2 years ago today......

.....steve proposed. cannot believe that already 2 years have past! wowza, were they a freakin wirlwind of good times and stressful times and everything in between.
we should do something special, but yeah- dont' really have the time. i'm making him chicken and brocoli for dinner........
so yes, i thought i would share the story of how my romantical, sexy hubbie proposed. this is the journaling i did on the scrapbook page of the day he propsed:

March 30, 2004
The day that Steve proposed was the happiest day of my life. For our spring break we decided to go on a road trip to northern California. Our first stop was San Francisco, then Santa Cruz, then Monterey Bay Aquarium, and our last stop was Big Sur. For our six-month anniversary we made our first trip to Big Sur. That was a turning point in our relationship. At the Big River Inn, where we stayed, there is no television or phones in the room. There isn’t even a clock! We drank wine and talked all night, then drove around and hiked and took pictures of the beautiful surroundings. I’ve always called it our “romantic place” and we couldn’t wait until we could go back again! So that’s why we had to stop there on our road trip. I don’t know how I didn’t know that he was going to propose there. He had even done research on where to hike. We woke up around 10ish and had our free breakfast at the Big River Inn restaurant. We then made our way to Julia Pfeiffer Park to go on our hike, after stopping to pick up sandwiches and chips for our lunch at the top of the mountain. When we got there, I noticed some signs warning about mountain lions and kinda freaked out- I couldn’t’ stop thinking about it the whole way up the mountain! It was about an hour up, not too intense, and beautiful! I took pictures the whole way up. When we got to the top, we took in the breathtaking view, and then found a cozy place to eat our lunches. I had a red Gatorade, my favorite, and of course along with it I was getting the infamous red mustache. Steve kept telling me to wipe it off, and keep telling- I was getting annoyed- ok already Steve, I get it! After we were done, I was starting to get cold and I had to go to the bathroom. I was antsy to get going. Then Steve said, wait, I want to show you something. He was looking out to the ocean, so I thought he saw a whale. Then, when he got on his knee and said, “I have a present for you” I freaked out! I remember thinking, if he isn’t proposing that’s really messed up. He pulled out the box and opened up to my dream ring and said “Kathryn, will you marry me” I burst out crying and said yes!!!! I was shaking and crying the whole time. I was so taken off guard! I had been concerned with mountain lions, being cold, and needing to pee! I can’t believe that I didn’t realize he was going to propose, it was so perfect, perfect place and timing, and so very Steve like. I then whipped out my camera and took as many pictures as possible. After about 15 minutes of kissing and hugging and crying (only me though) we finally made our way down the mountain. I couldn’t stop smiling or crying, or looking at the ring! We ran into another couple on the way down, and I asked immediately if they would take our picture and told them that we just got engaged! They took pictures with my camera and theirs! The lady told us we were glowing, and I’m sure that we were! When we got back to the hotel, we went to the restaurant to have some champagne. When we told the bartender we had just gotten engaged, he gave us glasses of champagne on the house, and some strawberries with chocolate and whipped cream. It was the perfect proposal- and I can’t wait to get married!!

(this picture was taking barely a half hour after he proposed. the first couple we ran into i asked to take a picture of us- and bust out "he just proposed!!!!")

So now i have to say that the happiest day of my life was when we got married, but that was a close second. very romantical. we went back to that same spot on our honeymoon, AND we went to the resturant at the hotel we stayed- and had teh same waiter and he REMEMBERED us and that we had gotten engaged!!!! crazy. it was actually his first day the day we got engaged, so i guess it would be easy to remember. but still, exciting stuff.

anyways, so that was two years ago today : ) (ok, i admit it, i got totally teary eyed reading the story and remembering that day!!!)

have a fabulous thursday y'all (and omg, how good was LOST last night????)

no more saki for you!!!!

yay!!! pictures are here : )
so, as y'all know, steve went away for the weekend to a bachelor party (which in hindsight i realize maybe i shouldn't have announced i was home alone in case someone saw that and knew where i lived and came to kill me. but i'm alive now, so its cool). anyways, so paula and i decided to have a girls night out (her boyfrined was actually throwing the party). i love those. she lives down in the Mission Beach part of San Diego (where the rollercoaster is!!!). Totally a fun, cute neighborhood- but parking is a bitch! it reminds me of a nicer & bigger Isla Vista. anyways, so we decide we're goign to go out to sushi (mmmmm i love me some sushi!!!) then out to the bars. she invited her roomates and a couple other friends, so there is a good sized group of us.
we start off by drinking a few bottles of wine. yeah, i probably had one to myself- oh, and keep in mind, i hadn't had much to eat that day. not smart. anyways, drink some vino- including my fav toasted head cab- then off to sushi. already feeling pretty good myself.....
we get to sushi and start saki bombing right away. saki saki BOMB!




