November 30th, 2008 by Kateastrophe

It’s hard when family trauma gets in the way of the Holidays.

Thanksgiving was seriously great, but there was a cloud hanging over the day because it appears that my Dad and his wife of 13 years, the woman who is not my Mother but who I love and call Mom, are getting divorced.

I knew it was happening . . . it’s not like they broke the news ON Thanksgiving, but I don’t think it really hit me until that day when I got a call from Lisa/Mom and I realized my Dad wasn’t there.  He was in Ohio along with my sister.  Lisa/Mom was in Pennsylvania with my two brothers.  My Mom was in Utah with her husband and I was here with my husband and his family.  We were already all over the place with lots of splits and families to visit and now we’re adding yet another.

I know I’ve shared how hard my parent’s divorce was, but, as horrible as it sounds, I think this one might be worse.  We’re only a few weeks into it, and they’re still talking about trying to work it out, but it’s already getting ugly.  Us kids are already feeling stuck in the middle.

Quite frankly, it sucks.

My brother is calling us the 0-fers.  Dad and Mom didn’t make it.  Our amazing Step-father Mike passed away after only five years with us, my Mom’s marriage is currently OK but has been rocky at best, and now the relationship we thought was the most stable, is crumbling.

Now, I’m not saying my belief in happy marriages is dead, because it’s FAR from that, but it’s just been hard to watch my parents struggle so much, and really hard to watch my siblings try to make sense out of it all.  They don’t really bounce back quite as easily as I do and I know this is hard for them.

I feel like I’m living that movie Four Christmases . . . except with me it’s up to like twelve or something.

Bah.

November 26th, 2008 by Kateastrophe

WOAH.  It’s like, the 26th.  I’m not really sure where the month went but it’s definitely GONE.

So, tomorrow is Thanksgiving.  I’ve pulled out my Thanksgiving pants (what’s it from??) and I’m ready to gorge myself.  I’m in charge of creamed corn and mashed potatoes for Matt’s family’s feast tomorrow and I’m glad I have those two because I rule at making both.  Gravy I cannot do.  Killer mashed potatoes and my Grandma’s famous creamed corn?  Yes please.  I feel a little weight gain on the horizon, oh yes I do.

We got some of our Christmas lights up on the house on Monday (thanks in-laws!  Love you!) and as soon as the baby shower decorations come down on Saturday, the rest of Christmas will go up.  I’m so excited.  Have I ever mentioned how much I love Christmas?  I LOVE CHRISTMAS SO MUCH!  I mean, I sort of feel bad for Thanksgiving because it’s not getting a lot of recognition this year but HELLO CHRISTMAS!  You are only three weeks away!  And this year ALL my siblings and I will be at Club Lynsky (aka Grandma’s house) in California.  And we’ve got mucho fun planned.  Family pictures barefoot on the beach, tickets to Wicked, secret surprises, delicious food . . . I am so excited I can barely stand it.

Then?  Guess what happens then?

Kate’s. Birthday. Week.

That’s right.  I decided a few years ago that having a birthday six days after Christmas wasn’t really ideal, so I’ve imposed a rule on everyone around me.  The second Christmas is over?  Celebration “Kate is Awesome” begins.  Selfish?  Absolutely.  Worth it?  You betcha.

And with that, I get back to celebrating Thanksgiving for just a minute.  I have many, many things to be grateful for, but here are my top ten:

1. My husband.  I swear I married the kindest man alive  and I am so lucky to have him.

2. My family.  I don’t know what I’d do without them and all of their craziness.  Not a day goes by I don’t talk to at least one of them and I’m so glad we’re all so close.

3.  My friends.  I’m not sure what I did to deserve girlfriends like I have but the older I get, the luckier I feel to have friends like I do.

4.  My job.  This is a crappy economy and I’m so blessed to not only have a steady income, but a career and a boss I love!

5.   My home.  It’s raining outside today and I can’t help but think that there are people out there with no place to keep warm and I am so grateful to not only have a house, but to have a house I love so much.

6.  My faith.  I know who I am and what my purpose on Earth is and I’m grateful every day for a loving Father in Heaven and for our Saviour Jesus Christ.

7.  Sunshine.  On a cloudy day I realize how much I love living in a place where the sun shines 300 days a year or so.

8.  Pedicures.  Trivial, but true.  I love having clean, well kept feet and heaven knows I couldn’t do it myself!

9.  Music.  I seriously don’t know how I could live without it in my life.

10. Diet Coke.  Shut up, I love it.

November 17th, 2008 by Kateastrophe

I finally have some pictures from China for you! I stuck to the ones that had both people and cool touristy scenery for today. I’ve done a little ’splaining about each part of our trip, but obviously had to leave out lots and lots.

