Happy Holidays!

WHO'S the cutest (and most tolerant?) dog in the world??

Ava!

My, how she's grown!!! What a beauty!

Thanksgiving 2006

My big brothers braved an eight hour drive in Dan's Mazda Miata to spend Thanksgiving in my new house. We had a great time!

When we weren't busy cooking, the guys fixed the lights on my new artificial Christmas tree.

My first Thanksgiving dinner turned out very well. We're not gonna talk about the pie.

Rumor has it my brothers were stopped by a herd of cows and some nice policemen on the way home. No speeding ticket, though. Are cows on the road less hazardous than snow and ice when driving a Miata in the winter?

Oh. And - we watched eleven hours of "Firefly." If you don't know what that is, I'm not gonna tell you. Turns out I'm a SciFi geek just like my brothers the engineers. Great. Like THAT'S gonna land me a boyfriend anytime soon!

Tuggles just hunkered down and enjoyed the fun. Not a bad deal - lots of ear-rubs and soft-hearted uncles who don't know the "Don't Feed the Dog at the Table" rule! Awwww, cuuuute. Tugs' first Turkey!

Happy Halloween!!!

Ok - Joe? You asked for it!

Odd? Wonderful? Maybe a little of both...

I was running yesterday in a nearby park, when an old lady stopped me. I took out my earphones, thinking she would ask directions, or the time, or something banal. She proceeded to sing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star," twice, with a big, proud smile. She then said, "You're so pretty!" and wandered away. I had a big smile on my face for the rest of my run.

Ava's First Horoscope

"This year you're finding the people who motivate you to do and be your best. Reciprocal relationships are your specialty. November's success gives you the hope and confidence to take your work to the next level. January romance brings travel and deeper commitment. Finances get a rush of luck this spring. Aries and Pisces people adore you."

WHATEVER! No pressure, Ava! But according to the Statesman, you will be walking by November, dating by January, and only two out of 12 signes adore you? NO WAY! We all adore you already!

Another Photo of Ava Jade...

Thank you to Adam for editing this for me, as it was taken behind the glass in the hospital nursery!

Photos of Ava Jade!

What a GORGEOUS family! And what a CUTE little bug!

(AVA, not Kat!)

More photos to come!!

Update: Welcome Ava Jade!!

Joe and Eva decided on a name - Ava Jade!

Pictures to come... as Eva throws CAUTION to the wind and lets me bring her a WHOLE milk white chocolate mocha! Way to be reckless, you Wonderful Little Momma, you!!!! I suspect you deserve some additional calories after the Saturday you had!

Congratulations, Eva & Joe!!!

Eva and Joe welcomed their new baby girl into the world around 9pm last night, Saturday, September 16th, after 20 hours of labor!

She weighs 7 pounds, 11 ounces, and is 19.5 inches long. No name or photos yet, but I promise to post both as soon as I get them! ;o)

They are at St. Luke's, probably through today. If anyone reading this isn't sure how to help, I know Eva and Joe would love prepared food items that they can throw in the freezer, freeing them up to concentrate on their new and exciting bundle of joy! (I've got dibs on lasagna, but mainly 'cause it's the only thing I can make! Besides cupcakes and jello shots!)

HOW COOL IS THIS?!?!? CONGRATULATIONS TO THE NEW (and probably very sleeeeepy) PARENTS AND BABY GIRL, and thank you so much for the update, Rebecca!!! Now, Everyone? Try to get some sleep!!!

Celebrations in Twin!!

Tuggles is a big brother again!!!

Please join me in welcoming Adam's new daughter: Sophie!!

What a CUTIE-BOOTS!

If This is Autumn, BRING IT ON!!

Just returned from a whirlwind vacation to Sunny Spokane... good times, good times.

Came home, pleased as ever to find my house still standing, when - lo and behold! Has spring sprung again? The flowers around my pond are outta control!

Why do I ever leave this place??

Well - it was great to see the family. And to meet my newest little cousin, Loco. Tuggles is going to sleep for DAYS after playing with four other puppies! Peace out to the Dachshund faction up north!

Any pet-owners may agree - there is no greater satisfaction than going out and playing with your dog so much that they come home tired, dirty and happy... well, visiting my brothers and nephews gives me the same warm & fuzzy feeling inside! ;o) We launched the First Annual Parker Spokane Night Road Race 2006 on Saturday, I kicked my brothers' ASSES in bowling on Sunday, (my high score was an 89, so you know THAT isn't true!) and then the Coeur d'Alene Balloon Festival Night Glow on Sunday evening... http://www.cdaballoonfest.com/2006Album.htm. Overall, an excellent Labor Day Weekend!

