What Am I Thankful For? (Katie)

What I’m thankful for:

10. Facebook. How else would I get to keep up on all of my gossip?

9. Christmas, and not because I get really cool things (even though I love all my presents mommy). Its because finals are over and the semester is done!

8. I don’t have to deal with the people that comment on those Yahoo! articles on a daily bases. If I don’t want to hear what they have to say, I just don’t read their comment.

7. I am not working retail. 2 years ago I had to get up at 2 am so that I could be at work by 3 am so that people could come running through the doors at 4 am to buy whole bunches of stuff that they probably don’t need, is really terrible quality, and really isn’t on that big of a sale. How do I know its not that big of a sale? Well, 3 days ago I rang it up for either the same price or less, therefore, you got screwed out of a good day of sleep and you screwed me out of one too. Thanks. Now I get to choose if I want to get up or not.

6. Mountain dew goes on rollback, a lot. Thanks Walmart!

5. There are a ton of ways to cook really good chicken and about 2 ways to screw it up. The odds are in my favor for a really good meal.

4. My puppies. My world would be a lot less interesting without them. I love them to death and they love me unconditionally. All they want from you is a good belly rub and to play fetch. That’s really not too much to ask for is it? I think not!

3. My friends. Without my friends, my classes would be so boring. I’d have no one to make fun of the professor with or roll our eyes at that one person who just won’t shut up.

2. Brandon. He carries massive amounts of groceries and clothes all the time for me, he chases off trespassers, he can carry my TV up and down the stairs by himself, he can reach the stuff on the top shelf, he will go shopping with me and he will cook with me. Even better than cooking with me, he’ll help me with the dishes after.

1. My family. As I write this, my younger sister is doing the whole nod off to sleep and then snap your neck back into place thing. Super entertaining. That describes them all actually: super entertaining. I can count on them to say or do something ridiculously stupid to make me laugh even after I fail that test I should have aced. Whether its my dad walking around in happy feet, my little sister doing odd things in her sleep, or my mom snoring in weird patterns, they’re still family, and I guess I still have to claim them.

-Katie

Bathrooms (Katie)

Who in the hell designs bathrooms because that person and I need to have a talk. You go to a hockey game, football game, basketball game and where are the lines really bad? The concessions and the women’s bathrooms. I’ve said it once and I will say it a million times: women’s bathrooms need to be AT LEAST twice as large as men’s bathrooms. I’ve lost all the guys at this point because they’ve never had to stand in a line of 50 women who all have to pee so badly we’re willing to kill for the next empty stall. There is NEVER a line for the men’s bathroom, and then you finally make your way through a line of 50 women, a toilet seat with piss on it, no toilet paper, and no paper towels to dry your hands with, you walk out of the bathroom and what is the first thing your significant other says to you? “What the hell took so long?” They will never understand. Not only that, but how about those poorly designed stalls? Those ones where you sit down to pee and then you don’t have room to get toilet paper without hitting your elbows or the ones where you sit down and realize there’s no way in hell you’re reaching the toilet paper without standing up. For the guys that I’ve lost here, think about it like an ATM: you pull up and you can’t get your money without opening your door and getting out. Now transfer that thought to the bathroom.

All those women think that since they waited their turn in line they can take an hour in the stall. WRONG. I don’t know about the rest of you but it just pisses me off when I wait, finally get to go pee and the person that was 2 people in front of me in line gets to the sink the same time as I do. Now I understand that sometimes you take longer in the bathroom than others but people should really learn to either shit or get off the pot. Literally.

Story time. My mom went into the bathroom at Wendy’s and saw the toilet against the wall, no stall around it. So she went to lock the bathroom door and when she turned around she saw a stall with another toilet in it. So she went into the stall. Now think about the abundance of ways that this could go wrong. Immediately after making her decision to go into the stall she had a horrifying thought that if someone else came in and used the toilet outside, she would be stuck in that stall until they left. How terrible would that be?

I’ll leave you with that thought. If any of you grow up to be building designers, think about all of this ok?

-Katie

My Generation (Katie)

I was watching this show called My Generation and some of it hit me like a brick wall. If you haven’t seen it, go download it on iTunes. The pilot is free and then the second episode is on hulu. I’ve only watched the first episode so far but it’s made me look at my whole life and my decisions the past 18 years. When I look back I can remember things that make me laugh and I look at younger kids now and I giggle at the things they’re crying about.

For example, no little kid wants to be pushed in the stroller. WHY? Because, as I’m typing this I have my shoes off and my feet propped up because I am exhausted from walking around all day, so the stroller idea is a pretty good idea from where I’m sitting.

Or how about naps? No one wanted to take one when they were little but now that’s all we talk about. When do I get to sleep next? I wonder if I can sleep for 15 minutes here or there. I wonder if my professor notices that his monotone voice is putting me to sleep and I’m drooling all over my notes?

Does anyone else remember not wanting their parents to pay for things? You wanted to pay for it YOURSELF. Yeah, there’s that independence rearing its ugly head again. Now all of a sudden you pull up to the gas pump where they’re charging outrageous prices and your mom whipping out her cash or card sounds like an awesome site, but then you realize that people actually expect you to be independent now and you have to pay.

I found myself thinking about a whole bunch of things like that after the show was over. I also found myself thinking about things I said once upon a time. I want to be a doctor, I want to be a lawyer, I want to cook, I want to go to space, I want to travel the world! I used to want to go out and conquer the world. Now I just can’t wait for the day it leaves me alone. No one grading my every pen mark, no one to tell me I’m just not cut out, no one to tell me that my dreams are too small or too big or meant for someone else, or waiting for me to turn in another homework assignment or test paper. I want the day to come where I get to not listen to another professor drone on about something or another for 50 minutes just so I can count down to when I get to go home and get food. I know, huge aspirations. Why doesn’t anyone ever tell you that it’s ok if you don’t know what you want in life? I think that’s ok to a certain age. I know what direction I’m heading I just don’t know what the destination is. I do know that the destination is something science shaped.

For those of you who don’t know, one of my greatest passions in life is coaching volleyball. I love when volleyball season starts, and it’s starting my friends. I’ve coached in one form or another for 4 years now. I helped out my little sister’s middle school team for 2 seasons, coached at Preston middle school last season, and I’ve coached club for 3 seasons now. I’m at a point now where I have seen some of them go from little 6th graders to going to their first homecoming. It’s one of the coolest things in the world to see their dreams grow and change. One day they’ll look back on it when they’re in college and laugh and cry just like I’m doing now. I’m sure I’ll look back in 3 more years after I graduate college and laugh at some more points in life.

-Katie

100 Best Artists Of All Time

VH1 made a list of 100 best artists ever. We think they went wrong in many places. Their list can be found here:
http://www.bloginity.com/blog/2010/09/11/vh1-100-greatest-artists-time-worst-list-time/

We deleted some, added some, and rearranged all. It’s not perfect, but it’s the best we could do in 3 hours. Enjoy! Feel free to complain in the comment box.

1. Michael Jackson
2. The Beatles
3. Led Zeppelin
4. Rolling Stones
5. Elvis Presley
6. Jimi Hendrix
7. Prince
8. James Brown
9. Bob Dylan
10. Stevie Wonder
11. David Bowie
12. Bob Marley
13. Queen
14. Elton John
15. Pink Floyd
16. Marvin Gaye
17. Arethra Franklin
18. ZZ Top
19. Paul McCartney
20. Johnny Cash
21. Whitney Houston
22. Tina Turner
23. Beach Boys
24. The Who
25. U2
26. AC/DC
27. Chuck Berry
28. Bruce Springsteen
29. The Clash
30. Neil Young
31. John Lennon
32. Nirvana
33. Radio Head
34. Pearl Jam
35. Sex Pistols
36. Aerosmith
37. The Eagles
38. Guns N’ Roses
39. Red Hot Chili Peppers
40. Al Green
41. Little Richard
42. Billy Joel
43. Peter Gabriel
44. George Michael
45. Van Morrison
46. Janis Joplin
47. Green Day
48. Dolly Parton
49. Van Halen
50. Metalica
51. Tupac
52. Notorious BIG
53. Frank Sinatra
54. Earth Wind and Fire
55. Journey
56. Police
57. Ray Charles
58. The Temptations
59. Usher
60. Kiss
61. Beyonce
62. Jay-Z
63. Justin Timberlake
64. Alicia Keys
65. Creedance Clearwater Revival
66. Iggy & the Stooges
67. Black Sabbath (With Ozzy)
68. Fleetwood Mac
69. Hall and Oates
70. The Allman Brothers
71. NWA
72. Eminem
73. The Suprimes
74. Mariah Carey
75. Celine Dion
76. Beastie Boys
77. Public Enemy
78. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
79. Outkast
80. REM
81. The Cure
82. Cheap Trick
83. ABBA
84. Def Leppard
85. The Ramones
86. Lynyrd Skynyrd
87. Run-DMC
88. Rage Against the Machine
89. Bee Gees
90. Otis Redding
91. Curtis Mayfield
92. Steely Dan
93. Talking Heads
94. Depeche Mode
95. The Doors
96. The Pretenders
97. Shania Twain
98. Soundgarden
99. Dire Straits
100. Duran Duran

Facebook Confessions (Katie)

I have a confession about facebook. Actually, I have several.

