Dinner (Katie)

I cooked dinner for Brandon last night and it went about as well as anyone could expect from me. I’m not a cook. I can microwave things, put things in a toaster, pour things out of a bag and heat them up, and order off a menu. I tried to make chocolate milk one time and put the powder in water. The whole mixing together and combining thing just isn’t a good idea for me. So, since I had to make dinner for myself, I thought “why not try to make dinner for the two of us?” Apparently I was feeling a little crazy. I decided to make pasta with artichoke hearts, sausage, and mushrooms in the sauce and then some garlic bread. The sauce was made with no problems at all. The mushrooms were perfect, the sausage was super spicy and tasty, and you can’t mess up artichoke hearts. It’s almost impossible to mess up noodles, so they were fine too, but the garlic bread…oh the garlic bread. I mixed together the butter, parsley, and garlic and it looked just like the picture. Then I cut the bread and did not cut myself, which was a big accomplishment. Then I spread the garlic butter stuff on the bread and tossed it in the oven. All perfect, right? Yep! Oh yea, until I left the bread in the oven for too long and when I pulled them out, they looked like black bricks. I screwed up bread. BREAD. All I had to do was pull it out when it was golden brown but instead, I pulled them out just before they burst into flames. So I had to start over. The second round turned out perfect! Brandon has now moved my cooking level from “can’t cook at all” to “can cook pasta sometimes”.

On a different note, we are 14 days away from our trip! I got a great deal on Silver Dollar City’s website for a hotel and 2 days in the park. I am also looking for a great hibachi restaurant that Brandon and I can go to for our 2 year anniversary. I have discovered that I’m an awesome over-planner. However, we should be able to stay on budget and do everything we want! I think I’m looking forward to Six Flags and the zoo the most!
-Katie

50 Favorites - Hottest Celebrity Men and Women! (Caitlin)

Hey all, it’s been a long time since I’ve posted, so I figured I’d start back with something interesting – here are our favorite sexy girls and boys of the celebrity scene. Twenty-five each, and in no particular order.

The Boys:

George Clooney – Seems to get more attractive as he ages. It’s almost magical. Why can’t women age this gracefully?
Jared Leto – Who doesn’t love a musician?
Josh Halloway - I’m biased because I’m obsessed with Lost.
Ewan McGregor – Has got a beautiful smile.
Cam Gigandet
Josh Hartnett
Jensen Ackles
Paul Walker – Is shirtless in almost all of his movies. I wonder why…
Jonathan Rhys Meyers
Will Smith – I’ve loved him since The Prince of Belair
Colin Farrell – We’ve got a thing for bad boys
Jake Gyllenhaal
Ryan Reynolds
Gerard Butler – A “real man".
Channing Tatum
Brad Pitt – He’s a classic, we can’t help it.
Taylor Lautner – So incredibly self explanatory.
Chris Pine
Robert Downy Jr – Another bad boy. He pulls off “rough around the edges” like I’ve never seen.
Robert Pattinson – An acquired taste for most, but we love him.
Hugh Jackman
Johnny Depp - Another Classic.
David Beckham – Great underwear model… What, who said that?
Russell Crowe
David Boreanaz

The Girls:

Isla fisher
Vansessa Hudgens
Keira Knightley – The delicate kind of beautiful.
Hayden Panettiere
Evangeline Lilly
Salma Hayek
Jennifer Aniston – So earthy. The kind of woman that always looks natural.
Angelina Jolie – The top of almost everyone’s list.
Halle Berry
Helidi Klum
Cameron Diaz – Seems to be THE girl to fall in love with in recent movies.
Megan Fox
Jessica Biel – My personal favorite.
Rachel McAdams
Rihanna – She can pull off short hair, and just about anything else. So jealous.
Mila Kunis – I can’t help but think, “That 70’s Show,” but I love her.
Jessica Alba
Beyonce – A beautiful voice to match her appearances.
Kate Beckinsale
Penelope Cruz – Really exotic. Everyone’s got a thing for accents!
Eva Mendez
Kristen Bell – She always looks so innocent!
Kim Kardashian
Mariah Carey – The epitome of curves.
Adriana Lima

These are just some of our favorites; I hope I didn’t leave out anyone important! Any personal preferences? Let us know!

