON IT. And I did my own hair . . . if you look closely you can see that I missed a barrel curl there and it's waving at you.

There are so many stories involved in this picture . . . where to start . . .

The couple on the bottom right. That is Don Osmond, Jr. Yes people, he is the spawn of Donny Osmond and he was in my group for Christmas Dance ala 1996. I actually knew him well, he dated one of my best friends and we used to hang out at his house. (Donny Osmond, for the record, is one of the world's nicest guys, and a TOTAL cheese ball. But we all loved him. )

ANYWAY, back to the dance . . . Don's date is Stacy, and for some reason he presented her with that lovely candy cane full of . . . M&Ms? And yes folks, she's wearing a scarf. Loosly tied over her dress.

The back row there is what's the most interesting part of this picture. The guy with the goofy smile on the far right is a future rapist (I'll stop there) and left of me is my best friend Melinda. She's doing a very good job of smiling through the pain because her date? TOTAL MORON.

You'll need some background . . . on the planet I grew up in, date dances were much more than just the dance. We had to ask and answer each other in creative ways and we had day activities with our group. So let's just say that if you didn't like your date? You were in for a bad, bad day. With all of his or her friends. And it could possibly go on for 15 hours or so, because most people also planned something for AFTER the dance. Oh, and it was INCREDIBLY rude to say no. The first person who asked you was the person you went with. Those were the rules.

So to review, Melinda = not a fan of her date and she was stuck with him for many, many hours. My date and I (the jolly blonde) were very good buddies and we were just there having a good time.

Melinda was NOT HAPPY. That guy had been a total jackass ALL DAY LONG. We'd been there for each other through most of it, but dinner was a different story. My date had the money to go out for dinner. Melinda's date did not . . . neither did most of the group. So we split up for dinner. I went out and the rest of the group went to some one's house, where they had spaghetti and meatballs.

This was a bad idea for a myriad of reasons. First and foremost being that all the girls were dressed up and spaghetti is notoriously a MESSY MEAL. Secondly, Melinda did not eat red meat.

So, there she was, stuck in a room with a date she hated, her wing man enjoying a delicious fancy restaurant dinner, and she had meatballs in her food. And there was pretty much nothing else to eat but salad. So she ate salad. Then at some point, if I recall correctly, her dumb date dumped his plate of spaghetti in her lap.

Needless to say, by the time they showed up for the dance, she was more miserable than she'd been for most of the day. And that's saying something.
So, back to the picture and how this all ties together . . . if you'll notice there is a weird hand and arm configuration on the back row. At the request of Melinda, I brought up a FUN GAME! Let's all hold hands with SOMEONE ELSE BESIDES OUR DATE! Then the picture will be FUNNY!!!

As you can see, my plan worked and the picture is HILARIOUS. But for very different reasons.

The best of those reasons being the butt part that my bangs have got going on. That's hot.

Many Congratulations Are In Order

Today is a good day!

My illustrious Mamacita, aka Jan the Great, finished the Boston Marathon in 4:33:26! Her husband Gary let her beat him (a HUGE DEAL if you know this competitive man) and finished one second later. They braved the freezing cold rain, the wind in miserable (not all the time just right now) Boston and conquered! YAHOOO!!

In other awesome news, my bestest buddy Sara delivered a healthy baby girl on Friday! Lucy Jane was born Friday evening weighing 7lbs 6oz and is 19 inches long. Isn't she precious?!?!?

I myself have no real news other than I ate a healthy lunch today. Pat on the back for me.

Truest Friend

Due to my reflective nature and events of the last year or so withing my group of "SuperFriends" I have been thinking about the kind of friend I really am.

I have been called loyal by many, but I know there are those out there who would claim I am far from loyal. And I think both are true. I have been known to be loyal almost to a fault, but at the same time, I have been known to do some things that do not scream of loyalty.