First and foremost, I stalk you on facebook. Yeah, I didn’t want you to find out this way, but its ok, we’ll both live. There could be several reasons I type your name into the search box and you probably don’t want to know which one applies to you, but you can pick from the following list: I really don’t like you, and seeing how miserable your statuses are makes me smile on the inside – and sometimes on the outside; one of my friends has just changed their relationship status and your name is after “in a relationship with”. It’s pretty cool how facebook gives me a link to go and check you out to make sure my friend isn’t dating a complete psycho. I guess there’s another possibility there: I just want to see what poor soul my friend has lured in this time; I remember you from high school and I want to see where you’ve taken your life; I just met you and your facebook will tell me everything I will ever need to know; OR you just made a REALLY stupid comment on someone’s page, picture, or status and I want to see if you look as stupid as you sound.

Next, you should know that I have different lists I put people on for the Facebook chat – and I’m only online for some of them. Yep. If I wanted to talk to all hundred and something of my friends in one place I’d throw a party. The thing is…I don’t. There are very few people that I want to talk to on facebook. If I really want to have a heartfelt conversation, I’d do it in person. The only nice thing about facebook is I can choose to not respond and there’s nothing you can do about it.

I hate your statuses. Not just playful hate. No, my friend, we are talking full on “I want to throw my computer across the room when I see that you have changed your status” kind of hate. I have even thought about deleting you from my friends list. When I have a good day, or several good days, I just don’t want to see you bitching and crying because you’re tired. I’m tired too but I just don’t think my facebook world is going to care, because, oh yeah, they don’t. Everyone and their mother is tired by the time Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday roll around. I know you’re looking forward to sleeping in because most people do when they’re tired. If you’re going to say something political or philosophical make sure you have no stupid friends that are going to make asses out of themselves by commenting because when I read their comments I stalk them (see the last reason in paragraph 2).

I don’t like you. That’s why I’ve denied your friend request 5 times. I don’t care that we used to talk when we where in 3rd grade. We are grown up now, wake up and realize we were never friends.

You all were thinking it; I just finally wrote it and put it on the internet for all to see.
-Katie

Some Things You Might Not Like (And That’s Okay) - Caitlin

I had a problem in high school that I think many of us had: caring too much about what other people thought. This problem followed me for a long time until several things came together to show me the beauty of individuality. One of these was a quote.

“Be a first rate version of yourself, not a second rate version of someone else.”
- Judy Garland

In the spirit of this paradigm shift (that I relive on a daily basis), I would like to share with you some things about myself that you may just absolutely hate, but that I embrace because they make me different than you. Which I love (no offence).

Speaking of the fact that you may dislike many of the things I like… You are entitled to your individuality just as I am. Your dislike of my most beloved things makes you different, which is awesome! Though some people's opinons, personalities, and attitudes rub me the wrong way, I try to constantly remind myself that it is just another form of individuality. I try to be tolerant. Anyway, feel free to whimper about my taste in music, or not! Whatever it is that you are, just do it.

First and most importantly, I am a Christ follower. Though I grew up in a Christian household I had a hard time with my faith in my adolescence. I discovered it during some hard times during middle school, and have been developing ever since. I call Pathways Church (Uptown, in Denver) my home. Though I cannot always be there, I am in love with it. Nothing has so radically changed my life like that place. God has taken me to some crazy lengths, and though it is hard to follow him, I am still learning, and have a long way to go.

My taste is very eclectic. My walls are covered in random things, and though I tried to theme my room, it came out as a hodgepodge of pastel colors and giraffes on my walls. My clothes range between styles that should not coexist in the same closet. My music taste is just as intense. I thought I had just about all genres covered until a certain someone introduced me to forms of country and electronic music that I ACTUALLY enjoyed. Weird, right?

I am a pack rat, and can’t get rid of most things - either because it may one day in the future be useful, or it has sentimental value.

I love almost all sports. I kind of hate golf (except for put put). I played soccer most of my childhood and still love it. I love football a LOT, and baseball almost just as much. My roommate spurred my current love for basketball and volleyball (since she coaches it).

I overanalyze just about everything. Especially things people say to me, or lack thereof. This usually happens during situations in which a response can be interpreted in several different ways, such as a text or an IM.

Being an English major, I am obsessed with grammar, spelling, and sentence fluency. I don’t correct other people when they speak, that’s ridiculously annoying. However, I do spend a large quantity of my time Googling things such as, “Into vs in to,” or the correct conjugation of certain verbs. If I don’t know how to use a word correctly, I have to find out.

As Katie pointed out to me – I repaint my nails whenever I am avoiding something (specifically homework). I also frolic around the house in dresses I bought for future girl’s nights with Sam (a new and awesome friend). In short, I am a major procrastinator.

The motherload: I LOVE the Twilight Series. I will not hide it. I can’t actually; it just gushes out of me. I can’t bring myself to buy identical clothing to the actors or shake and scream like the girls on TV, but I enjoyed reading the series in high school. I have all of the movies so far, and have seen them more times than I can count.

I will conclude with a few of my favorite music selections.

Caitlin’s Bath Time Playlist of the Day:

Loud Pipes by Ratatat
Sleepyhead by Passion Pit
Run by Vampire Weekend
Islands in the Stream by Constantines and Feist

:)

- Caitlin

We Hate CU (Caitlin and Katie)

We had a single reason to not like Boulder before the Rocky Mountain Showdown: We go to CSU, and they are Boulder. Simple as that. You are conditioned to not like the city, the people, or the school. Anyone who goes there is a dirty hippie who smokes weed any chance they get. The town is dirty and smells. CU is subpar in a lot of ways to CSU. Hell, Boulder is subpar in a lot of ways to Fort Collins. We are very proud rams, but our pride took a beating on Saturday. We’ll get to that, though.

Pregame: We printed our sacred tickets, picked our outfits our and watched TV. Then we stayed up late doing important things like painting our nails, making brownies, and then eating the brownies. Caitlin had a mishap with some nonstick spray and the kitchen floor, which ended with her face first onto the stove clinging on to the batter bowl for dear life. Nonstick spray lives up to its name. It definitely makes sure your feet do not stick to the floor. We debated about what time to leave for the game due to the fact that we were still up at 2 am and in the end decided to get up at god awful 7 am and head down by 8:30 am.

Drive down: We got up, ate, and packed our bags. The drive wasn’t so bad until we came across 3 buses of CU students. It was obvious that we were CSU students because we were decked out in green. We were then flipped off continuously for the next 20 minutes. We have never seen so many middle fingers. Katie can’t lie; she did give a couple back. Once we found a parking lot that looked like it had some CSU fans it in, we parked and started our hike to Invesco Field where we met up with Caroline and Konnor.

Game time: We ended up all the way in the upper bowl where we could see the entire field. Then, we proceeded to break out the body paint. Caitlin got some green war pain on her face and then put a green handprint on her shoulder, her arm, legs and her stomach. Caroline stuck with just green bars on her cheeks. Katie got CSU on one cheek and RAM on the other. (There wasn’t enough room for the S to make RAM plural.) Then she painted a giant CSU on her stomach. The game started out innocently enough, and then we found out at about halftime, we had little to stand and cheer about. It was 0-14 by the half, CU had blocked a kick before to keep us at 0. Eventually we did get some points on the board, 3 of them. Yep! That’s all! THREE! The final score was 3-24. None of the student body was walking out with a big ego, or a false sense of how good our football team was. It was not a close game where we could still talk trash. It was a clear cut win for CU (yes that hurt to type). However, CU felt it necessary to still be rude. Actually rude doesn’t even describe it.