-Caitlin

Pre-Apartment Nerves and Target Rant (Katie)

So I was out with my mom looking at stuff for the apartment Caitlin and I will be living in next year and I realized I know absolutely nothing about pots. We went down the cooking aisle and there were shiny pots, pretty pots, ugly pots, heavy pots, and black pots. Someone want to decipher the boxes for me? I have no idea what they are talking about. For example, I found some that I liked because they were a decent price. They were about $70 for a 10-piece set and they are nonstick. So, sounds good right? No, because then they went and made it difficult. Right above these pretty, black, nonstick pots are pretty, red, premium nonstick pots (same brand) for $10 less. Now what the hell does that mean? What is the difference between premium nonstick pots and just plain nonstick pots? The only difference I see is that one is red and the other is black, and since when does premium mean less money? To me this means that the premium isn’t so premium after all. Think about it: you go to a gas station and the regular unleaded is $2.70 and the premium is $2.90. So naturally these pots and their prices make no sense whatsoever to me. Now for the really good question: who thought of making a pan super easy to clean up but then stuck you with the rule “no metal cooking utensils”? I guess it is true; you can’t have your cake and eat it too (no intentional rhyming there. Caitlin hates when people rhyme.)
-Katie

Home Again (Katie)

My first few days back home reminded me how relaxing college was. My 3 dogs dug out and a car hit one. He will live! He’s in a cast for 6-8 weeks because of a dislocated paw. One went MIA for a day but the pound picked him up and he spent a night in jail. The last one, one of our fantastic neighbors caught. We have all of them home now, thank God. My family, Brandon, and I all trenched the yard along the fence, put down chicken wire, concrete blocks, and then buried it all. I still can’t move. I’m back into my own tiny room. What I didn’t realize is that while I was up in Fort Collins, I accumulated tons of crap that was not meant to be moved back into this tiny room. I have dug myself a path so that I don’t die trying to go pee in the middle of the night but other than that I’m not sure where all this is going to end up. I miss college. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great to be back home, but I slept better during finals week.

On the bright side, I LOVE SLEEPING IN. Caitlin tried to get me to sleep in the whole year but I refused. Who knew what I was missing? I also love walking into the kitchen and having an entire freezer, fridge, and pantry FULL of yummy stuff to snack on and cook at 1 a.m. It’s pretty great to have tons of food when you’re a food lover. I would like to announce that I only gained 2 pounds during my freshman year and I’m almost positive it’s in muscle. I’m convincing myself of that because I can no longer take my midnight runs to lose those 2 pounds due to Colorado Springs turning off every other street light so it is WAY to dark to be running around by myself. I would take one of my dogs but the only one that I can count on to protect me, not just lick the perp to death, is in a cast right now. He hobbles and isn’t too scary. I would probably gain more weight waiting for him to catch up.

Missouri Tip Update: We are T minus 26 days!!!! We now have our itinerary and budget finalized. Brandon is excited to go but not nearly as excited to blog about it. I’m apparently the blogger in the relationship. We will be going to Silver Dollar City, the Arch, the St. Louis Zoo, Grant’s Farm, and Six Flags St. Louis. We’re also going to visit Gerald, MO. Gerald is the tiny tiny town my dad grew up in. It has a little over 1000 people. Plenty of pictures with each blog!
-Katie

Happy Birthday To Me (Katie)