Tuggles says "Hey" to his posse Loco, Peanut, Lola and Nikki... what up, Dawgs? (Well, he WOULD say "Hey", if he bothered to wake up!!)

How is that Helping?!

A direct quote from my big brother Bob:

"I saw your spider... It’s called a wolf spider and it’s carnivorous. I had one stare me down and then proceed to bite my toe once."

That's not helping!!

Kat's New Roommate...

Yeah, so - um, if my hair is looking a little DRY, or you have been asking yourself, "Why is Kat ALWAYS LATE?" then - this might help explain...

Not sure if the bottle of conditioner shows clearly how freakin' HUGE this biyatch is. Can you SEE her FANGS?


YUCK!!!!!!!

Attention all Future Roommates - a discount on your rent will be provided if YOU take care of these issues on your beloved landlord's behalf!

And, hello, Tuggles?? You will eat RANDOM stuff in the yard, but you SLEEP through your momma's shrieking? This spider would practically be an entire MEAL for you! Get your fuzzy butt out of bed!

Ok, Tell Me the Truth - How Gay Does it Look?

And, I can say that, because some of my best friends are gay. In fact, some of my ex-boyfriends are now gay, so I'm extra-qualified!

But WHY would the boys at Les Schwab ask a girl whether she wanted the white part of her new tires facing out if ONLY OLD MEN WHO DRIVE CADILLACS ever say yes? I was set-up...

I was SO excited, too... I thought, HOW CLEVER! I happened to choose a tire that matches my car's paint job! White car, white stripes... MAN, the grief I got at work today...

Now it's a matter of principle. I can't change the tires now! That would be like admitting defeat. So what if NO OTHER CAR ON THE ROAD has a white stripe?

I ROCK... I am a unique individual. I am woman, hear me roar... MEOW!

2006 Dolphin Drop to benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs of Ada County!

Dolphins? What Dolphins? All I know is I got to spend the day with the CUTEST LIL BUG in the world!

Tick, tock, tick, tock - is that someone's CLOCK ticking? ;o)

Eva's Baby Shower

Whew! I assisted three fabulous ladies (Rebecca, Anjy and Robyn) in throwing my first Baby Shower... not the first Baby Shower I have ever attended, but my first as co-coordinator! And I am proud to say that there were NO. DIRTY. DIAPER. GAMES!! None!

Naturally my proudest moment came when my first set of CUPCAKES actually turned out pretty yummy! (Thanks for the help, Kim!) Note the cute accessories - I may not be a strong baker, but I can sure EMBOSS party favors to stick onto each baked good! Before that, all I was known for was jello shots!

The proud Mama-to-be... isn't she gorgeous?? Congratulations, Eva and Joe! I can't wait to meet the baby in just a few short weeks!

Get your own countdown at BlingyBlob.com

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished?

I'm pretty proud of myself and my co-workers - we've really pulled through for a local organization: http://www.nhsid.org/

The kids have been great - it's like a mini-Peace-Corps-experience each day!

Anyone Got a Chain Saw?

Yipes! Boise has been having a lot more random wind and thunderstorms in the evenings than I remember from summer-past! While they are fun to watch, they are NOT fun to the new home-owner, particularly one with mature landscaping and a POND to clean out!!

Does anyone have a chain-saw I can borrow??

Jared said when I took the 3rd photo (yes, yes, before I actually put the camera down to help him!) "Don't take that picture! Everyone will start telling you that I rigged this the wrong way!" Hey! I figure, if he was the only one around able to help me out? He can use whatever he is willing to donate from that scary van of his! I was waiting for him to bust out a bungy cord!

What you can't see in these photos is Tuggles, right in the middle of the action. When there are fireworks going off (and my neighbors went crazy until well past midnight!) he is never more than 2 inches away from his Mama at any time. He was huddled next to my foot in each photo. Once we went inside and Jared petted him, he was fine. Poor Dogger!

I Have the Greatest Friends!

July 1st was my birthday - either you know how old I am, or you don't need to!!


I haven't had a birthday party since I was four years old... My friend Tina opened up her house, her yard and her barbecue to, oh, I dunno, maybe 40 of my closest friends?!?! Whatta gal! She even got me my first keg... Those were sweet, sweet words: "I just tapped my first keg!"