As we were walking out, silent, a CU girl had the nerve to come up and talk trash to us right outside the stadium. Then just as we were almost to the car, we came across a CSU student who was covered in blood. He had been assaulted, out of the blue, by a CU student who felt it necessary to pound in the win (no pun intended).

Now we have more reasons to not just dislike CU, but to HATE them. Now we understand why everyone was so tense and angry last year when they came into our gym causing problems during basketball. Fort Collins is our home. Here are our reasons:

1. The overwhelming smell of pot on campus

2. Everyone is a terrible driver coming out of Boulder.

3. 2 words: dirty hippies

4. You are all rich. Really. But you dress like you can’t afford anything but a paper bag because apparently that’s cool.

5. Obviously a bunch of trust fund babies who have nothing better to do with Mommy and Daddy’s money than to waste it on beer and bongs

6. CSU is superior in a lot of our schools. Where CU’s med school almost lost accreditation

7. You can chill with Cam. Ralphie will trample you.

8. Our band was WAY better.

9. Being the number 1 party school for so many years isn’t really something to be proud of

10. The fans are jerks

The last one is super important. Like Caitlin said, they can burn their brain cells our all they want and we can just be better than them, but when you get mean over an obvious win, then you fall into the “we hate you” category. There was a dirty hit in the 4th quarter and their fans couldn’t tell when enough was enough.

Now to complain about our own team: Come on. REALLY?! We spent $27 on a ticket, $15 on paint, gas money, food, drinks, and risked our lives getting in and out of the stadium and you couldn’t even show up and play a little?!?!?!?!?!? We have AWFUL tan lines (look at the pictures). We were really supportive of you the WHOLE game but give me a break. Our aching burns are worth more than 3 points.

-A Very Burned Caitlin And Katie

My Dad (Katie)

We did a Mother’s Day blog but ran right through Father’s Day. I was in Missouri for Father’s Day but no worries – I remembered a gift.

I was watching a Rockies game and they were talking about how baseball is still the American pastime and I can’t say that I disagree. In fact, I might completely agree. They said something about looking back and remembering baseball games with Dad, and I have a lot of those memories. There are so many that I have a hard time narrowing it down to just a few. I remember, very clearly, going to the All Star game when it was in Denver. We went to a lot of Sky Sox games where he taught me a lot about baseball and how to do the score sheets. I can remember him teaching me how to catch a pop fly and a grounder and the always helpful line: “keep your eye on the ball” after getting hit in the face.

My dad has never declared himself a fan of a specific team. I think, maybe, that’s one of the coolest things about watching sports with my dad. He knows the Rockies, but he also knows the Cardinals, the Yankees, the Cubs, the Red Sox, and everyone else. He can talk to you about Alex Rodriguez, Albert Pujols, and Dexter Fowler, but he can also tell you anything you want to know about Mickey Mantle and Pete Rose.

But my dad doesn’t just know baseball. He knows hockey, football, basketball, volleyball, softball, and soccer. He taught me all about wildlife and gun safety. Some of my favorite days with my dad are out in a field with him and our dogs. While some people have a problem with hunting and guns my dad taught me to not be afraid of guns and how hunting isn’t mindless shooting of hundreds of animals. When CSU threatened our right to bear arms last year, I was furious. People are so afraid of guns because “they kill people”. No, they don’t, but you can’t just leave the safety off and play around with it and expect to walk away with no one hurt. They are dangerous when you put one in a dumbass’s hands. As far as hunting goes, how was that hamburger you had for lunch?

He is also an amazing cook. His steaks are the best steaks I’ve ever had. Seriously. I don’t know how he does it, but they are awesome, all the time. Obviously, we are not a vegetarian family and it’s completely unanimous. Politics are a different sorry. While my dad and I have different views when it comes to what party we’re with, I love having debates with him – especially at the dinner table, where my mom hates it.

My dad supported me in everything I wanted to try. He suffered through tap classes when I was little, he watched me play soccer, hockey and volleyball games even if I wasn’t very good, and he even watched me coach a little last year. He always made it to everything he could, and still makes it to anything important. He taught me how to be competitive. I can remember, when I played volleyball and hockey, how he always said to play every game like it was my last. He has taught me a lot of things, but I think this might be one of the more important, because I get to pass it on to the girls I coach. I get to look them straight in the eye and tell them that I have nothing to regret when I look back on the time I played because I played my heart out at all times. He was right. One day, it all comes to an end. When it comes down to it, though, I have him to thank that I don’t regret anything. He pushed me to be my best 100% of the time, and still does.

My dad didn’t go to college but he’s one of the smartest people I know. If he doesn’t know something, he goes and learns about it and he is never shy about sharing his knowledge, but he’s also not afraid to say he doesn’t know. Whether it is cooking, politics, sports, or life, he’ll tell you what he knows. He’s a very proud man, and I’m proud to be his daughter.
-Katie

2 Months 1 Blog (Katie)

Brandon and I in Las Vegas
I feel like I haven’t written a blog in forever! A lot has happened since the last time I wrote a blog. I went to Las Vegas for a couple days with Brandon and his family, I moved into Caitlin and my apartment, I helped move Brandon into his dorm, I started classes and I got a job!!! I guess the place to start is Las Vegas.

Las Vegas was really cool. I’ve never seen so many neon lights in one place. We walked the strip several times, went to some really good buffets, and rode the New York New York rollercoaster. The rollercoaster was a ton of fun. I got to see Las Vegas from all different angles. We also stopped in to M&M World and the Coke Store, which were really neat. I kind of wish I would have waited and bought all Coke glasses for Caitlin and my kitchen. We drove to see the Hover Dam and it was HUGE. They’re building a bridge right now and I can honestly say I’m glad we went when it wasn’t done. No way in hell is anyone ever getting me on that bridge. This damn is supposed to be an engineering marvel but it just looked like a giant wall to me, but a cool giant wall. We went for Brandon’s grandparent’s 50th wedding anniversary. It was really awesome to see two people still so in love after 50 years. They had a surprise vow renewal where we all laughed the entire time. I really loved Las Vegas. I would have loved it more if I hadn’t seen so much fat pouring out of girls’ outfits.

The flight back from Vegas was a little depressing. It meant the end of summer, no more being with family and Brandon, and time to work. On the other side, it meant I got to move into the apartment and get back up to Fort Collins. I didn’t realize how much I had missed it until I got back up here. I have decided that I won’t be moving again any time soon. It was way too much like work trying to get everything into the apartment. It’s just started to feel like home. We’ve got posters everywhere (we definitely have a Twilight one!) and the pinkest bathroom you’ve ever seen. It’s definitely a girl’s apartment but more importantly it’s definitely Caitlin and my apartment. We’ve been cooking really good dinners for ourselves and it has saved us so much money! The dorms were unbelievably expensive. Food shopping was so weird! We didn’t have a freezer last year so we stocked up on frozen stuff this time. We could actually buy stuff that didn’t require stirring in a tablespoon of water and microwaving on high for 4-5 minutes. PLUS, Caitlin is an awesome cook. She’s got a great track record going right now.

Brandon moved into his dorm. It was really cool helping him move into his place knowing that he was going to be closer than 2 hours to me from now on. He’s got a really small dorm and he has a roommate but UNC is really great. Oh yes. UNC is so green, and sunny, and the campus is gorgeous, and the cow smell just pulls it all together. Really though, the campus is gorgeous and he has air-conditioning. How unfair is that? Caitlin and I sweated our asses off last year in a dorm. All we had was a fan that I had to fight Wal-Mart for (I got it discounted). Now, in our apartment, we still do not have air-conditioning. We have windows and doors that we can open and use our fans. Brandon, however, gets air-conditioning his first day up at college.

I got a job!!!!! I am the head coach for Premier 12 black. I’m not sure what the protocol is for blogs and jobs but I’m going to assume as long as I don’t say anything bad. Which is easy because I really love the club and I love coaching.