good times

but yeah, got drunk REAL fast. totally spilled beer on my booba shirt (i love booba shirts), and then hit my head REAL hard on this Ledge behind me. why the hell there was a ledge there, i don't know, but i keep hitting my head on it. like HARD. totally have a bump now............
the owner/waitress lady came over to make sure i was ok- fed me an orange ???? (thats what i was told, dont' know why she was doing that though) and told me "no more saki for you!!!!" lol- totally soup nazi style from seinfield.
ohmygoodness.
so we leave, after i try to give a $20 tip for my $50 share, that already included the tip (i get a little generous when i have alcohol in me) and we head off to the bars. everyone was feeling good, but i was by far the drunkest. i kept falling over in my heels, so i decided to just take them off. ewwwww. totally walking barefoot.
so we get to this bar and i drop all my cards on the ground right in front of the bouncer. yeah, so he decides i need to sober up before i go in. i have NEVER in all my crazy drunken times been rejected from a bar before. and i've been way more out of control. i think the bouncer was just intimidated by me cause i was towering over him in my 5 inch heels. so i try to be sneaky and went outside, took 10 deep breaths, took off my sweater and put up my hair. ok, don't look that different, and it doesn't help that i'm trying to come in with the same girls that were with me before!!! duh. so yeah, after trying 3 times in 5 minutes or so, we just go to the bar next door.
wasn't quite as happening, but a good time. just a couple of old guys who were on business who bought us margaritas. sweet. not like i needed it, but i can never pass on a free margarita.
then i got the hiccups.
hate when that happens
and everyone always thinks i look so funny when i try to get rid of them

i plug my nose and my ears at the same time (cause the hiccups can escape through your ears or something. heard that once). usually then i drink water from a fountain or sink, and it ALWAYS works. but yeah, guess i do look a little ridiculous.....
then i start to fall asleep at the bar.

yep, time to head home
but not with out stopping for a burritto!!!
but myself this BIGASS burritto, barely eat a quarter of it before passing out on the couch at paulas. and there is no waking me up. for some reason i had changed into my comfy juicy pants, but left my going out shirt on.

i woke up the next morning on this couch, with yucky burritto taste in my mouth (but i didn't remember getting the burritto, so i was very confused) and totally uncomfortable for the sequins on my shirt rubbing into me. oh dear, what a night..........
amazingly i was not hung over the next day, just sleepy. must have been that burrito.......

ok, so i have a few more pics to add, but blogger is pmsing again, so maybe later. didn't end up get mexican last night, went and got sushi!!!! don't worry, no saki for me! just a little vino ; )
have a fab wednesday- enjoy LOST tonight!!!!!!! and tomorrow is a special day, so there will be a special post......

ways to really irritate me....

so yeah, that didnt' really work. soo annoying. still waiting on those pictures from saturday night. funny stuff.
i took a "street moves" class last night at 24 hour fitness. all my jeans are starting to get a little too snug....... but since i'm all of the sudden working 11 hours with a bunch of little kids, i'm not quite used to it. so its hard to go work out after work, or even scrapbook!!!! i'm so tired, i can barely make dinner. but anyways, as steve told me last week, i just need to let my body get used to it. and yesterday i was able to go the gym and do this class. i've never taken it before, but i saw it and it sounded like fun. basically hip-hop dancing. and it was fun. i'm not very good, and felt like i totally stood out, but it got me sweaty and i laughed. something different to do, ya know? next time though ih ave to wear "cute" work out clothes, that at least look a little hip hop-ish. i just looked silly in my little jogging outfit.
and then this morning my 6:30 baby called ot say he was staying home, so i got to sleep in another45 minutes!!!!!!!!!! woo hoo!!!!
oh, and i ordered DVR from Cox. just like tivo. i SO cannot wait. looks like more sleep is in store for me, which means more working otu (hopefully will start to lose that "newly weight" i've gained.........) and more scraping!!! i'm gonna try to work out 3 times a week, not including the weekend. then one night during the week i'll scrapbook. sounds good to me!
ok, so i'm rambling. meant to make this a post about what really annoys me. i've been working on this list awhile, so you can tell that i dont 'get annoyed that easily! and most of these things only really make me mad if i'm pms-ing or late

*when blogger is being pms-y and not letting me do anything!!!!!!!!!

*when, after i finish making yummy pasta, i realize i don't have any more parmesan. when i want my cheese, i WANT MY CHESSE!

*LOST reruns, from first season. i totally own the whole first season, i do not want to see re runs! i want a new one damnit!

*people who drive really fancy sports cars, but drive them UNDER the speed limit. seriously, whats the point of having this fast car if you won't even drive the speed limit with them?

*flaky people. seriously, who doesn't get annoyed by them?

*being late. me, or the other person. i totally stress if i'm going to be late- i just think its really rude. its telling the other person that your time is more important......

*people who think they're super cool cause they do drugs. um, dude, you're doing drugs. thats not cool. don't know where you'rer getting your ideas.................... haven't really dealt with many of these people recently, since i left santa barbara and that whole college scene. but it was still annoying! seriously, if you want to do drugs, whatever. not saying i'm perfect, but don't think you're all high and mighty because you do them
.
*when people tell me i'm too young to have kids, or i should wait. um, yeah- not really your decision or choice. its what i want. and i'm not too young. i was too young when i was 12 and first got my period. not too young now. and yes, this is one of those things that pretty much always pisses me.

*when people spell my name wrong. not like its their fault if i dont' tell them how i spell it, but it still bugs me. cuase its not my name (i spell my name kathRYN. and kat with a "k"- i'm not a freakin feline.....)