I am now 19!!!! Yay! I’m almost sure it’s one of the least exciting birthdays because nothing is new. No new privileges, no new category that I fit into, nothing. That’s ok though because I’m one year older and it signifies that I did in fact survive my first year of college. I have had a lot of people in my life the past 19 years. There are people who have made me laugh, made me cry, helped make me successful and helped take me down a wrong path or two. I have always lived my life (as long as I can remember) saying that I would have no regrets. In 19 years I can say that I have had a couple, but I think today is a good day to let them go and move on. So…no regrets – just live and learn. I think it’s important to tell people when they’ve been a large influence though, so I am.
My parents. This one is easy because they gave me life. They are the only 2 people in this entire world who have been there for me since day 1. They both push me to be my best in everything I do and even when I think I’ve reached that, they push a little more. They sat and watched me go through a lot of painful injuries and then supported me while I recovered. They gave me (and are still giving me) every opportunity I need to be a successful person. They both taught me to work hard in very different ways.
My dad works very hard. He doesn’t have a college degree but knows a hell of a lot more about what he does than the kids with degrees. He reads everything he can get his hands on about his work and he’s only come across 1 or 2 problems (there is some debate on this) his entire career that he couldn’t fix. He grew up in a tiny town in Missouri where he hunted, fished, and learned everything about sports. He taught me everything I know about gun safety and just about everything I know about sports. The exception to that is volleyball. Everything I know about football, basketball, and baseball is all due to him. My dad taught me to be competitive and is the only reason I am as competitive as I am today. He was there for every game I ever played unless he was out of town for work and physically could not be there. I think one of the coolest things when I was playing sports was I knew my mom and dad were both in the stands supporting me. Now that I’m older, I can see where my dad and I differ when it comes to politics and philosophy. However, some of the best conversations I have had are with my dad on those topics. He never ceases to remind me to broaden my view of the world and to take everything in. He believes in my dreams for my future and me.
My mom also works very hard. She does have a college degree which she got ten-ish years ago while my sister and I were little. My mom is unfortunate to be one of the ones hit by Verizon layoffs. She didn’t sit around and feel sorry for herself, though. She went out and found a job as soon as possible. She’s a very strong person and doesn’t let a lot get to her. She was the valedictorian of her high school class and got a 29 on her ACT’s – a score that will forever haunt me, as I was never able to beat it. She has a dream of teaching math one day and I’m sure she’ll do it. She’s going back to school again to get her teaching degree and I hope she knows that all of us couldn’t be any prouder. My mom pushed me to get my high school diploma, even though I wanted to take the easy road to my GED. She has always stressed school first and everything else later. I didn’t know how important it was at the time, but now I do. My mom and I also differ in our opinions but that’s ok. My mom never stops reminding me that everything is possible. Like my dad, she also believes in my dreams and me.
Brandon. This one is also fairly easy. I was pretty convinced I wanted nothing more than a GED after my junior year and Brandon (along with my mom) fought with me until I gave in and decided that I could deal with another year in high school. He has been there for me for almost 4 years now as a friend and boyfriend. He has helped me study for numerous tests, been my go to person when I’m angry, stressed, upset, or just plain tired, been my person who I can tell anything, and we seem to agree on a lot of stuff about life. Even when he has no idea what I’m talking about, he’ll sit and listen to me ramble on about chemistry and biology. That’s him, though, patient. Which is good because he wants to be a kindergarten teacher. I think I owe any patience I have today to him. Without him the girls I coach would be terrified. Before every test, every interview, or anything important, he tells me good luck, and that he believes in me. I think those 2 things keep me confident even when I have no reason to be. I love you!
Caitlin. It’s only been a school year that we’ve known each other but we know more about one another than just regular friends because we live together. I’m forced to be a better writer because I’m terrified of her reading a paper and thinking I can’t write. She has a huge personality and has brought a lot of mine out too. We have a lot of fun and she has taught me to be a little more relaxed than I normally am. We talk about everything. Absolutely everything. If you have thought about it, we have talked about it. We do have differing opinions on things but we understand each other and it works out great! Hell, if we can share a 10x15 room we can do anything.
Kreston and Evan. I grew up with these two and they have been great! They are always there to talk to. Even when we all separated in high school and went our different ways, we get together at least once a year to catch everyone up on the happenings in our lives. Speaking of which, guys, we need to get together again. It’s over due. Evan is at the Air Force Academy while me and Kreston chose the traditional college route. I love them both. I think if I had two brothers, they would be like Kreston and Evan.
Coaches. There are many who fall under this category: The Sweeneys, the DePasses, Nate Martel, Leanne Carmona, Tamera Bransford, Bonnie Belzer, and Hermie Corns. Leanne Carmona gave me a chance I had only dreamed of my freshman year and handed me a varsity jersey. Then she put me in a game. Whether she believed in me or just took a chance she gave me the confidence I needed to go forth. Melissa Sweeney gave me a chance 2 years ago that started my coaching degree. Hermie Corns gave me a chance this year to start my coaching career in Northern Colorado. Nate Martel, Tamera Bransford, Bonnie Belzer, and the DePasses all transformed me into a better person and volleyball player. Thanks everyone!
There are definitely more people that belong on this list for things they’ve done for me, opportunities they’ve given me, and times it felt like they were the only ones that believed in me. There are also people that I thought were a negative impact on my life but now that I look back, it turned out to be a positive. I got a tattoo and a second ear piercing last year on my birthday, I guess all that’s left is it sit back and…study for my genetics final that’s on Thursday!
-Katie