Last, but definitely not least, I started classes. Before anyone asks, they are going great. I love waking up early to sit and listen to monotone professors drone on about something or another. Walking all over campus is another one of my favorites. Especially when there are people who don’t understand the whole “walk on the right side of the sidewalk.” I know its super difficult but come on. My physics class is a lot of fun and so is my organic chemistry lab, which is great considering my ochem lab didn’t get off to a very good start. I made myself look like an idiot when I showed up to a lab on the wrong day. Yep. Not just the wrong classroom, or building, I got the damn day wrong.

I guess I should own up to one last thing before Caitlin writes about it. I broke the shower. It was a great night. Let’s see, first, I took the shower head off to try and get it unstuck from the one setting it was on and now it’s stuck on a different, more annoying setting and it leaks out the back. THEN, as I was trying to put the shower head back on I hit my head on the shower rod and it fell down. I wanted a 20 minute shower and got a 45 minute home project. That reminds me, I need to call maintenance and make up a really good story.

Katie

Damn Texas (Caitlin)

On Friday July 2nd, around midnight, Heather and I were dancing on the main floor of The Church when someone walked up and began talking to us. More like yelling at us I suppose, because neither of us could hear him, but he was trying. Heather and I looked at each other, giggling uncontrollably. We could hear the words “beautiful….dancing alone…” in between the pounding bass filling the room. He gestured towards himself, and then towards Heather, smiling at her. Then a voice from behind me explained that he was asking us if we’d like to dance. I turned around and was looking straight into the chest of a striped polo shirt. Once I looked up to a handsome smiling face, I couldn’t help but laugh.
I had just told Heather that I was done dancing with other people for the night. Especially since her previous partner hadn’t known the meaning of “No.” After slapping his hands repeatedly, he had finally left, along with the guy I was dancing with. The excitement of dancing with a stranger was certainly not worth the frustration of forcing him to respect her, so we had agreed to just dance together for the rest of the night. However, once these two walked up, we looked at each other and laughed. I couldn’t help myself, and neither could she.
Once we were finally able to talk on the patio, Heather and I learned Connor and Peter’s names, and the four of us hit it off immediately. Peter and I went on a few double dates with Heather and Connor before we started seeing each other without them. When we decided to date exclusively, we’d known each other less than a week. We felt ridiculous but I didn’t want to date anyone else and neither did he. However, knowing that he was headed to Texas for school while I was destined for Fort Collins forced us to agree that we would just be together for the summer… because dating in separate states is impractical.
Fast forward a month and a half and I am now finding that such an agreement is easier said than done. I’ve got a lump in my throat that relentlessly returns after every wave of emotion, but all I know in situations like this is writing, so here it all is on paper. Err… screen I guess.

A little over a month isn’t long to date much less know a person, but having spent as much time as possible with him, Peter has made quite the impact on my life. I’ve never met a more honest person. Peter had a wonderful way of telling me exactly what I didn’t want to, but needed to hear. And though we differed on some of my most core beliefs, we found ourselves to be freakishly similar: from the way we folded our clothes to our senses of humor. Peter quickly turned from an attractive boy at the club to a close friend… that I was absolutely crazy about.
As I mentioned, we certainly had our differences. We argued but talked our way though things. Peter made it easy to say exactly what was on my mind - even if I thought he might not like it. He respected my beliefs and opinions in a way I have never experienced.
The time we spent together was always a blast. We did something different just about every day and made our fun wherever we were. Because we knew our time was running low, all that mattered was that we were together. For our last week, he helped me move up to Fort Collins and stayed until he had to go back to Texas. It was fantastic. He instilled in me a new appreciation for country and electronic music as well as Sacha Baron Cohen. We went to a drive in movie, watched football, fighting, and baseball, hiked all of Horsetooth Mountain, and cooked our brains out every night. It didn’t matter what we did, I just enjoyed his company.
We wavered a few times during our time together about whether or not we wanted to try to stick it out during the school year. Neither of us wanted it to end, but our eventual conclusion was the same.
When we were saying our goodbyes, there really wasn’t much to say. We already knew everything that the other was feeling. It was terribly hard but it had to happen. When he finally did leave, I thought I was going to turn inside out. I had to sit down and just let myself feel it. I find that sometimes it’s the only way to deal with intense emotion.
I am sitting here writing this now expecting him to walk around the corner. He’s been up here the whole time I’ve had this place, so it’s weird without him. But I am realizing that the pain is only a compliment to him. I wouldn’t be so bothered by his leaving were he not so wonderful. Intelligence, humor, and a handsome face is an intense combination.
But in the end I know I will be okay. I am a happy girl with a wonderful life. I am fortunate to have known him. I don’t know what will happen to us, but at the least I am blessed to have him as a friend. In reality, I’m just throwing a fit because I’m not getting my way. I don’t need another person to be happy. I don’t need him. I just want him, and it sucks.




The two of us on Horsetooth Mountain

- Caitlin

Big Fat Blog (Caitlin)

So… I realize that this blog is way overdue. It looks like I’m going to be squishing blog 4 and 5 into one. Along with a bunch of other stuff that’s going on!

On the next day of our girl vacation, I awoke and had a tasty oatmeal and bacon breakfast with my girls. We had some touching conversation about Granddaddy, and then dispersed throughout the house to get ready for the day.
At that point, one of my best friends called to tell me some sad news. After getting off the phone with her, I heaped into Amy’s arms as she walked in through the front door. If I ever could have used three mommies, it was then. And they were there.
We took some time to sort through emotions and share a little support, and eventually made it out the door around 2pm. We went to get pampered at a salon before meeting a man on the street with a parrot and taking pictures with him. We then went shopping and ate while watching the sun set over the ocean; it was BEAUTIFUL.
Upon arriving home, Amanda shared with us a bit of her book writing adventure, and we yet again passed out after some peach kuchen.

I don’t remember much about the next day. I remember shopping at some of my favorite stores and eating, and then getting on the plane to go home. I’ve still got my Sacred Heart Sisters necklace on. I think about us and that wonderful trip every time I look at it. My aunts and mother have taught me so much about myself – especially in relation to other people. I don’t know many people that I can comfortably share my frailties with, but these ladies continually help me grow as an individual. I love you all!

Daddy just had surgery on the 10th. It’s something we’ve been looking into for a while, and I think it will be really good for him. However, he’s been on a liquid diet and he’s hating it. I was working when he got the actual surgery, but I spend the night in the hospital with him last night, and I will be able to take care of him today and tomorrow before I move up to Fort Collins. We’re currently waiting on a scan of his chest (to check for pulmonary embolisms) to determine whether or not he can go home. He’s in quite a bit of pain, and as a result cannot take deep breaths, so his oxygen levels are very low. If he does end up coming home today, he’ll be on oxygen. We’re hoping that we can leave soon though. The staff was great except for a select few whose overly optimistic banter clashed with Daddy’s lack of sleep and hatred for hospital beds. One in particular was pestering him, so he threatened to throw his pitcher of water at her. She hasn’t come back since. Haha.

SPEAKING of Fort Collins (!!!), Katie and I just went up the other day to get our keys and check into our new apartment! It’s incredibly hot in there since there is no AC, but hey, what’s the college experience without a little ghetto apartment? :) Besides, Katie and I are already starting to doll it up. The bathroom is almost entirely pink. Having had to share our last bathroom with more than 20 girls, it would take a lot to bring down our “new apartment” high.

Peter (I’m sure you all know who he is since I talk about him ALL the time) will be coming up for the first week since it will be our last days to see each other before he heads back up to Texas for school. We’ve got a lot planned, but the only thing that matters is spending as much time with him as possible before he goes. I’m super bummed that he’s leaving, and I’ll certainly have a lot to say when that day comes. Regardless, he’s made my summer.

I will also be eventually reuniting with a childhood friend in FoCo, Mariah. Our fathers were very close long before either of us was born. We kind of mushed together as one big family, calling each other’s fathers “Uncle Mike” and “Uncle Kirk.” On camping trips she and I would end up dragging whole trees down for fire wood, or rolling around in the mud. My brother Jared, and her brother Zackary were close in years as she and I were. However, they moved away when we were still little, and it’s been more than 10 years since we’ve seen each other. Kirk has since passed away, but I’m sure he’s smiling now that we’re all starting to reconnect.