*parents who let their kids do anything. and think its cute. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR not so cute, hate to break it to ya

*when people use their forks up side down. it just comes off as if they think they're sophisticated or something. i think they just look stupid cause they don't know how to use a freakin fork


so now you know what makes me tick. and don't worry, i'll still love ya if you do any of these things. just don't start preaching to me to wait to have babies, and dont' be too flakey, and we should be cool ; )
have a fabulous tueday y'all- i'm getting margaritas tonight, so you know i'll have a fabulous time : )

kinky kat

so i had these other posts that i was going to do but i dont' have the pics on this computer. dang! so here' s really random post. saw this on someone's myspace thingy, and i like what it came up with for my name!

K	Kinky
A	Arty
T	Tasty
P	Proud
O	Organic
S	Sweet
T	Timeless

http://www.go-quiz.com/acronym/acronym.php" method="post">Name / Username:

Name Acronym GeneratorFrom Go-Quiz.com

eta: ok, so for some reason its not showing up. but this is what it said:

K Kinky
A Arty

T Tasty

P Proud
O Organic
S Sweet
T timeless

yep, its called PROCRASTINATING (did i spell that right?) totally messing around on my computer when i had a bazillion other things to do.

my weekend was CRAZY. i'll do a post later, with pictures- cause the pictures are hilarious!!!!didnt' get any scrapping done, i was too tired friday night, had this class sat moring, spent the rest of the day cleaing, then went down to my friend paula's house (thats where things got crazy........). sunday did errands and didn't get home and actually had a chance to sit till almost 9- when i watched my beloved Sopranos. that show is good. dont' really know what i think of tony's like coma/dream thingy..........

ok, thats all for now. stay tuned for some funny freakin pics

cowboy, baby

ok, this is probably going to be my most random, rambling post yet.

first off, i love vh1 reality tv. surreal life is one of the best shows ever! i think this season is my favorite yet, and its only be one episode. then again, nothing can compare to mini me peeing in the corner.......
anyways, now i'm watching the "behind the music- kid rock." i know most people hate him. think he's a tool. and ya know? he kinda is. but i've always loved him. he rocks. hence the name, kid rock. i used to bust his cd freshman year in the dorms, me and my roomate. loved joe c. may he rest in peace. but i really don't think kid rock looks like a bob, do you?
ok,
anyways
so its friday night. i'm home alone, watching vh1 and "surfin the net"- and its only 9pm. and i'm ready for bed. steve is gone for the weekend at a bachelor party. the bride, against the advice of super smart me, isnt' having her bachelorette party the same time. yeah, she called me like 30 minutes after they left already freakin out. *le sigh* thats why everyone should always listen to me (i hope y'all know i'm just kidding.........)
so i'm home alone. my first night in this big ole house all alone. my first time alone since steve and i have been together (seriously). in SB i'd always have a friend sleep over. and he really doens't leave that often, usually i go somewhere. so yeah, little scared over here. did you all hear about my peeping tom incident? i think that was B.B (before blog). so yeah, needless to say i'm a little scared.
so what do i do? i go shopping. i went to michaels for some fun stuff for the preschool- and 2 scrapbook magazines (mm, "best of the masters contest" and BHG design secrets) then to a lss, pink pineapple (which i totally called pink pineapple- michelle, you can laugh at me and make all the fun you want.......). bought some fun stuff. i would take a pic of it, but steve took the camera........... some chipboard lettters by heidi swapp, and some of those silhouette (ok, totally had to get up and see how to spell that..) thingies. i love hs, but some of her stuff confuses and scares me. not sure how to use a lot of her stuff. i thought the silhuoette (which i ALWAYS want to call stillouet) were more like a sticker? not so sticky. um, oops. hopefully i'll figure out how to use them, or thats $4 down the drain............ a big fun flower that will be good for a wedding page. basic greg chipboard hardware- so stoked on these. and some fun junkitz pp. woo hoo!
after that i went to the liquor store next door and got me some wine. going to a liquor store totally makes me feel like an alcoholic. we don't need to worry about if i actually am. just that it makes me feel that way. i'm like this young, boppy girl, buying some wine, and these total creepy dudes who drink out of a paper bag are in line with me. well, whatever, they have a big wine selection. got "valley of the moon" cabernet from sonoma valley. really liking it actually...
ok, i remember that there was something i actually wanted to post about. but instead i started rambling. damn. see i have all these posts i want to do, but i never have the time. aw dear. oh, and darcy- you totally called it. i think i'm getting sick............
so i'm gonna read my magazines, maybe do a little scrapbooking, try to go to bed early and not have nightmares about peeping toms.
have a fabulous weekend y'alls, and watch for much better post from the mrs. (post- hahahahahahha!!!) soon : ) : )