I was too overwhelmed to bring my camera to the festivities... but here's a shot of my gifts. I was really moved...

And, I was really ok with never having another party where the focus is all about me, me, me!! Seriously - never again. Opening presents in front of everyone, the tiara, nope, nope, nope. Very fun, but now that I have experienced it , it's all good. I'm done. That rules out bridal showers, wedding receptions and baby showers, too! (Yeah, we'll see!)

The party was actually a week before my birthday. My birthday weekend was awesome, thanks, in part, to the 4th of July extended weekend. On my actual birthday, I did my Boise Run/Walk run on the Greenbelt, had coffee with Coach Steve and some of the other runners, puttered around the Saturday Market where Dan Costello serenaded me, snacked on Kettle Corn, met Adam at a new pizza place in Bodo called Proto. We poked around a scooter shop, but I decided a more reasonable mid-life crisis expenditure would be a manicure/pedicure.

Lo and behold! Upon returning home, GUESS who had mowed my lawn? Adam did! Adam did!! That's one of the bestest Birthday presents ever! Then I dragged poor Adam and Eva to a terrible play! I am normally a big supporter of community theatre, sooooo... we'll just assume it was an off-night, and say no more about it!

Funny - having a birthday infused me with a nice energy - something I really should figure out how to project more often than once a year! I had people smiling at me, telling me I "glowed," and complimenting my perfume throughout the day. I have to believe it had more to do with my confidence and something else I was giving off than the actual perfume, ya know?

The "magic" continued on Sunday, when I spent the morning stamping with some girlfriends in a coffee shop where the owner kept refilling our lattes - my idea of heaven! Then I met Coach Steve for a "core" workout and bike-ride. He let me try out his new recumbent bicycle - just not the same as the three-wheelers Adam and I rent at the Oregon Coast!

A new feature of the Boise Run/Walk fitness program is dinner with the coach! (?) Steve is a OSU fan, but as a U of O alum, I forgave him, and let him grill shish-kabobs for us. We had a nice chat about Oregon, travel, and religion... and for a non-date, sadly, it was one of the best dates I've had in a long, long time! ;o)

Thanks in part to my conversation with Steve, I met Stephanie for lunch on Monday to get some spiritual advice. I dragged her to "Renewal" (ironic?) a consignment shop on 8th Street where there is a Roy Lichtenstein print for sale that I adore. It's just really, really big, and seems a little expensive for just a print. I don't love the frame, so... I just showed Steph and controlled myself! (WHA??!! Self-control?? Could that be, no, say it isn't so - MATURITY manifesting itself??!)

Then I went on an awesome bike ride along the Greenbelt. The rest of the afternoon was spent at the Meridian DMV, renewing my license. No complaints, though - much shorter lines than in Boise and they are located right next to a Hastings, so I was able to get a number and then run next door for an iced mocha!! My picture didn't turn out too badly, considering I was a bit disheveled from my bike ride!

So, here we are on the Fourth of July, early afternoon, and all my chores are already done! Just gotta run to the store, and then I can relax before I attempt to make an appearance at TWO different parties before I get home to comfort my firecracker-distressed

dogger. Sigh... life IS good!

I've been bitching about my yard, but with Adam's help, it's

actually been very rewarding. Here's a photo of some of the rewards that come with roses, though I'm still not thrilled about the dandelions...

So all in all, aging hasn't been TOO painful this year. Good friends, great weather, presents, and beer! Who's complaining?!? Oh, and of course, there's always Tuggles. WHAT would I do with out my Uber Goober??

The Spirit of Boise, 2006

Here are some photos:

Sad Days in Twin...

A sad note this evening... Maggie May ran away Wednesday evening. Adam has worked his ass off looking for her, placing an ad in the local paper. No sign of her yet. Please send her happy, "come home soon" thoughts?

Thanks...

Slide Show from Kat & Adam's Recent Trip to Great Britain!

Who's Your Momma?!

Who mowed her own lawn?? WHO DID? WHO DID??

KAT DID!



And she's a little proud of herself!

(Special thanks to Adam and Bob for their help and encouragement!)

And to Tuggles, for hanging out with me, keeping me company.

Who needs cable T.V.?!?

Cutie-Boots!

I just had to show off some of my daughter's recent pics, since I think she was feeling a little left out after all the attention I shower on her brother Tuggles... so here's

a little shout-out to Maggie-May!