I’ve been nannying all summer for Scott and Lisa’s little boy Kyle. He’s crazy energetic and runs me ragged every single day, but I love the little guy. It sucks that the next time I see him, he'll be walking on his own with a full set of teeth. But I'll be stalking him on Facebook, so I won't be too shocked next time I see him. We’ve been going to Lisa’s aunt Aletha’s house three days a week. Aletha’s husband Ed is also in the house. They are two of the sweetest people I have ever met in my life. I had my last day there on Wednesday. I’m glad to be getting ready for school, but I will definitely miss them.

So as it is now, I’m focusing on getting Dad better. Once we get home I’ll be settling him in and doing laundry like crazy. I’m glad I’ll have three car loads to get me up to Fort Collins on Saturday because I’ve got more clothes than you can imagine. :) I wish I could have had more time to see all of my friends this summer, but hey, I’ve got an apartment now! So visit!

- Caitlin

Yellowstone (Katie)

Old Faithful!

For the past week I’ve been in Yellowstone National Park. Unfortunately, we leave tomorrow. This is the 2nd year I’ve come and the 4th year that my family has. Last year was super neat because it was a first time experience. This year, there wasn’t so much shock and awe and Brandon and I were able to navigate through the park without having to stop at every turnout. We saw EVERY animal we could have except a wolf; we made sure to stop at Old Faithful; and we found the hidden geyser, the Chocolate Pot, again. My dad and my little sister fly fished like crazy people. I can’t think of a single morning they slept in, but Kimmy managed to catch the biggest fish I’ve ever seen.

We went to the alpine slide and flew down the mountain, or, they flew. I went slow because it was my first time which was probably a mistake since my little sister came flying behind me and almost hit me. Let me make this clear, it’s not my fault that she wasn’t going slower.
My mom, Kimmy, and me at the top of the slide

Brandon and me back at the top after the 656 stairs

We did a small 8-mile walk in to a place where they fished for 4 hours. It was absolutely gorgeous, but very painful the next morning. I had that “God, did I get hit by a truck?” feeling. We saw a weasel with its lunch, which was kind of neat. It reminds you that the circle of life goes on even if you find dead animals hanging out of other animals’ mouths disgusting. It was also on this hike that I discovered that my mom singing makes the hike last longer than anyone could ever imagine. She wasn’t even singing for fun. She was singing just incase there was a bear, it could hear us coming, and hopefully run away. I would have rather the bear ate me.

My mom, Brandon, and I also did a hike down Uncle Tom’s Trail. During this hike you loose about 500 feet as you climb 328 steps into the canyon. It was such a pretty view, I almost didn’t want to go back up. Whether that was because the view was so pretty or because, oh yea, you have to hike back up those 328 steps, remains undetermined. I swear, those 328 steps feel more like 5 million when you’re coming back up. With Brandon leading the way (he was so far in front of me and my mom he had time to get fruit snacks to revive us) we made it.
My mom and me at the bottom of Uncle Tom's Trail

The one thing that ALL of us were looking forward to was white water rafting. We went white water rafting on the Snake River and got soaked. For the first couple rapids only the right side of the boat got wet, which means, my sister, Brandon and I were all fairly dry. OK, pause for a second. My mom looked at me weird because I wore swim suit bottoms under my shorts instead of underwear. What would you all wear? Seriously, have you ever gone in a water ride and got wet and thought, “damn, I shoulda worn a swim suit”? Because how comfortable is a wet thong? I will tell all you boys and non-thong wearers, not comfortable at all. OK, un-pause. Towards the end of the trip we hit a rapid and all got completely soaked. Then, me, myself, and I, had a single wave hit me, and only me. Overall, it was really fun.
Brandon and me white water rafting

I have also discovered that I REALLY love farmers markets. The fruit and vegetables are fantastic! We stayed in a town called Jackson Hole and they have a great farmers market. We bought some garlic scapes while we were there just to try them out because we had never heard of them. Apparently garlic scapes are removed to focus all the energy into bulb growth (I thought this sounded a little hippy-ish when the lady said it, but it must be true, Wiki says it too). They aren’t sold very often in the U.S. however. You cook them kind of like you would a scallion. They have a mild garlic taste compared to regular garlic. So I guess for garlic wimps, this is a good plant for you. We are going to fry them with some onions to put on top of steak tonight. SO excited!
Black bear
Beaver that swam right by us
Baby buffalo
For those that are curious, I’ve made a very accurate animal count. The final animal count comes down to something like this:

2 Black bears
2 Grizzly bears
2 Grizzly bear cubs
3 Bald eagles
3 Deer
3 Buck elk
1 Fox with its dinner in its mouth
1 Weasel with its lunch in its mouth
1 Beaver
A shit ton of buffalo and baby buffalo
A shit ton of mom elk and baby elk
A shit ton of geese
A couple of ducks with babies

-Katie

**NOTE**
I own all the rights to these pictures. I took them with my camera, and in many cases, I hiked my ass of to get them. Don't take them and post them anywhere else as your own or I'll make you hike everything I did. K?

Sacred Heart Sisters : Part 3 of 5 (Caitlin)

We got up early this morning and made a run to our new favorite coffee place, which is much better than Starbucks (blasphemy, I know!!). We picked up my Aunt Amy from the airport. She and Amanda are twins. The dynamic that these two women create with my mother is hilarious. I have never giggled so much in my life…
We went off to breakfast at the Naked Café again, and presented Amy with the present that we bought for her! … And ourselves (hehe!). Before Amy got here, my mother, Amanda, and I bought four matching sacred heart necklaces to symbolize our bond to each other, and our aspiration toward personal and spiritual growth. None of us are Catholic, but these little necklaces symbolize something beautiful for each of us. If I can help it, I will never take mine off. My mother and her sisters have indoctrinated me as a "chosen sister", and we have come to call ourselves the Sacred Heart Sisters. Cute, huh? :)
We are all women that are easily distracted, so once we decided to visit the thrift store down the street, we were doomed not to. We stopped off at several other stores before we began to loose steam, and decided to go to the beach instead. We stayed at the beach for a few hours before looking at each other and realizing that we were turning a scary shade of red. We spent the next hour or two trying to shower and shake the sand out of our ears, and ended up at a wonderful Thai restaurant.
We ended the night watching Where the Wild Things Are and eating Amanda’s wonderful peach kuchen until we passed out... Mom and I are in love with that movie. Because of it, we have a habit of howling at each other (a form of “I love you”) before leaving the house each day. Owouuuuuuuu, mommy!

Arriving and Day 1: Part 2 of 5 (Caitlin)

Carlsbad is beautiful. I couldn’t tell much driving here last night since it was around 11pm. I could however see the palm trees. I had no idea they could grow to be so tall! I fell asleep on the drive here, waking for a moment to listen to my mother and aunt giggling in the front seat. When we arrived at my Aunt Amanda’s house, I had a huge stomach ache: probably from the awkward combination of French fries and a turbulent plane ride. But if anyone ever wanted to have a stomach ache, it should be around southern women. If you’ve got an ache in your body, they’ve got a remedy. We proceeded to spend the night talking about our lives; the newest (and might I say wonderful) thing in my life being Peter. We finally slid into bed around 2 or 3am, and then slept our guts out. Or at least I did. I didn’t wake the next morning until 1pm. We hurried ourselves to shower and get dressed before the Naked Café restaurant thingy closed at 2:30. We ate, and then went to the beach. It was wonderful. I haven’t touched a REAL sandy beach since I was four or five in Hawaii. We got some really cute pictures, and spent the day lying in the sun. After some Mexican food, we satisfied my mother’s mocha addiction and headed home to watch Crazy Heart. It gave me a stomach ache again, but not the kind that can be cured with a little pill and some ginger ale. The movie was very inspiring though. I can’t wait for Amy – my other aunt – to get here tomorrow! Our girl vacation can REALLY start then!