pancho pics and scrapbooking feva

So i just had a little break down. feeling totally overwhelmed. still haven't figured out the whole "balance" thing. its just hard. i work 11 hour days, all by myself, then have all the house hold what nots to take care of. and then the whole "working out" thing. i'm not throwing myself a pity party over here (maybe a little......) because this is what i chose to do and i love doing it. i knew it would be hard starting up. its just kinda sucks. i'm sooooo exhausted by the end of the day, i can barely cook dinner let alone go to the gym! steve told me that its ok to take this week off from working out while i get used to the new schedule and everything. i seriously needed him to tell me that, too. he's like- "your body is exhuasted, give it a break" love him. but i also figured out another solution. Tivo. yep, thats right. i'm gonna get me some tivo. that way, i can tivo my 10 pm shows and watch them an hour earlier the next day, and then go to bed a whole hour earlier. and that way i'll get more sleep. and i need sleep. right now i'm doing about 6 - 7 hours, and i need like 8 to not be tired. i'm so smart. we'll see if it works............
oh! and another exciting thing, i just got TWO more FULL TIME kids!!!! woo hoo!!!! i'm officially full two days a week, with only 2 openings on 3 days. so thats really good, cause it means a)i'm finally MAKING money, no more asking hubby for help or breakin even. MAKING. of course, it should all be going strait to credit cards........... but whatever
and b) i'll be able to hire an assistant soon! and that will help ease a lot of my stresses!
as for right now, i'm using the money to treat myself to a SPA DAY at my fav day spa- Arezzon Salon (in Carlsbad for all the yokals) the saturday after my bday. i always do spa days for my bday, so it works out. and i'm also going to hire a cleaning service for help doing my big spring cleaning. yeah, i'm coppin' out like that. but it IS a write off............

ok, now here are the fun time pancho pics. woo hoo!!!

me and steve, all pancho'd up

paula holding the crazy noise maker thingy's that the koreans had. someone left theirs in the *chaos* of the rain, so she grabbed it. score.
we look like a gigantic smurf with 3 heads here. and i'm all goober-faced. yeah, that'd be the margaritas and beer i'd been drinkin.n........
dancing the rain away..........


Yes, i know, steve is a dork. but so am i, so we make the perfect couple........

and yay! i finally got some scrappin done! i was inspired by Darcy's lo here, using this fab chester pp from me and my big idea. i bought it and loved it but wasn't sure what to do with it. love how darcy used it with green. i was totally thinking pink, and it wasn't working for me. so thanks darce! you're the best : ) just busted it out real quick last night. my fav pic of me and my girlfriends in hawaii last month. love love love the scenic route chipboard letters i got............

now i'm going to take a nice hot bubble bath, read my scrapbookingi magazines, and get inspired. hopefully i'll even have time to get a little scrappin done!

my bug-free, cold house

sorry for having to cut that last post short. the fumigators totally got here an hour early! they gave us the time frame of between 10 - 12. so, since i used to work in the fumigation industry, i knew that it would be closer to 12. uhhhhhhhh, guess its different here in the san diego area. they arrived at 9 am. wtf? luckily the house was pretty much ready, and all i had to do was load my car. but still, kinda frazzled me. get back to that later.......
so then yesterday we were able to come back in. had to put away all the food we had bagged up, and all the medicine. it was the perfect time to reorganize my shelves in a way that made more sense, and to clean the fridge. but i did find out that i missed bagging our wedding cake : ( it was in the bags, they just didn't get sealed. in all the frazzliness of friday morning, i didn't see that bag in the freezer. steve's gonna call and find out what they think we shoud do, but i'm sad. not like the cake was going to taste good when we finally get to eat it on our 1 year anniversary, but its the whole idea. so i'm bummed.
and, since we did the fumigation on a weekend, our gas can't be turned back on till later today. no gas= no heat, no hot showers or hot water to run the dishwasher or laundry, and NO
HEAT!!!!!!!!!! i'm freakin freezing mr. bigglesworth. seriously, good thing we live in so cal, cause i would not be able to handle any colder. actually, i can barely handle this! and since we do live in so cal where we rarely really need to turn on the heat, we also dont' have a space heater of any kind. yeah, thats gonna change.....................
anyways, so last night i was able to sleep just a tiny bit better knowing that the house was 100% bug (and rodent) free................ albeit cold. gotta love snugglin up w/my hubby to keep warm : )
now i'm just waiting for SDG&E man. i think i'll give him a huge hug when he gets here

the rest of the weekend was all right. i was not happy with being kicked out of our house, especially since we just got it back. i had the scrapbooking fever (oh, i did NOT Just say that.......) and i really wanted to get scrapping done. we stayed at my in-laws house, which was very nice of them- but DANG that bed is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo uncomfortable! mattresses really do make a difference to how well you sleep at night. don't know how i slept on that bed for 3 months (we lived with them when we first moved down here). oy.
but i got my green beer on st. patty's day. did a few irish car bombs. good times............


saturday we went to the World Baseball Classics. sooooo much fun!!! our friend rob hooked us up with some tickets, so we headed to petco park to watch Cuba vs. Dominican Republic and then Korea vs. Japan. I had no idea that baseball could be played differently. it really was like going to a new country to watch these baseball games! the first game, well i didn't really realize all the drama with Cuba. i just don't keep up with that stuff, or pay attention in history class (y'all remember how much i hate history, right?). anyways, so i guess there was all this extra security at that game, watching the cubans and making sure that they didn't try to sneak away and into our country, which we already said we'd accept them. oh my.......... i guess they only get paid $15 a month there for playing professional baseball!!! yeah, barry bonds or any american professional baseball player would have none of that. crazy.
anyways, so that was a fun game, but it was super cold. and the stands ran out of hot water for coffee and hot chocolate (not that i do/could drink either of those, just proving a point to how cold it really was). um, yeah, and now i don't even remember who won. i think it was cuba............
we had a few hours between the games. we walked around a bit, where the boys found this place to play video games. whats up with that? here my friend paula (robs girlfriend) shows perfectly what we were both thinking


ok, so then we walk around for over an hour trying to find some place to eat, with a happy hour. every place had crazy waits, it was ridiculous. we finally end up going to TGIFridays. found a table at the bar while we waited. when we got seated our waitress told us it was going to be up to an hour for our food!!!!!!!!! it was 6pm then, and the game started at 7. damnit jim! so we just drank a lot (mmm margaritas!) and we weren't that late to the game.