End of the School Year

We are about ready to enter finals week and I can’t believe how fast it has all gone. I didn’t think I had done a whole lot this year but when I look back I realize how many new experiences I have had. Caitlin, my roommate and fellow blogger, has been awesome. I talked about before how easy it has been to live with her. We have a lot of the same thoughts and I can talk to her about anything. She’s been a true blessing. No matter if I’m laughing or crying, she’s right there with me. She is also, as you know, an English major and she gets lots of practice editing because she edits all my papers. While she stays up, and wakes up, late, I go to bed and get up early. I try not to wake her up in the morning and she tries to not wake me up at night. We’ve discovered that we both to weird things in our sleep and we are as messy as we thought. Obviously the roommate situation wasn’t as terrible as everyone told me it would be and neither was the dorm food. I went to the homecoming parade and loved every second of it. I watched the CSU vs CU football game on TV because the damn hippies held it in their town, but I watched proudly as the Rams crushed the Buffaloes on their home field. Caitlin and I went to the CSU vs. CU basketball game, screamed our hearts out, and watched with pride as the Rams crushed the Buffalos. I participated in rallies on the plaza and signed petitions. I ran in my underwear with hundreds of other students to relax before finals. I visited Old Town and fell in love with Fort Collins. I got a coaching job up here for club and middle school volleyball and fell in love with the people of Fort Collins. I took classes I wasn’t sure I would like and broadened my view of the world. I dissected a live larva and ran my own DNA through a gel. I failed some tests and I aced some. I really found myself this year. I learned to be me no matter what because you can’t make everyone happy and why should you? I made ME happy this year. One person who has been there the whole way is Brandon. I love him very much and we're on our way to our 2 year anniversary which we will spend in Missouri near the end of our road trip. I think the highlights of the year were going to Boulder and counter-protesting the Westboro Baptist Church and running in my underwear through campus with Caitlin. Most romantic moment goes to Brandon and I's night in the kitchen where we made his famous scedi (pasta and the best meat sauce ever) and watched TV. All things must come to and end, and the end of my freshman year is coming fast. So long tiny dorm room! I think I am actually going to miss it.
What I learned my freshman year:
1. TA’s have no power. They still have more power than you as a student do though, and they like to make that clear.
2. Either I have too many clothes or CSU needs a bigger closet in the dorms.
3. You can make a 10x15 room home
4. Do your dishes or you will end up with a really bad smell and mold
5. Ice cream makes everything better
6. If you think moving away from your parents was hard at the beginning of the year, it’s nothing compared to moving away from your friends at the end of the year
7. You can wish for a snow day, and once a year that wish might come true
8. I have way too much crap
9. Do your laundry before the bag is so heavy you can’t carry it to the laundry room
10. You can cook a lot of things with a microwave
11. Don’t eat hotdogs if you even think they MIGHT be bad
12. Don’t touch your face when you are in a biology lab with E. coli. You will get REALLY sick
13. Try new things. You never know what you’re going to love by the end of the year.