California - The Flight Over: Part 1 of 5 (Caitlin)

You never know how many baseball fields are strewn across the face of Colorado until you fly west out of Denver after dark. The eye is drawn to them like a mole among street light freckles and winding lines of headlights like wrinkles. My mother is sleeping next to me. I am peering out the window, trying to convince myself to read the book I have clutched in my lap. The Secret Lives of People in Love. I am thinking about Peter. Specifically his mannerisms. The precision of his words. His eyes - definitely his eyes, and his smile. The way it appears slowly and carefully each time I make him laugh. I lean my head against the cabin wall and think about the 6 inches that is separating me from an amount of pressure and cold wind so enormous that it would sweep the life from my body. The stewardess inserts her thin polished fingers into my line of sight, wiggling them.
"Snacks?" she giggles, and hands me a package of 100 calorie Cheese Nips. I open the package. They definitely taste like they're healthy; it's a problem. I move onto the French fries I bought in the airport grill. I am thinking about Katie now, and the refrigerator magnet we found at the dollar store last year. The words, You're STILL eating?? printed upon a cow. I am laughing and the man sitting on the other side of my mother is staring at me with a curious look on his face.

Annoying Movie Theater People (Katie)

I went to the premier of Twilight Eclipse. Maybe it was the blogger inside saying “HEY! You’ll have a lot of annoying things to write about if you go”, or maybe I just really wanted to see it before my little sister. If it was my inner blogger, she was right. I have never been around a more annoying group of parents and kids. So I have now decided to make a list of 10 things you should not do at a theater unless you want people wishing death on you.

1. DO NOT scream when the lights dim, the movie starts, or when a hot guy steps on screen. It’s annoying. I can’t hear the movie and then I get pissed.

2. DO NOT get up and down 15 billion times before the movie starts to pee, get popcorn, walk around, go talk to a friend or anything else. Quite frankly I like my toes intact. Get your seats, save them, get your food and drink, sit down and STAY. Difficult? I think not.

3. DO NOT answer phone calls, text, or even look at the time on your phone. I hope I don’t have to explain why answering call is annoying. Now texting and checking the time doesn’t require you to talk BUT the light makes me want to punch you in the face.

4. DO NOT talk during the movie. I went to the karate kid and this dad and his kids talked through the whole thing. It’s so distracting. You may think your conversation is important but what you don’t know is the other 100 people in the theater want to all pitch in to buy Duct Tape.

5. DO NOT kick the back of people’s seats. This could possibly be worse than texting or talking. I had a little kid behind me once that kicked my seat mercilessly. I mean, from the time the lights dimmed until I started glaring at the parents this kid did not stop kicking. I get that kids don’t think about the people they’re kicking, but come on parents, PAY ATTENTION. If you hear a thump, thump, thump over and over and over again, maybe you should see if it’s your kid. If you’re an adult and you’re guilty of this…there are no words. Either way, when I feel someone kick my chair over 3 times I start wanting to come back there and kick them.

6. DO NOT laugh at everything. Now, there are those people that have a strange sense of humor or are just the only one that got the joke. This tends to happen at least once to a person in a movie. However, there is a time to stop laughing. For example, if you are a guy and you have been dragged to a chick flick, it’s not a good time to laugh when the really hot guy just died. Death, in general, is not a good point in the movie to laugh. It’s also a really bad time to laugh if you are in a sports movie and the really good player just tore his ACL, just saying.

7. DO NOT talk to the characters. We all know that the blonde girl in the mini skirt, high heels, and push up bra walking in the parking garage is going to die. Don’t scream at her to run. Just so we’re clear, IT’S A MOVIE. They cannot hear you no matter how loud you scream. The story has been set – it’s not changing. We all know that walking down the dark ally is a bad idea, but guess what? THEY’RE GOING TO WALK DOWN IT! How else do you expect them to kill off this character? In an unpredictable way? Come on, you know better than that.

8. DO NOT ignore your height. Hi, my name is Katie Kirk, I am 5 foot 2 inches on a good day. If you are taller than me and you sit directly in front of me, I’m going to get angry. Now, sometimes there’s nothing you can do about it but other times LOOK FOR AN EFFING SEAT IN THE BACK. Or, better yet, look behind you before you sit and make sure there is not an extremely short person behind you. As much as I would love to stare at the back of your head, I did buy tickets to see a movie.

9. DO NOT crowd people. If you walk in the theater and there are only 2 other people in the theater don’t sit right by them!!! Apparently more people than me have had this happen to them. When it happens to me I tend to say things like “GOD THE THEATER IS SOOOOO FULL”. It’s like when you walk into a bathroom, which stall do you take? Do you go into the one that is RIGHT next to someone? Or do you try to give that person and yourself some space? I hope you all answered that you would give them space. Same thing in the theater. I don’t care how good my seat is, you don’t sit right next to me.

10. DO NOT get to comfortable. If you just took your shoes off and set your feet up on my chair, several things just ran through my mind. 1) When was the last time you took a shower? 2) Did you mother never teach you to get your gross feet off the backs of people’s seats? 3) How many toes can I rip off your feet before you move them? 4) If I slam my head into your feet will I get a disease and will I jam your toes? 5) If I turn around and look at you will you even understand why I’m mad?

People are so stupid in theaters, but now you can be smart!

-Katie

Days 7-10 (Katie)

At the Science Center. How much it would cost to send both of us to the moon.
The last 4 days of our trip went so fast. We went to the Science Center and watched a really cool video on the huble space telescope. My favorite brother-in-law and my sister (I can’t pick favorites because I have 2 other sisters that would kill me) took Brandon and I around and showed us some really pretty houses down mansion row. It was a really fun day with family. Brandon and I also went Six Flags for the best anniversary date ever. We screamed and laughed together though the whole day. I also played volleyball with Randi, Rachel, and Bec. It’s been a while since I played and it was nice to both get back out on the court and be out there with family. I played one game with them the first week and one the second. The drive home was awesome. Brandon slept in the back seat while my sister and I caught up on the past 2 years of our lives. Because my 2 older sisters live in Missouri, it’s really hard to keep caught up on what’s going on in our lives.

So, the past 3 days have been filled with hanging out with my older sister. We’re about ready to tackle a painting project together. We are going to take a dresser, sand it, and paint it. Then we are going to paint some flowers on it. Hopefully it turns out really cool. If it doesn’t, I’m sure we’ll have a great time screwing it up.
Here are a few of my favorite stories from the trip:

1) I’m going to be an Aunt!!!!!!! This has to be my number 1 story because I’m excited. Randi got ultrasound pictures and it looks slightly like a baby. So that’s good. If Randi and Paul can train their kid as well as they did their dog, it’ll be my favorite niece or nephew – even though it is only a competition of one.

2) Randi was telling a story about one of the apartments she used to live in. The apartment was right next to a wildlife preserve. She had to sign something saying she would not hunt the animals with blow dart guns and then hang them on her porch. Yes, blow dart guns. Apparently there were some people that lived there before her that hunted turkeys on the wildlife preserve with their blow dart guns and then hung them on their porch.

3) Paul and Randi have a dog, Maggie. Best trained housedog ever. Maggie loves to play, be pet and chew. While we were there she got very attached to Brandon. She would wait for him to come down the stairs in the morning, she would go lay by him, she wouldn’t do anything without him. One day we got back to Randi’s house and Brandon forgot to pet Maggie on his way to go take a nap and she was NOT happy. She sprinted up the stairs and told him off in Maggie fashion. While he laid on the bed, she ran up and over his chest and around his head while barking at him. He never forgot to pet her again.

4) We went to Rachel and Marc’s apartment one night for dinner. First of all, she made AWESOME chicken (this is not to skip Paul’s chicken wings because he made me like mustard for the first time ever). We played rock band and in the middle of a hard core metal song that my sister was screaming the lyrics too, Brandon’s mom called. I’m pretty sure it sounded like we were in a torture chamber.

We’re back home for now. Next trip up: Yellowstone.

-Katie and Brandon

2 Years (Katie)

Today is Brandon and my 2-year anniversary. Though he is younger than me, it doesn’t phase us one bit. Like any relationship, we have our ups and we have our downs; we have our laughs and our fights; and we have our smiles and our tears. The first year was smooth sailing compared to this second one, but they both have been amazing and … slightly educational. We have learned a lot about each other and we’re still learning about ourselves. Over the past two years I have graduated high school, got my one of my dream jobs coaching volleyball, got into college, and have now completed my freshman year of college. He has now graduated high school and has also gotten into college.