This game was Korea vs. Japan. and it was soooooooooooo different from the earlier game!!!! the fans were insane, and they had all these cheers that they would do in unison. insane i tell you! they even play differently. like korea pitches had this certain way that they pitch (something to do with their hips). and they're more precise with where the position their players. like, as in inches. crazy. this time we had blankets (thanks to rob & paula's good planning ahead) and were filled with alcohol, so it wasn't as cold. but it started to rain in the 7th inning! it was the first ever rain delay at petco park. exicting stuff. but don't worry, we had our poncho's (thanks to steve's mom good planning ahead for us...........). we had a good time dancing around in the rain with our ponchos on. trying to get on the jumbo tron (which i totally called a scan tron.........i'm such a ditz). when the game finally started up again, about 1/2 hour later, most everyone had left so all us hardcore baseball fans got to sit at field level. sweet. Japan won, i was rooting (sp???) for korea so i was a bit bummed. but not really, i was actually quite sleepy after all that beer. feel asleep the minute i got in the car. good times! (blogger isn't letting me post any more pictures. dang. so i'll have to post the pancho pictures later..................)

now i'm just waiting for my new student to arrive!!!!!! (that little boy is coming full time- woo hoo!!!!) have a fabulous monday y'all!!!!

happy st. patricks day!!!!!!

ah yes, one of my favorite holidays of the year
why, you ask?
well, i am part irish. 25% to be exact. my dad's mom, grandma adams, is 100% irish and PROUD! i have a lot in common with that grandma, so i guess her irish pride rubbed off on me. even though i'm more norwegian than irish and german, for some reason i feel the most irish. most be my pale skin and ability to drink........
most st. patrick's days i cook cornbeef and cabbage- a recipie i got from my grandma. then of course there is the green beer and irish car bombs. good stuff. last year steve had this thing at school, so i just had a girlfriend over and i made yummy pesto (green) pizza! love representing. and if you don't wear green, i will be sure to give you a hard time.
unfortunatly we are getting kicked out of our house this st. patricks day for our house to get fumigated (yes, we only bought this house a year ago and we already have to get tented!!!!!) bummer dude. so i'mm gonna have to skip making the cornbeef and cabbage and we'll find an irish pub to serve us green beer : ) LOVE that st. patty's day is on a friday this year......
thanks for all your comments on my cousin amanda! we had a lot of fun when she visited. the baby i take care of got to stay home that day, and teh other 2 girls left at lunch, so i had the afternoon to spend with her!
oh dear, the fumigators are here. so i gots to cut this short. so have a fabulous st. patricks day yall!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

cause we're cousins, identical cou-sins

So this is the first of my fabulous (girl)friends posts. i have so many wonderful, fabulous girlfriends, and want them all to know how much i love them!!!

My frist Fabulous Friend is my cousin Amanda. Cause we're cousins, identical cou-sins.................. no, we are not sisters, but apparently we totally look like it. Everyone is always asking if we're sisters whenever we're together! The best was the summer I came out for her wedding and we had the same haircut- yeah, totally looked like twins then!!!! (sorry for the funky pic, i had to scan it......)

Amanda is the closest person I have to a sister. Though we grew up thousands of miles apart, we were still always really close. Every summer I coudlnt' wait to see Amanda. We woudl play dress, play paper dolls, build houses with cardboard boxes n (she would acutally save the paper dolls and houses we made all year until my next visit- and she never played with them with out me!), gossip about boys and play with makeup.
I learned some pretty important things from Amanda

* That New Kids on the Block has the hottest guys ever

* How to curl my bangs

* That it was about that time to finally shave my legs

When we became "adults", she moved out to California with her husband and son. I lived in Santa Barbara and was only a few hour drive so I got to visit her lots and lots! It was awesome to have family so close to me (my parents had since had a midlife crisis and decided to move to iowa to become farmers............)

I was there when her middle son, Jordan, was born. It was such an amazing experience and I feel so honored and special that she wanted me there.

If I ever need advice, or have questions, I know that I can always count on Amanda. She is the best listener, never judges, and always makes me laugh. We have so much fun together!!!!

I've always looked up to her. She had the coolest clothes, and I always feel so great when she wanted to see what clothes I brought for my visits. I still look up to her, she is an amazing mom to three beautiful little boys, and a devoted wife, and I know when I'm finally blessed wiht my own babies I'll be constantly calling her for advice!

When her family was recently put through a horrible and tough situation, I was completely amazed at how she handled herself. She was always composed and put on a happy face for her boys. I just don't know how she did it, and I'm totally in awe of her for it. Like I said, I still look up to her.