-Katie

This school year has been amazing. I have found myself in ways that I never could have imagined. I’ve found a sense of self – what I like and don’t like, where I draw my boundaries, what kind of person I want to be. I am truly a different person for having lived away from home for so long. Being away from Morrison has given me insight into things I couldn’t see while it surrounded me. I have come to appreciate some people more than ever, while learning to let go of others.
I’ve got a core group up here, mostly consisting of my roommate, my boyfriend and his friends, some kids from high school, and some kids from class.
Katie has been the best roommate I could ever ask for, and has really come to be one of my closest friends. We do almost everything together, and always end up laughing until we're red in the face. There isn’t a single thing I can’t talk to her about, and I can’t wait to move into our new place next semester!
I love Erik so much; I can’t believe we were so lucky to be living in the same building. He’s been around for so many hard times, and so many great ones – and his friends too! Chris has put up with so much from Erik and I, and Danny has been there for me personally, especially in the beginning of the semester. Not to mention the rest of his friends, they’re really great. And Charlie is just a badass. Enough said.
I knew Cody during high school. He took me swing dancing in the beginning of the semester, and ever since, I’ve been hooked. I haven’t been able to go in a long time because I’ve been so busy, but it really is one of my favorite things to do up here. College life has brought Cody and I a lot closer. Same with Greg. We worked together and hung out a LOT last summer, and he has become my Art study buddy. We always wait until the last minute and study the night before for like, 5 or 6 hours. Noelle got Katie and I temporarily addicted to Tudors. She’s a super sweetheart. I don’t see her very often, but she’s a lot of fun. And Parker! I love Parker! I met him in freshman orientation over a discussion about our religions. He’s taken me to a few plays and we’ve studied our butts off together at dinner.
I can’t wait to get home to my wonderful family and friends. I’m looking forward to saving up some money and to the late summer nights – especially with Heather. But first I’ve got to go over some of the highlights of this year.
First semester: I was bogged down with classes, and didn’t do too much. When I came home for the weekends, I would work and go clubbing with Heather. Katie and I spent most of our time eating, watching movies, hanging out in Erik’s hall, and going to basketball games. The best was the CU CSU basketball game. It got way too rowdy and we ended up storming the court when we won, but getting in trouble was totally worth it. We all got an angry e-mail from our president telling us to be professional. Around Christmas Katie and Noelle made little stalkings for the boys filled with candy. It was adorable.
Second semester was a lot more exciting. I took a lighter load of classes, so I was less stressed out. Katie found our future apartments and applied really early. Then came my birthday – Katie made me a little microwave cake while Erik was passed out on my bed. He woke up exactly at midnight to say happy birthday. He’s got crazy sleeping skills like that. The next day, he took me to the most romantic dinner ever, with squid and pasta at this beautiful Italian restaurant and he took me to this huge swing dancing thing in the LSC. On break Heather and I got my conch pierced. In April I went to The Audition concert with Erik and a bunch of other people.
Katie and I went to the Westboro Baptist Church counter protests in Boulder a few weeks ago. We made posters asking for people to support the Boulder County Aids Project. The first protest was insane. There were tons of people, and when they tried to leave, the streets filled with people and they couldn’t get their van out. The highlight for us though was when we caught them by themselves walking to the next site. Katie ran up next to them and said “Hey… Hey! Wanna donate to the Boulder County AIDS Project?!” That’s when they started walking really fast.
Then Erik and I had our 6 month anniversary on April 28th. He bought me flowers and laid out a blanket under a tree in the oval for us to have sparkling cider. He’s so adorable.
A few days ago, CSU had a benefit for Haiti and Chile called the Undie Run, in which students donated their clothing, and ran. Katie and I decided to go the modest route – we wore shorts and sports bras. We arrived to find hundreds of screaming kids. We all took off our clothes and threw them into the plaza, and then ran a route around campus. It had to be the funniest thing I’ve seen so far this year, and was by far the most fun!
This year has taught be how to be independent. Though the schoolwork is hard, I am so happy I came up here. I’m on a path to a career I’m going to love, and I can’t wait for next year!

Things I have learned this year:

1) One of these three is true: My ears are crooked, my eyes are crooked, every pair of sun glasses I have ever had was crooked.

2) I play bejeweled better with the sound off because I get nervous when I hear the timer running out.

3) I am terrible at time management.

4) According to Katie – when I don’t want to do my homework, I paint my toenails.

5) My metabolism is slowing down.

6) I do well under pressure.

7) I want to make a difference in the world.

8) Love every person to the best of your ability. The world is a better place as a network rather than bazillions of individuals looking out for themselves.

9) Take risks. It’s easy to miss out on life!

-Caitlin

Fazoli's (Katie)

Caitlin and I haven’t really decided how often we’ll be updating this site but considering that we’re fantastic procrastinators it will probably be often. We also have a lot to talk about all the time. If you woke us up at 3 am (if Caitlin is even asleep by that time) we could find 5 topics to talk about. It may not be very coherent, but we’ll talk. We have cool things happen every day because we’re in college. It is never dull up here. Like tomorrow, we have a hall meeting and since we don’t particularly get along with everyone on the floor, those are really interesting. Next year should be fun too since we will be living in an apartment. We are guaranteed to have several cooking disasters, some fish deaths, and one annoying neighbor. This year hasn’t quite come to an end yet, though, and something exciting happened yesterday!

Caitlin heard of, went to, and ate at a Fazoli’s!

Now, I love Fazoli’s but we are poor college students so we don’t eat out very often. However, Fazoli’s was having a great deal on their baked spaghetti. It was only $2.99! Then you also get their unlimited bread sticks! So we pulled up to the only Fazoli’s in Fort Collins (that I know of) and her immediate reaction was “it’s a fast food place?!”, then she commented on the odd smell of flowers, but in the end she liked the food and we definitely got our portion of the unlimited breadsticks. As we left she couldn’t help but backhand a little kid that was uncontrollably running around. Just kidding. He ran into her hand.
-Katie

Biochemistry and Genetics of Gingers! (Caitlin)

So, I saw a girl on the stairs today with legs so white, I almost couldn't believe my eyes. When I realized that she was a redhead, I began to think about most of the other redheads I knew throughout high school. Just about all of them were extremely pale. I began to wonder why...