Brandon supported me unconditionally through a lot of sleepless weeks the first year we dated. I was working two jobs and going to school and he talked to me at 2 a.m. many nights to keep me awake while I finished papers and math problems. He drove with me to many volleyball tournaments and danced to and sang “Believe” by Cher on the way home to keep me awake. He took me to Water World for the first time and we had a blast. When my dogs got out for the first time, and I couldn’t find them, he was there with me every minute trying to find them until we had them all home safe. We watched Bronco and CC Tiger games together, and while he had to teach me a little bit about football before I knew what was going on, I learned to really love to watch it. The first year was also my only chance to get to see him in his natural habitat: the football field. While his team didn’t have a good year, he had a great one. It was really cool to see him so happy doing something. We discovered that we love to cook together and even if the kitchen ended up the biggest flour covered mess ever, we always have fun. We went to a TON of movies that first year. We managed to keep just about every ticket from every movie we went to which Brandon then used to make the coolest thing anyone has ever made me. He took pictures, movie tickets, and other mementos and made them into a collage that hung up above my desk at college. Then there was prom where we had our first dance together. It was the best dance I had ever been to up until this year’s prom. We went hiking, on midnight adventures, shopping, and mini road trips around the state. We celebrated our first Christmas together, our first New Years, Valentine’s Day and birthdays. He held my hand through breakdowns, a tattoo, and a piercing.
This second year has been very hard. We were 140 miles apart while I was in Fort Collins for college and he stayed in Colorado Springs to finish high school. Everyone told me that once I left, we would fall apart. I am so proud to be able to say that we made it through. It was hard, not impossible. This year, before school started, we went to Wyoming and explored Yellowstone National Park together. We went on an accidental 2-hour hike with no water, we found a tiny little attraction (one of the coolest things we saw), we saw a momma bear and her 2 cubs (hands down the coolest thing we saw), and we saw a ton of buffalo. When school started, it was hard to say goodbye. He helped me pack, move in, and shop for the stuff I didn’t know I would need. I held back tears hugging him goodbye and that was that. We saw each other about one weekend a month for the next 10 months with the exception of Christmas. We text non-stop, we always called to say goodnight, and we looked forward to the weekends we got to see each other. He introduced me to HuHot, the best Mongolian grill ever, and it became tradition to eat there every weekend he came up. My favorite day when he came up was when it was our 1-year and some odd amount of months and we made dinner in the dorm kitchen. He helped me study for tests whenever he could by holding up flash cards and quizzing me off of study guides. I owe many good test grades to his help. Then summer came for me. He helped me move back out. I went and watched him graduate and held back tears of happiness.

I love him. Simple as that really. The past 3 paragraphs are just fluff I suppose…but important fluff. I don’t know who else would have held my hand when I put myself through the pain of a tattoo; I don’t know who else would have talked to me on the phone until 2 a.m. when I needed to finish homework; I don’t know who else would deal with me on a daily basis besides him. We’re honest, blunt, stubborn, and loving people who luckily found each other because in the words of his mother “you’re both freaks, that’s are why you’re perfect for each other”.

-Katie

30Something Blessings (Caitlin)

From the 11th to the 14th of this month, I was in Tennessee’s Smokey Mountains with all but one of my mother’s side of the family. We were a little nervous organizing this get together for fear of family drama, but all 30something of us were pleasantly surprised. I have never been in a situation in which I was surrounded by so many people that I actually LIKED! Though I hadn’t seen most of these people in 15 years, if ever, it wasn’t hard to connect. It has grown to become one of my fondest memories.
The four of us (Jared, Caroline (his awesome girlfriend), Mom, and I) took a two hour flight to Tennessee, and then drove from Nashville to our cabin in the mountains. We got ridiculously turned around and explored just about every part of the Smokeys before we found our place. It was so humid I couldn’t believe it, but it caused the terrain to be lush and more beautiful than I could have imagined, so I suffered happily. It looked like a jungle.
Once we arrived, we unpacked, met everyone, and feasted upon Joy’s wonderful dinner. The next three days were a blur. I remember everything, but not chronologically. Every meal was wonderful; I remember Steve’s boiled peanuts, Amanda’s Gumbo, Mom’s Chicken Salad Sandwiches, and Nancy’s Crawfish Linguini. We bought way too much food and all stuffed ourselves. We watched the World Cup and Drunk History (look it up if you haven’t seen it – so funny). We went hiking a few times. We went river tubing, and mini cliff diving. … Okay more like rock diving. It was probably only about 15 feet at its highest point, but it was a big deal for me! We hot tubbed almost every night and stayed up late laughing together. We took a family picture at the end – Posted at the top - Just imagine ALL of us in one house.
There were three little guys, Jack, Emma Grace, and Boyd. These were my cousins’ children. Jack is the one with striking blue eyes that makes an undeniably adorable collection of sounds. Emma Grace was the oldest of the three, and is a beautiful, spunky little girl. I didn’t see her upset once during the entire trip, she’s a little angel. Boyd is a badass in the making. He walks like he’s on a mission, but has got a stare that will melt anyone’s heart. I’ve never fallen in love with children so deeply and so quickly, but I suppose there’s something about family that makes everything different.

I could have used a little extra time to really get to know everyone, but I had a great time. I got over my fear of heights when I went flailing off those rocks, I saw lightning bugs for the second time in my life, and I found out how to do boiled peanuts the RIGHT way. I decided for a fact that I want children one day, learned about my grandparents and family history, and giggled myself through the entire trip. The best part was seeing mom so happy. Seeing the relief pour over each of us as we realized that we weren’t going to kill each other. Mom’s dream has been to see everyone getting along in the same room for as long as I can remember. Jared and I were always worried that we'd have to call up each relative and go see them on our own. We thought this would never happen. Thankfully, now that it has, it’s going to become a yearly tradition! I love each and every person there, and hopefully I get to meet Parker, the cousin missing from the bunch, next year! I can’t Thank God enough for the many blessings I have – 30something of which consist of the Wilkes family.

- Caitlin

Days 3-6 (Katie)

with the Puffins at the St. Louis Zoo

on top of the Arch

The last day of Branson we shopped for souvenirs and rode roller coasters for the last time. We checked out of our hotel and we were about ready to leave when I got a call from the hotel saying that the maid had found something in our room. Something plaid. Now, I don’t own anything plaid so I already knew it was Brandon’s. We drove all the way back to the hotel and picked up his shorts and then headed to my Grandma’s house. It was a fun 3 hour drive since I had something to make fun of him for. We decided to eat at a Subway so we took out our fantastic GPS and let it take us to the middle of hickville nowhere where it said there was a Subway but instead stood a very old Shell gas station with no Subway. Not only was there no Subway in the Shell gas station, there was no Subway in the entire town. Brandon and I took a deep breath and turned to the fantastic GPS again and let it take us to farmtown USA to find different one. This time, there was one. Did you know that you can get your sandwich on flatbread? It was amazing! We got to my Grandma’s house and after a she cooked us a good meal, I played volleyball with my 2 older sisters and one of my cousins. It was a lot of fun getting back out on a volleyball court to play instead of coach. To celebrate the win, Brandon and I got Fritz frozen custard, which is the best frozen custard in Missouri. Brandon has asked to go back every night since we went. The next day we slept in and chilled out at my Grandma’s house for the day. I learned how to cook fried rice so now I can definitely eat well once Caitlin and I move into our apartment.

Friday, Brandon and I went to the zoo and absolutely loved it. If it hadn’t been so hot we probably would have stayed longer. It was 99 degrees and about 95% humidity. I think the word for that is hell. However, the zoo here is free and we parked on the street so we didn’t have to pay the $11 to park. The only thing we spent money on was a 3D simulator that was really fun. They had a baby camel, which was about the cutest thing I’ve seen. The hippos were very lively and we got to see them swim around and watch fish clean their teeth. The fish were funny because all the little kids swore the hippos were eating them. They had 2 lions and one was in a tree! I think our favorite exhibit was the penguins and puffins. They have an outdoor part and an indoor part. They do a feeding show outdoors where we saw penguins sneaking into the fish bucket behind the zookeeper’s back. Then we went inside where it’s about 35 degrees. It felt awesome after walking around in the Missouri heat. The penguins are so close to you that they swim by the glass and splash you. There is a lot of history in and around the zoo. There is a bird building that was built originally for the World’s Fair. There is also a pavilion outside the zoo not to far away that was also built for the World’s Fair and, oh yeah, my sister got married there! We spent a total of 3 and a half hours at the zoo until we left and went to my sister’s house. Big news by the way…I’m going to be an aunt!