I totally miss her and boys right now. But luckily she's coming to visit tomorrow. Woo hoo!!!! I think my post about how much I missed them had something to do with it

*Amanda, didn't mean to make you cry, but I'm glad it convinced you to come and visit me! I love you lots and lots xoxo your identical cousin, Kat : )

dental disasters

ok, so maybe i'm being a bit dramatic. but still. i started doing this post yesterday about how fabulous a day it was (I think i may have a new full time student, now i think i may have jinxed myself....), never got a chance to finish it, then i went to the dentist. yeah. see, growing up i was so good at going to the dentist. every 6 months. never had a cavity. then i got to college. my freshman year i just went home. but then my family had their midlife crisis (or my dad did anyways) and decide to buy a farm in iowa. so much for going home for the dentist............. and it toook me like 2 years before i finally got a dentist out there. i didnt' like him much, but whatever. then i opened my preschool and didn't really have time to go back. ok, long story short, i haven't been to the dentist in like 3 years. and my mouth is apparently mad at me for that. soooooo much work that needs to be done, and dude- its not cheap. this is my first time having to pay for the dentist by myself, i just realized. yeah. and the insurance doesn't help all that much, i'm still $1000 out!!!!! damn it jim.............

so anyways, on to my weekend

this was steve and my first weekend home alone for almost 3 months!!!!! my family was here for the holidays, and then it wasn't even a full week till the boys got here. so we decided to just be at home and be super mellow. and when i say mellow i mean lazy, and just sit on our arses and watch movies and tv. worked out with the weather, too, cause it was insane! it hailed off and on all day. steve says he doesn't remember seeing hail in like 10 years. it was pretty crazy. here are the fab pics* i took of the hail (*note the sarcasm. why we even tried, i don't know.......)








yeah, so you can't even see the hail. i'm such a dork.............

so friday night we watched cinderella man, shared a bottle of wine (still loving my Toasted Head Cabernet Sauvingon) and went to bed early. we're such an old married couple already............ saturday night we had some friends over for margaritas- woo hoo! so ms kat got drunk and passed out on the couch. good times......

not exactly the cutest pose.......................

love me and steve, being dorks playing card games............ Sunday night we watched Sopranos. OMG Soooooo freakin good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wowza. i'm stoked for this season. i do miss the Santa Barbara days when we would get together with a bunch of friends to watch, but thats cool. it was an awesome show, and now i really want sushi..............
then i watched that show Big Love. wow. very interesting. always wondered the lifestyle of people with multiple wives. maybe its cause i'm just not good at sharing, but i don't think i could share my husband with anyone else........

ok, so now i just have to finish my taxes. then i'm hoping to finally get back to scrapbooking!!! i just got the latest BHG Scrapbooking, Etc. Mag, and it has an article on balance. artistic balance, but still balance. and i'm still trying to find a way to balance everything................
keep you fingers crossed for me that the little boy decides to come full time (or his parents decide anyway)
have a fab tuesday, and keep you eyes open for the first of my fabulous friends post

i don't like the quiet

its true
my whole life, i hate when its totally quiet and silent. which i guess contributes to my sleeping issues. i fell asleep all the way until steve and i started getting serious and sleeping in the same bed every night. so now i just watch tv or read until i fall asleep.
i dont' like the quiet cause then i'm left alone with my thoughts. i guess i should be able to do this, but i can't. cause i always have way to much on my mind, and then i get all worked up about something. i just don't like the quiet
and its quiet now
now that the boys are gone, its totally quiet. makes me feel sad and lonely and empty. i'm soooo happy for them and my cousin and her husband that they finally get to go home and be together again, and that this ridiculous ordeal is almost over for them. but still, i miss them alot. my cousin amanda is seriously like a sister to me. defiently the closest i've ever had to having a sister. the boys are like my little newphews or something. and i grew really close to them when they were here. it was so awesome to watch baby josh grow- amazing how fast and much they change and grow in just a few months. i learned so much about both the older boys. jordan was alwyas making me laugh, austin is ridiculously smart. and they always kept me on my toes. true, at times i was overwhelmed and exhausted. usually before anyone has kids they at least have 9 months to prepare, and then its just one kid who's a baby. not 3 kids at different ages over night. i have no idea what i would have done if my cousin amanda hadn't been aloud to visit every day all day.
but nonetheless, i had a lot of fun. and i learned a lot, about my self, about steve, about us, about life, about social services, about them. here's a few:

i'm so ready to be a mom. i've arleady known this for the past few years. you just feel it. my body let me know. i knew that finacially i wasn't ready, but physically and emotionally i totally am. and this just proved it. i could survive on less than 5 hours of sleep for days at a time. i could get up every two hours with the baby. i could handle the three boys, with whatever it was at the time. this situation made me want babies even more (which didnt' even seem possible)
-for those of you who don't know me, having babies is all i've ever wanted. i alwasy wanted to grow up and be a "mom." the only reason we're waiting now is cause of money. just want my preschool to be stable. and the only reason we're doing that is cause of steve. damn, he's too smart. who needs money? now you know

steve is going to be a great dad. another thing that i already knew, but was great to see it reinforced. he has patience, he doesn't let them push him around, but he's so great with them. he makes them laugh, he plays with them. he loved the baby. he changed the diapers. granted, he didn't get up with the baby except for twice, but that was more cause i was just up first. my maternal instinct kicking in i guess...........