Courtesy of Wikipedia:

Alleles that code for red hair occur close to the alleles that affect skin color, so it seems that the phenotypic expression for lighter skin and red hair are interrelated. Red hair can originate from several different changes on the MC1R-gene. If one of these changes is present on both parents' chromosomes, then the child is likely to have red hair. Even if both parents do not have red hair themselves, both can be carriers for the gene and have a redheaded child.

Red hair is also associated with pale skin due to the low concentrations of eumelanin throughout the body. A lower melanin-concentration produces the advantage that a large amount of Vitamin D can be produced under low light conditions. The down side is that when UV-radiation is strong, like around the equator, there are medical disadvantages, like higher risk of skin cancer (so wear sun screen!)

Alright, my curiosity is relieved. I feel better.

-Caitlin

To Our Mommies

Things we've learned from our moms:

1. They brought you into this world and they can take you out.

2. Cross your legs when you are sitting on stage in a skirt.

3. Just because it’s your room doesn’t mean it can look like a pigsty, a tornado went through, a bomb went off, or anything else that might cause a room to look like a natural disaster hit it.

4. Check your clothing labels before doing laundry.

5. If you wash things on hot, everything will be tiny and one shade of gray.

6. Don’t stick your fingers in a fan. Don’t get your hair to close to one either.

7. Do not cut your own hair.

8. When you’re a child, wait to shave your legs for as long as possible. It is a curse.

9. The same does not go for arm pits. Those sneak up on you early.

10. Eat your vegetables.

11. Tighter pants do not always mean better pants.

12. Less makeup is more.

13. Do not run down stairs.

14. Do not walk around alone at night.

15. Boys do not always have your same motives in mind.

16. You are the prize to strive for.

Dear Mom,

You gave me life just so I could turn around and raise hell in yours. I know that I’m not the easiest person to live with a lot of the time but you have never ceased to be by my side, support me, and love me. You were there when I had nightmares and would run into your and Dad’s room. You were there when I was sick and you let me have Oops All Berries cereal because it was all I wanted even though I immediately threw it up all over the stairs and left a multicolored stain. You were there when I won volleyball and hockey games, but more importantly you were there when I lost them. You supported me in whatever adventure I wanted to try that day whether it be a food or a sport. There are a lot of things I remember doing with you. I remember going to Gus’s pretzels in St. Louis and having the best pretzel of my life. I remember going skiing with you several times. I remember you sitting in the sun so long watching me play doubles volleyball you got a purple sunburn on your legs. I remember going to work with you. There’s one specific time that will be forever burned in my mind though. We went down to the store to get a snack and there was that guy that used to work there who would smash your Twinkies. He wasn’t there that day so we got our snacks and left and as we were walking out I saw a guy who looked like him and just as I was about ready to yell “TWINKIE SMASHER!!!!!” I realized it wasn’t him. Every time I think about it I laugh. I remember when I had to do a speech on how to make a Thanksgiving item in 3rd grade and I made your pumpkin pie. You gave me all the directions and even a spice girl joke to put in the middle of the speech. I was so upset when the cafeteria lady burned it to crisp because she didn’t follow my mommy’s directions. You held me close and kept me safe for 18 years and when it came time for me to move on to the next part of my life you let me go and I know it couldn’t have been easy but I couldn’t have done it without you. I came up here with everything I could have needed. I knew how to cook, clean, do my laundry, and I knew that before anything else I needed to do my homework and be responsible for myself. All things you taught me. Thank you for everything you have done and will do for me. I don’t think you hear how thankful Kimmy and I are enough.
I love you! Happy Mother's Day!
-Katie