You wouldn't think it was funny if it was YOUR house!

Ok... so picture this...

I am sitting at my breakfast bar, enjoying breakfast, reading "Rolling Stone" and drinking coffee when... I notice something MOVING out of the corner of my eye. MOVING. Yeah, creepy. There is a little party/gaggle/herd of ANTS on the floor. IN. MY. HOUSE. I get up to investigate, and notice there is party-train of ants coming from my laundry room. What could they POSSIBLY want in my laundry room?? Dryer sheets? Do ants suffer from static cling?

I immediately pick up Tuggles and my cell phone and run to the bedroom. Huddled on the bed, I call my friend Adam for support. Hmm. Maybe my coffee hadn't kicked in yet? Wrong move. His response was NOT the one I was looking for. What I WANTED to hear was, "Just curl up in a little ball, go to sleep, and when you wake up, the problem will be magically resolved!" Yeah, not quite. NOW I get the pleasure of wandering around a local home improvement store with a stupid look on my face, reading the back of a million ant poisons, trying to find the one LEAST likely to give my precious dog a tummy ache.

Yes, I haven't failed to note that a "real" dog might take of my ant-problem FOR me. Or at least hoover up any stray crumbs, so the problem didn't occur in the first place. Tuggles isn't spoiled... we prefer the word "indulged."

The good news is my yard is starting to blossom. I have daffodils, and at least three trees have flowered! If it's so lush and restful, wouldn't you think the ants would prefer to remain OUTSIDE??

Sympathy?? ANYONE?!!!?

What's kinda funny is that in the Peace Corps, I was under attack from all kinds of nasty little critters. So why do a couple of ants bug me? (Pardon the pun!) Once my ex and I had house guests from Belize City, and they woke up in the middle of the night in a panic! A line of army ants had decided to march through our house, and our guest bed was in their way! Army ants are big, and they bite! All we could do was help our friends brush the ants out of their clothing and hair, watch their progress out the nearest window, and go back to bed!

Good times, good times!

Congratulations, Wendi and Paul!

My friends Wendi and Paul welcomed their son into the world yesterday! Simon arrived a tad early, and in a bit of a hurry! Rumor has it it only took ELEVEN minutes of hard labor??? WAY TO GO, WENDI!!!

http://wendizblog.blogspot.com/

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone else! I just had a friend over, and made him watch the video tape of my time in the Peace Corps in San Ignacio, Belize TEN YEARS AGO! I looked and sounded SO innocent! I'll tell you what, though... watching the tape of my $180 Bz/month 3 bedroom/1 bath house I lived in with all concrete floors, no w/d, Pepto Bismol paint and the SCARY hot water heater in the shower SURE made me appreciate living in the lap of luxury now!

People who can't believe that I could "rough" it for two and a half years - CAREFUL! I never said it was easy, but there is a GOOD reason my days of laundromats and "camping" are over! I did my time - and if you mock me, I'll make YOU watch the tape!!! 60+ minutes of Mayan Ruins and jungle scenes! Woop! Woop!

So much excitement!!!

So much to be excited about!

First of all, CONGRATULATIONS, EVA & JOE! My friend that is temporarily in Memphis is expecting her first baby! HOW EXCITING! Come home soon, you two!

Secondly, I christened my new house this weekend! Not just THIS house's first house-warming... but really, my first party, EVER! I've "hosted" parties for friends, but always at someone else's house... Pampered Chef, Body Shop, etc.

Not as many friends were able to come as I had hoped, but it was very cozy, and very fun, and my house is officially "broken in!" And WOW - some of my friends were ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. Two of the best guys in the world spent most of Friday evening and all day Saturday helping me get ready. And my friend Tina brought NOT only her daughter, mom and dad, but enough serving platters to MORE than accommodate my wine-n-cheese theme! THANKS, EVERYONE! YOU ARE THE BEST!


Although, I am still a little concerned with Sydney's school's choice of reading material for an EIGHT-YEAR-OLD! :o)

But I was very proud of Tuggles and Maggie.
They were excellent little hosts. Tired, but on their best behavior. All-in-all, a good time was had by all!

I have pictures!

Check out my Blog! I just downloaded a bunch of photos thanks to my new Dazzle Media Card Reader. It was tough to get those pictures off my ancient digital camera, as it has a SmartCard with a serial port cable! But my new USB card reader had my photos ready to post within minutes! Isn't technology fun?