I was raised by a mother who always made me look at the other side. What had I done to help cause the conflict? What was the person who was being a jack*ss going through in their personal lives that caused them to be so incredibly lame?

I inherited this trait . . . to a fault. I'm sure my friends HATE me for it sometimes, just like I HATED my Mom for it.

Example: A hypothetical friend and her boyfriend break up, and it's not pretty. Neither was nice during the break-up and both are hurt. Hypothetically, I am friends with both of them at this point, as I've been there for the entire two years they've been dating. While my loyalty, in the end, lies with the girlfriend, I can't help but feel for the guy because, as a best friend, I KNOW the flaws and downfalls of my girlfriend. I know her tricks and what she does to hurt and all of those . . . girly things. And the guy? Well, he's a guy. They're usually idiots. I am of the firm opinion that people are GOOD and there are two sides to every story and both sides are relevant. SO, during the break-up I might lend an ear to the boyfriend. After the break-up I might still hang our with or run in to said guy. I'm just not going to ignore him. I'm not going to NOT say hi and find out what he's up to or pretend we didn't like each other and get along. I'm not going to give him a hug and say "WHAT'S UP BIATCH?!?!" (Just like that. Promise.)

I have rubbed many a friend wrong because of that "I love everyone" attitude. But I just can't help it! I get attached to people! I like people! I like my friends ex-boyfriends! I like MY ex-boyfriends, and with a few exceptions, I still talk to most of them! I hold on to very little hatred or loathing. (I loathe one person that I can think of at the moment, and she really doesn't deserve my loathing because she just happened to love the same guy I did and was doing everything she could to steal him back but it was only because she loved him . . . I just happen to still hate her for it. Hahaha.)

I guess at times though, I question myself for that behaviour. Does a true friend always side with the friend in question?

My answer, after much pondering, is no. What kind of a friend would I truly be if I always agreed with someone? If I never questioned their decisions or motives or choices? My opinion may not be correct, but it's MINE and what kind of friend asks me not to have my own opinion? I want my opinion damn it!

I have not always felt this way. I'm a peacekeeper by nature. . . me no likey making waves, being in uncomfortable situations or confrontation. I'll apologize for ANYTHING if I think it will make the commotion stop. Sure! My fault. Kick me! Hate me! Just stop the awkwardness!! I never used to call anyone on anything. I was always the low guy on the totem pole, the dog that got kicked when the mad owner came home. I used to constantly overhear jabs aimed at me . . . and I never said anything. Sure it hurt my feelings, but I was so afraid of losing my friends, or who I thought were my friends, that I just let it. Translation? I was a pushover nerd desperate for friends.

I am still somewhat of a pushover and peacekeeper, but my previous position and the advantage of observing the spawn of Satan throughout my life (just kidding, Dad. But you know you're mean right? Hahah) I have learned how to stand up for myself a lot better.

I don't think some of the people in my life really like that side of me. They were so used to me agreeing with everything and not calling them out on their bull crap, that it really took them back when I started doing it. I'm sure it was shocking to them! All of a sudden little complacent Kate became the girl who said "Yeah, no . . . I don't really feel like it" or "You're being dumb" or "You're a big fat liar pants but I love you anyway, you know that right?"

I think it came as a slap in the face to some. The peacekeeper in me feels badly about that. But the new, mean me, doesn't feel so bad. In fact she's pretty proud of herself sometimes. And I know my opinion isn't always right . . . I know I'm wrong just as often as the next guy. But my peacekeeper side and my ballsy side have come to terms. Sure the fight sometimes, but they kind of dig each other.

Am I wrong? To be a good friend do you have to be completely loyal?

Flashback . .. whatever day it is.

Ahhh, here we (we being Sheila, Heather and I) are, circa 1999, AKA year of the HIGH PANTS, bad bangs and RHINESTONE CLIPS IN MY HAIR? What. Was. I. Thinking.

The other girls look FAB.

Me? Not so much.