Momma,

As the only girl in Daddy’s house, you were always my feminine relief: my girl time. I remember:
-Braiding your hair at soccer games.
-Making pizza from scratch.
-Baking in general. You would always let Jared and I lick the bowls and spoons.
-The time Brittany Brasselle had a tea party at her house, and you helped me color coordinate myself into red nails, a red hat, and a red and white bead necklace. Every time I look at that necklace I smile.
-When Caitlin Reynolds had a Spice Girls party. I hated the Spice Girls and had no idea what they looked like, but you did your best to make me look like Baby Spice.
-When you threw me the coolest birthday party ever with the face painting and the fishing thing in the basement.
-The English and math workbooks you made me do during the summer. I hated it at the time, but you always knew what was best for me, even when I threw a fit.
-How we used to have a huge pantry. I would open it up and not know what I wanted. I’d look to you, and you’d say “The world is your oyster honey.” You always made me feel fuzzy.
-The time we were eating nuts and we put our heads side by side and giggled because we could hear each other crunching.
-The time you sat down at the piano and played. You said you were just plunking, but I thought it was so beautiful I had to try not to cry.
-When there were elk in the back yard and we went out and stared at them for the longest time.
-When I had really bad nightmares, you would pull out the dream interpretation book, and we would talk about it until I felt better.
I also remember the hard times. You were so strong when I felt like I was going to fall apart. And when I hit my horrible rebellion stage, you managed not to kill me.
You’re my church buddy. You baptized me and continue to help me feel my through my path with God. You’re my friend – I tell you everything. When I have heartbreak you are always in your office ready for me to spill my guts. You’re my live theater, Red Lobster, Barnes and Noble buddy.
I can’t wait for you to show me how to be the kind of mother you were and always are. You taught Jared and I so much, and personally, I think we came out pretty well. I love you mommy angel baby! Happy Mother's Day!

- Caitlin

Prom Weekend (Katie)

For all of you who have graduated and are no longer in school, this will be a blast from memory hell: FINALS. Yeah, finals are almost here. Just so we’re clear as to how much I HATE these tests, as I was trying to type “finals”, I typed “funerals”. To me finals are there to remind you how much you really weren’t paying attention when you wrote those 3 pages of notes every class. They are there to tell you that you are still stupid and have a long ways to go towards that degree, especially if you fail and have to retake the class. They taunt you every time you glance at your study guides and haunt you in your dreams. They cause sleepless nights, weight loss, weight gain, bad eating habits and stressed induced acne. I have been attempting to study every free moment I get but that didn’t go so well this weekend because I had prom!

My boyfriend is a senior in high school and it was his senior prom. Since I never had a junior prom, having this prom was like having my senior prom as well and we had a blast! I finally got him to dance and it was so worth it. He’s actually a good dancer! I did my own nails this year thanks to Caitlin showing me how, and I had my hair done at a little shop that didn’t cost very much at all. It was prom on a budget since I am just a poor starving college student, but everything turned out sooo well. I have posted a picture of us that was taken in my front yard. I am pretty sure that it’s my favorite dress of all time. I had that feeling when I tried it on in the store. You know? Well girls know what I’m talking about at least.

All the prom joy hit a brick wall the next morning when my alarm went off at 5 am to go coach volleyball. Obviously we didn’t hit up any after prom parties. I had to drive an hour to get to the facility. Brandon drove up behind me to give me someone to talk to if I got sleepy during the drive and he wanted to see me coach my last tournament of the season. After the tournament, Brandon and I went our separate ways as we are forced to do now that we live 2 hours apart. I’ll be moving back home soon which means we’ll be 15 minutes apart then, but my move out date seems to always be far away. Time might be moving slow too because this summer we are…

TAKING A ROAD TRIP!!!!!!

We are excited to say the least and Brandon and I will be putting our heads together and writing blogs during the trip!

-Katie

Happy Birthday Brother! (Caitlin)

So my brother’s birthday is tomorrow! He will be 22. He’s pretty much my favorite person ever, so I thought I’d honor this day with some childhood memories. Here goes.

When Jared, Mom, and I lived in our apartment by the YMCA, Mom would set up a jewelry shop for me made of felt and cardboard. She had a huge collection of costume jewelry from her mother, as well as my own gaudy plastic collection. Mom and Jared would come into our room (Jared and I had bunk beds) and buy pieces from me with cardboard coins and fake money. I loved it.

One night, while mom was gone, Jared and I snuck into her room and found her lipstick. We sat on the floor in front of a full length mirror and began to scribble on each other’s faces. I got a little carried away on his though; I colored his entire face and was just filling in his inner ear when mom walked in. She laughed so hard.

At Dad’s house, we would pull out the fold out couch and the three of us would sit together playing video games all night. I remember playing Starfox – the part where you fly around trying to shoot the tiny black dots that were enemy ships. We’d fall asleep on that bed and wake up for Saturday morning cartoons while dad make breakfast.