Ok - WHAT THE HECK AM I SUPPOSED TO BE LEARNING FROM ALL OF THIS?! I just found Adam is spending this semester in Twin Falls. Kim has moved. Eva is out of town for the next few months. I feel so alone!

Thank goodness for Tuggles!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Almost there... January 15th is almost over.

All-in-all, not a bad day. Kinda quiet. I wasn't too motivated to leave the house. Got the rest of the Christmas stuff up into the attic, changed some light bulbs, did some more laundry, and poor Tuggles got a much-needed bath.

Extreme Makeover Home Edition - does EVERYONE end up crying when they watch this show, or is it just me?

I have successfully ripped all my music onto my PC. I had to do some research on some mp3 files I copied from a friend, so I went to www.cdnow.com. Ever heard of a 1989 movie called "Shirley Valentine," starring Pauline Collins and Tom Conti? Yeah, didn't think so. Interestingly enough, it is listed on cdnow.com's site, (now part of Amazon.com) as the Top Seller in Video. Today. Mom's birthday. It was just Mom's favorite movie, that's all. Hmm...

Love ya, Mom!

Boxes, Anyone?

Woop, woop! Anyone moving anytime soon? Well, no worries - I HAVE BOXES FOR YOU! Lots and lots of empty, no longer necessary BOXES!

What a great feeling to be able to park TWO whole cars in my 2-car garage! Sigh... this nesting thing is addictive. "Hi, my name is Kat, and I have a Nesting Problem!" "Hi, Kat!"

Not too sure where this burst of nesting energy came from today. I mean, I'm having a ball in my new house, but I made an unusual amount of progress today. Cloudy weather? Re-energized after a night of margaritas and hot-tubbing at Krysti's house last night? (Had a great time, Krysti - thank you! But I think I'll have to pass on getting my very own hot tub - I crashed like I was in a coma when I got home - and it WASN'T the tequila!) I don't know...

I imagine it COULD have something to do with tomorrow's date = January 15th. Mom would have been 74 years old. I have become more perceptive about the "milestones." I can predict a "tender" day on January 15th, of course, and September 4th, the day Mom died. It's the non-milestone-dates that continue to throw me, even after five years and four months. Something out of the blue that reminds me.

Yesterday for instance. My co-worker, Robin, had a busy day. She was out on Thursday, so she was playing "catch-up" - didn't hear much from her. We have only worked together for a short time - we enjoy chatting about running (I'm holding you to your goal of placing in the top 20 for this year's City of Trees, Robin!) but we don't know each other all that well yet.

All of a sudden, an Instant Message popped up on my computer: "Mouse, how are you doing?" Whoa. Mom used to call me Mouse... in fact, I am HORRIBLY ashamed that I asked her to call me that "one last time" about three weeks before she died. Yeah, and I'M the sensitive one - NICE, Kat! But I was instantly choked up - nobody has called me Mouse in a long, long time.

I sensed that Robin would be open to the fact that I was choosing to interpret her calling me Mouse as somewhat mystical... and she concurred. Said she wasn't known for using diminutives like that, so I was welcome to interpret as a sign that Mom was communicating with me... Mom always did like having the last word!

Part of the moving process that is refreshing, but sometimes painful, is discarding things. I just threw out a box. Ok, so I have thrown out a LOT of boxes today! But this was the last box Mom ever sent me. Sound dumb? Probably. But I had to take a moment... observed her handwriting (always flawless, even though she hated it) and the date - about three months before she died. Took me right back there. Imagine? Sick with cancer, in pain, constantly nauseated, and she made sure to send me a box full of Christmas items, so I would have them in my (then) new duplex in Twin Falls. Man. The stuff I took for granted.

BUT I'M FINE! Let me state for the record - I AM OKAY! Had some concern expressed by one of my older brothers... yeah, but let's not forget my favorite quote from my good friend Wendy - "That which does not kill us makes us stronger." Ok, so she can't take credit for that part of the quote - what she DOES deserve top honors for is the second part of the quote that she made up a few months after her father died of cancer: "Do we really need to be any FUCKING stronger?!" I love that!!

I embarrassed Wendy during her recent trip to Boise when I admitted that she is one of my idols. (Right up there with Mom, David Austin, Richard Arnold, Paul Schimp, (former teachers) Sarah Vowell and Michael Keaton!) At least I'm learning to say what I'm feeling NOW, rather than waiting until it's too late... right? RIGHT!