we make a great team. we have the same beliefs on how to raise and discipline children. we share the tasks pretty evenly. we give each other breaks when its obvious that we need it. we communicate with each other.

we're solid. we can handle whatever is thrown our way, however stressful. and it only made us stronger

my cousin is my hero. amanda was amazing through this whole experience. i could not believe how strong she was. she never let the boys see her upset or crying, which would have totally been stressful for them. she was a trooper. it was incredibly hard for her, and she did cry and i'm glad i was there for her for that. but she knew she was a good mother (as we all did) and that she had to be there for her boys now. seriously, i don't think i would have been able to function. she was amazing.

she's a great mother. i already knew that, but i got to see it again and again every day. the fact that this was happening to her never made any sense. i already ask her questions about everything baby and parenting.

jordan is going to be a freakin comedian. or something. he's hysterical! he does these dances, including the napoleon dynamite. he immitates laughs (the funniest being sponge bob and his uncle brian). he always hams it up for the camera (i did a lo on it here)

austin is so freakin smart. i always knew he was advanced for his age. but hearing from his teacher. dude, he's in second grade and could read at a sixth grade level! and dude, his math skills were pretty amazing too.

babies grow up so fast. when josh first got here, he coudn't sit up by himself and he had 2 teeth. he left practically crawling, with six teeth, a lot more hair, and starting to immitate sounds. and like 5 pounds heavier.

i love babies. wait, i already knew that.

social services is slow. and its pretty ridiculous. maybe its more the state that is slow. i know that they were doing their job, but it really sucks for the families involved. i wish there was something that i could do about it.

be careful who you leave your kids with. not that amanda wasn't. she checked out so many different places. but if they aren't listenign to you, or your kids really aren't happy there. leave. follow your instincts!

and wow, i guess i got a lot out of this situation. the list really could go on. even though it was hard and stressful, i know that this all happened for some reason or another. and it defiently taught me alot.
for those of you who don't know the whole situation, check it out here

WOOOOHOOOOOO!!!!

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!! the boys got to go home yesterday! we're all so happy. they pretty much waited all morning for a 30 second trial where the judge said the boys could go home! they're going to have twice weekly visits for 30 days, take some parenting classes, and then its over. yay!!!!!!! so excited. and they got a new house so they're moving (but they'll still be an hour away from me) so thats good too. exciting stuff! now to go after the daycare............
i'm gonna post more on my experience with the boys, but not right now. i'm tired, and i have to get a lot of stuff done during the nap time (hoping everyone stays asleep!!!)

um yeah, and we have bees- AGAIN. dude, i'm terrified of bees. i think i'm allergic to them. i've been stung so many times, and each time my reaction gets worse. and i heard that the more your stung the more allergic you become, like poison oak. oh, also learned that bees go for your face when they attack (like a swarm of them) because of the CO2. so if you're being chased by a swarm of bees, try holding your breath ; )

sorry, this is so random. but yeah, i'm a happy girl. actually, i'm pretty lonely. i almost cried when they all drove away. and i've called my cousin like twice already this morning. i miss them : ( but it is nice being able to sleep through the night- and i defiently enjoyed my wine last night!
i'm really looking forward to getting some scrapping done! going to 2peas more often, catching up with all that. this weekend we're going to have a party to celebrate!!!

sorry for the random rambling post (hahahaha. if you know me and my last name you'll get why i'm laughing.............. then you'll think i'm a dork)
have a fab thursday!

ETA: just read that the bachelor and sara broke up. wtf is up with that? seriously! its been like 2 weeks! i'm so never going to watch that show again.........

funny phone calls

so my mother-in-law called me this morning. she told me she had a student in her class who had the hiccups and it wouldn't stop. no one could get any work done, it even brought in the principal! so she wanted to know what my cure all was
my solution?
turn on a faucet, or have someone hold a drinking fountain on for you. plug your ears and your nose and drink as long as you can. works for me every time.

how random is that?
yeah, my phone has been ringing off the hoook this morning, and its not even 10 am yet. its driving me crazy, cause everytime i think its my cousin with some news from the trial. ahhhh!

i'll keep y'all updated! keep your fingers crossed for us...........

update

"dang mommy, thats sweet" - Jordan, age 4

hahaha! that kid cracks me up. he says the funniest things, and that is a very common one. the fact that he says "dang" just kills me, and any little kid using slang is hilarious. just thought i'd start you off with that.
so here are a few updates on my life

*the trial for the boys is wednesday. we're all hoping that they'll be able to go back home!!! please send us positives thoughts/prayers. but i am going to miss them TONS when they leave!!!

*getting up at 6am is hard.

*so i decided that i too was going to give something up for lent. my family is catholic, but i'm not really a practicing catholic. but i still like the idea and everything of lent. so i was trying to figure out what to give up. it would have been alcohol, but i've already proved i can give that up (to the surprise of many) - not saying i don't miss it!!! - so i'm thinking, what is something i really love and would be hard to give up???? hmmm, trying to lose weight at the same time??? hmmm, i know! CHOCOLATE. yeah. so thats what i decided. not the best decision when my period is due to come a week later. totally kicking myself right now............