I remember the day the three of us decided to get Biscuit. The three of us were sitting on the bed/couch and all I could talk about was that I wanted a hamster. Dad said no, but I had this terrible habit of asking over and over again until he gave up. Soon enough he was scanning the news papers. We finally went to a pet shop, and the salesman there convinced us to get a ferret.

Dad would sit plugging up the hall so that she couldn’t go running off down the stairs or behind the couch to her death. Jared and I would sit in the cul de sac-like end of the hallway. Biscuit would skip around: her body in an upside down “U” shape. She’d always knock her little head on the wall she’d get so excited. There was this little tie-dye rubber Easter egg that was bigger than her head. We’d roll it down the hall and she’d sink her teeth into it to the point that we’d pick it up and she’d dangle from it.

Enough of the old times. Jared and I never fight. I actually can’t remember the last time. We must have been tiny. He goes to UNC, and as you know, I go to CSU. Neither of us have cars so we don’t see each other very often. But thank God for Skype and Facebook. We get to talk almost every night. I miss the heck out of him, but hey, I’ve only got about two weeks of school left! Anyways, t-minus three hours and fifteen minutes. Happy birthday brother! I love you!

-Caitlin

Our Very First Blog

Katie: I grew up in Colorado my whole life. I have 3 sisters, one younger and two older (twins). My parents are from Missouri, they say things like “warsh”, and moved here before I was born. I have played volleyball since I was 9 and it’s a huge part of my life. I stopped playing after my 17’s year and started coaching. I have coached 12 and under for two years now. It’s not so much a job as a hobby that I happen to get paid for. Even if I didn't get paid for it, I would still do it. My junior year I had a fantastic chemistry teacher that got me obsessed with the sciences and wanting to major in biochemistry. That year, I would also become close friends with Brandon, who is now my boyfriend. We have been together since June of 2008. He is my best friend. When I came up to Fort Collins, I met Caitlin. I was terrified of ever ever ever having a roommate. I guess CSU did one thing right.

Caitlin: I have lived in Colorado all of my life. God has been gracious in what he has given me. My parents are great. We've had our issues, but I wouldn't trade them for the world. My family started out in Bailey when my brother came along in May of 1988. I love him so much, we never fight. He's pretty great. I was born in 1991 and we moved to Morrison. Mom and dad divorced when I was three. Jared and I went to Kendallvue Elementary, Carmody Middle, and Bear Creek High School. When I met Katie, we pretty much hit it off right away. It's amazing that the CSU roommate survey could place two people together so well that they nap at the same time... I met Erik in October of this year and we've been dating ever since. He's pretty wonderful. My best friend is Heather, I love her to death! I play the dulcimer, and I love the outdoors, writing, art, and music!

Our first week up here was crazy. We had bugs everywhere in our room, so we resorted to vacuuming them straight out of the air. When we eventually wandered into Old Town Fort Collins, we went to this toy shop. The guy there was awesome, he had us play with all of these crazy toys.

One of them was a boomerange that we both tried to throw.

In reference to the "It's not us, it's the room" thing:

Caitlin: Something about our dorm room turns us into complete idiots. We usually keep each other up late at night talking about stupid things.

Katie: The first odd conversation I remember Caitlin and I having was about bejeweled (you know, that damned game that get you addicted in 3 seconds flat?).

Caitlin: We're completely obsessed. She spends her time trying to beat my brother's score, and I spend my time trying (usually unsuccessfully) to catch up to her.

Katie: Well, at this point we had become so obsessed with the game that we would close our eyes and see the game. We were laying in our beds at 1 am one night and started talking about playing a game of bejeweled out loud. I started making the game noises “bling bling bling BOOM” and she started making the voice sounds “AWESOME, AMAZING”. We laughed about it until we passed out. It doesn’t sound funny on paper but those are the kind of conversations that we have all the time.

Caitlin: No one gets it when we try to explain ourselves, so we end up looking stupid. It's usually a "you had to be there" kind of thing, but we think it's funny! And that's all that matters.

Katie: Our conversations don't always have a lot of meaning, but they are what we are thinking. We hold nothing back. If it crosses our minds, we normally say it. The “it’s the room” comment came from my boyfriend who came up to visit me. As soon as I walked in the room I said something stupid and he said “It has to be the room, it has to be! You were fine in the hall way and then we walk in here and then you say that!” Now we blame every stupid thing we say on the room. There’s no way it’s us. :)