We had a big family game night, stayed up late, and told funny stories. Then Brandon and I woke up the next day and went to the Gateway Arch. It took us a while to even find a parking garage near the Arch because our fantastic GPS wanted us to drive on a road that is now covered in water because the river levels are so high. We finally made it after a very long, repetitive drive around the same 5 blocks. After a very long wait, a picture with Glenn Beck, and a shaky cart ride, we made it to the top. It was a clear day and we could see really far. A couple facts about the Arch I learned: The Arch is the tallest national monument in the US at 630 feet. It took a little over 2 years to build, weighs 17,246 tons, and cost $13 million. The transportation system cost $3.5 million. The maximum sway is 18 inches (9 inches each way) in a 150 mph wind. The usual sway is about ½ an inch. There are 142 sections that make up the Arch and each one is an equilateral triangle.

Our suggestions: For the zoo, get there early (8 am) and park on the street so you don’t have to pay for parking and bring water. Also, check the weather. It’s free so if it looks like the heat might kill you, go another day.

For the Arch, buy tickets ahead of time. There is an Internet fee but it’s worth it. We spent a half our in line to buy tickets and another 2 hours waiting for our tram time. Granted, we got to see Glenn Beck, but I would have much rather not sat around for 2 hours. Also, see if there’s a ball game that day. The Cardinals’ stadium is only a couple blocks away and you can get tickets for a decent price.

We only have Grant’s Farm and Six Flags left but we’re having a blast! We’re excited to get back to mountains and dry air, but we’re having a lot of fun. However, if our GPS screws up another drive we’re going to throw it in the Missouri River.

-Katie and Brandon

Days 1 and 2 (Katie)

AAAAAAAAAND we made it! The drive took us about 13 hours and it felt like 13 hours. It was long but a lot of fun. We got to Branson about 8 p.m. and promptly passed out. This morning we woke up to a terrible ring from my cell phone, stumbled to breakfast and discovered we could have ate better in our car, which only has poptarts. So, the breakfast sucked. However, the room is nice and it’s right next to Silver Dollar City. We rode the free shuttle that the hotel provides and arrived at 10 a.m. were we promptly got cinnamon bread from the bakery (awesome bread). There were barely any people there so we rushed right to the roller coasters. Here are our ratings:

Wild Fire:
Brandon – 7.5 Katie – 7
The Wild Fire is your typical “ready for the next step” roller coaster. If you’ve been stuck riding all the kiddie ones, you’ve experienced speed and a few twists and hills, and now you’re ready for loops…this is the roller coaster for you. We went during a dead day so there weren’t very many people in the park and therefore the lines were short. This immediately put us in a good mood. We got on and got locked in and we took off. First thing we noticed: the speed sucked. Really! It sounds harsh but we’re being honest. It just wasn’t that fast. There were several loops you get thrown through and it’s hard to worry about speed when you’re upside down. On the bright side, when the speed is down you have time to smile and look at the camera. Our pictures were great. For experienced roller coaster lovers, this isn’t going to be your new fav but it’s fun. Our suggestions: Ride in the front and in one of the outside seats.
Powder Keg:
Brandon – 8 Katie – 8.5
All right, if you’re ready for some speed here it is. This roller coaster is FAST. It shoots you off and you never look back. There are some down sides to this ride. First, Brandon’s biggest complaint is the way you’re strapped in. It isn’t the typical over the shoulder ones – it’s lap bars. Second, it’s hard to get a good picture unless you’re good at smiling while being thrown at the speed of light. Finally, there is always a long line for this ride because it’s that good. Our suggestions: Ride in the front and don’t have a cell phone in your pocket because you’ll be fighting to keep it in the whole ride.
Fire in the Hole:
Brandon – 1 Katie – 6
Brandon was disappointed because I called it a roller coaster. Now, it does have a height requirement and a few surprising, squeal inducing drops but overall its sort of a cute, fun ride. He was expecting a typical roller coaster. My mom LOVES this ride. It’s the only roller coaster that she will ride. So the verdict is, it’s fun. It’s not a screamer, but it’s fun.
Silver Dollar City: 8
Overall we gave the park an 8. The food is awesome. There is no food in the entire park that I didn’t want. It is an amusement park so the prices are a little high. There are neat shops everywhere you turn. Our favorite was the glass shop. You can see glass blowing and the shop is filled with really pretty breakable glass things. The people in the park are a little hickish. Overall it’s a really cool place and I love going! Plus, the fact that Brandon is snoring right now says that there was definitely plenty to do!
Hotel: 7
The Deer Run Motel is a nice place. Free Internet is a definite perk but the terrible breakfast is a downer. The beds are comfy, the TV has cable and the room was clean. Brandon says the only problem is the shower head is too short for him. So the shower and the breakfast are our only complaints!
We’ve only eaten at 2 new places so far and here are our ratings:
Steak N Shake:
Brandon – 7 Katie – 7.5
Bandana’s BBQ:
Brandon – 7 Katie – 8

We have one more day here in Branson and then we go on to my Grandma’s house!
-Katie

WBC Strikes Again. Let's Strike Back. (Katie)

Earlier in the year, Caitlin and I made the hour drive to Boulder, CO to counter protest Westboro Baptist Church. If you haven’t heard of these people, time to crawl out of your cave and Google them. They are against everyone but themselves. Brandon is the love of my life – he is also Catholic. Caitlin is one of my closest friends, and by previous blogs you can probably guess she’s a Christian. Both of these people, whom I adore, are targets of this group. I am also a firm believer in the statement “if you don’t want to stand behind our troops, feel free to stand in front of them”. Our military has fought for our freedom of speech, religion, assembly, and other very important rights that maybe we take for granite sometimes. I was reminded during our counter protest that just because we have the freedom of speech, it doesn’t mean that something intelligent or useful always comes out people’s mouths.It was a great feeling to be a part of something that was so important. You might not think that 300 people standing on a sidewalk counter protesting is important, but it is. I think that all of us being there shows that there are a lot of people that support the groups that are often targets of hate. It shows that there are tons people that care. It brought a lot of people together that would have never come together otherwise. For instance, I stood next to many CU students without a word of hate being exchanged between us.
Westboro is coming back to Colorado. Those six words almost make me sick. This time, they are headed to my home away from home, CSU. I never really stayed at a high school long enough to have any deep pride for my high school, but college has been very different. I am very proud to be a Ram. These people, if the term person can be applied to these idiots, are attacking something that I am so proud of. Their website has this to say about the students of CSU:
“WBC to picket Colorado State University where this nation's students of higher learning show how absolutely worthless their parents have made them. They've been raised on a steady diet of lies from birth. Their parents, teachers and preachers taught them God is a liar -- that it's okay to be gay, to fornicate at will, and to murder unborn babies. The only thing they are good for now are the killing fields of Iraq and Afghanistan where Anti-Christ Beast Obama will send them to be slaughtered. Today, you will for the first time in your life hear the truth about God -- He has standards that you are required to abide by; if you don't, you are going to hell forever. It, in fact, is not okay to be gay, fornicate, or murder babies. These words are life and health to any who have ears to hear. The time is short! Listen! Obey!”
That speaks for itself. These people don’t listen to anyone, but I’d have plenty to say if I got to sit down with them. I’m proud to be who I am. I love my friends the way they are no matter if they are gay, Catholic, Christian, Jewish, Democrat, Republican, pro-choice, pro-life, or military. I fully support our troops and to see Westboro Baptist Church hold up a sign that says “Thank God For IED’s” makes me furious. I won’t even go into how angry it makes me to hear them protesting at a soldier’s funeral. I’m going to be on my road trip when they come into town or I’d be there. If you can, it’s important to show them that Colorado is a state that doesn’t allow hate. Make your signs, go out, and show them we’re a state that cares.
-Katie