*did i already tell y'all that i dropped my class? well, i did, and i'm glad i did! i've still got a lot on my plate, and it was just ridiculous for me to stress over a class that i really don't NEED need. so yeah, happy with my decision

*still haven't figured out how to balance everything, but it was nice to hear that i'm not alone!! thanks for all your positive comments : )

*didn't make the design team at my LSS. Dang dude, that makes me sad. ; ) but its not a big deal. i didn't really think i'd make it. but they told me try again in september (i'm sure they tell everyone that) and i got a $10 gift certificate to their store! score. used it to buy some fun goodies, including stuff for Barb's circle journal! yay!!!!! i love shopping...........

*discovered this website while reading Kristi's blog. totally awesome, if you're a LOST fan. also goes to show that some people have WAY too much time on their hands (or they're just really good at balancing everything. maybe i should askthem to help me out............). oh! and LOST was soooooooooooooooooo good on wednesday night! love this show

*discovered CSI last night. Grey's Anatomy wasn't on (i was sooooo freakin bummed!!!) so i watched it. Freakin good show! scray, little graphic -um, hi they're cutting open a dude's head and his eyeball is gushing out black stuff, ewww - exactly what i love! it was on again at 11:30, and i totally got sucked into that espisode and didnt' go to sleep till after 12:30. damn tv shows

* i watch way too much tv for someone who never has enough time for anything

*myspace is still a drug. like i'm totally addicted. but i've found some fun friends and some have found me! so excited to catch up with a bunch of highschool homies.

*actually got a little scrappin done this weekend! yay! i'll post them later

*i think i'm getting carpal tunnel (is that even spelled right?) dude, whats up with that? i don't really use the computer all that much. wtf. or maybe its arthritus. dang, i'm getting old


and yeah, thats all for now. have a fab monday, and here's a cute pic to send ya on your way. the boys wearing the hawaiian shirts that steve and i picked up for them

balance

how do you find it?
seriously. this is always something i've had trouble with: balancing life. balancing work and play, friends and family, etc. how do you figure out what to give more "weight" to and what isn't as important? and figure out what is fun, what is fun and important and whats just a waste of time? when do you say no? there are so many things to do, things i want to do, things i have to do. how do you find a balance? how do you find time to take care of yourself, your family, your friends, your house, etc.
between what i like to do- scrapbook, read, computer stuff (blog, 2peas, myspace, email,etc), and freakin realax. spending time w/my hubbie, my friends, my family. and being sure to give enough attention to each.- and what i have to do - work, clean, cook, taxes, etc, etc, all the boring stuff but i HAVE to do it, and all the stuff in between like working out and being sure to eat healthy and being social and looking ok and worrying about what others think and getting a decent amount of sleep yeah, you get the idea.....
how do you find a balance
like i said, always been somehthing i've tried to figure out. i always forget about me time. not so much that i forget about it, i just don't leave time for it. so how do i do that and not feel guilty about everything else?
granted right now i'm not exactly in a normal situation, and its only temporary, but its still been something i've been thinking about alot. balancing everything. it can be another stressor! just something that has been on my mind
so yeah, i dropped my class. the one that i was probably failing anyways. i have so much going on, what would the point be to add something else to stress about, ya know? it took me a long time to finally drop it, and now that i did i'm so glad i did.
last night i went to the gym and took a nice long bubble bath, but did that instead of scrapbook or watch some tv show or whatever.
i did have a little break down the other day and sat in my closet on the phone with my best friend crying. but it felt good to get it out
just slowly but surely working on finding balance. if anyone has any great ideas, would love to hear them (like anyone know how to freeze time like on that show? would you like to swing on a star, wooo ooo oo ???? )

***************************************************

now on to more fun stuff. no more complaining about how i'm stressed, cause seriously, thats like my middle name
so, since i was just talking about how i'm stressed and can never find the time to do anything, i decided to be a dumb ass and get addicted to myspace. seriously, its like a freakin drug! omg, so much fun stalking highschool people and seeing how everyone looks! luckily no one really knows my new name, so they probably won't find me. actually though a really good friend of mine from highschool DID just find me, and that was a good thing and i'm so excited.
but anyways, i'm addicted, and i need "new friends" lol. i always feel so silly asking people to be my friend. anywyas, so if anyone else is addicted, check me out here and be my friend : )

i also have a new full time baby at my preschool. but he comes at 6:30 in the morning. thats freakin early. but hey, its full time and good money WHICH I NEED, so its cool. plus i still have teh boys so i'm usually up around then anyways.
its so funny to have this new baby, baby Blake, and see him next to baby Josh (my cousin). dude, baby Josh is a fat mo fo! he's huge! but so cute and cuddly. its just really funny, cause my new baby is sooooooooooo freakin tiny (he was a premie) its just weird to call them both babies............. but i love babies. sooo much fun and cute.

yeah, totally happy that bachelor man dr. chose sara. good job homie. and how bad do i feel for george on grey's anatomy? oy! could not believe it!

ok, so seriously, i have much to do. who knows how long baby blake will be asleep. gots to get some taxes done (YUCK!!!!) must.get.done.NOW

have a fabulous wednesday (oooh, LOST is on tonight!!!!)