We started out our trip in Shanghai.  Shanghai isn’t much of a “touristy” city, but it does feature the fabulous Yu Yuan Gardens (which are surrounded by CHEAP SHOPPING!  Woot!).  The gardens are near the Yangtze River and therefore have a cool taste of old meets new.  In the picture below you can see the brand new Shanghai World Financial Center, the tallest building in China (and VERY cool inside) between the Yu Yuan Gardens Tea House and some other . . . old . . . building.  Yeah.  This is actually right outside the walls of the actual gardens, which were once some guys house and private gardens.  They are very large and he must have been very rich.  The hat was GREAT for pictures that don’t include Matt’s eyes.  Awesome.

Another shot of us inside the gardens . . . awww so cute

Next we were off to Beijing.  We stayed at this AWESOME hotel called the Home Inn.  Think Best Western, minus insulation, mattresses made of anything but wood and add cement block walls and loud Chinese tourists.  All for $12 a night!  I sort of forgot to take a picture, but it was down this tiny alley that most cars couldn’t fit through, and right across from a “Men’s and Women’s Togetherness Health Shop.”  That translates in American-speak to SEX TOY SHOP.  Awesome.  The bonus was that we were just a few blocks from Tienanmen Square and the Forbidden City, which mean fun shopping and cool restaurants.  My Dad frequents a bar/hostel in the area and below you see Matt and I posing in front of my Dad’s painted masterpiece.  He painted this when he was at this bar a few years ago with my brother and cousins.  It’s a wizard, riding a panda, carrying hot cocoa to the freezing mountains.  Drunk much???

During our two days in Beijing we did all the cool touristy stuff.  Lucky for us, the government wanted to clean up the air for a huge diplomatic meeting, so after a night of pouring rain INDUCED BY ROCKETS we had perfect weather and no pollution.

We saw the Great Wall (which is seriously so amazing)

Tienanmen Square was closed because of all the meetings, so we missed seeing Crazy Mao’s creepily preserved corpse, but we did see the picture his craziness and then headed into the Forbidden City

We saw the Summer Palace (this picture doesn’t even begin to do it justice.  It’s amazing!) and I got to dress like an Empress for a WHOLE DOLLAR

Then we saw the Olympic Park which may have been my favorite part of the trip.  What the Chinese did for these Olympics was unbelievable.  We got to see the Bird’s Nest and the Water Cube, inside and out.

After Beijing, we traveled down to Shangri La.  It snowed or rained the whole time we were there, but we did get some sweet Chinese Military winter hats.  My Dad showed his true colors in the cold.

I’ll show more of the Shangri La trip later.  It was very gray . . . but fun!  Especially the part where we got ditched by our tour guide.  Wheeee!

Back in Shanghai, I did what I do best.  SHOPPING.  We shopped and shopped and shopped.  We found designer jeans for $20, knock-off designer bags, authentic football jersey, paintings, coats . . . you name it, we found it.  We had stuff tailored just for us and ate lots of good food.  This picture is one of the better purse stores.  Two rooms full of bags, PLUS a secret room in the back.  I love the secret rooms.

That’s all I’ve got for today, but join me next time for “foods that make you go hmmmm.” And “did that lady just shoot a snot rocket onto the sidewalk of the Forbidden City?!  Yes.  Yes she sure did.”

October 9th, 2008 by Kateastrophe

We just got Rock Band.  FOR FREE.  I love “knowing a guy” and having “the guy” owe me one.

I told Matt he’d love it and laughed at him when he didn’t believe me.  He believes me now.  We just played for two hours straight. 

I have three blisters on my fingers from the drumsticks and I just discovered that Matt?  Can actually sing.  Who knew!

 My own little rocker.  How cute.

October 1st, 2008 by Kateastrophe

Word to my homies.  (Er, what?!)

We just got back from our annual vacation ala Murph at the Coral Pink Sand Dunes in Southern Utah where we spent four sand-in-the-crack  filled fun filled days.  I think my heart stopped beating at a very early point in the trip when I remembered that there was absolutely NO cell phone coverage or internet.  Verizon has GOT to put a tower out there.  Seriously.  (Also, it’s time for Kate to get a SmartPhone.  I’m accepting donations if they’re pink and rhyme with CrackBerry.  Mmmm crackberries.)

Wait, sorry.  I was talking about the vacation.  Where phones didn’t work.  Right.

I learned a few valuable lessons this weekend, which I shall glady share with you should you ever go on a four day vacation to the sand dunes.  (You’re welcome.)  Ahem:

1. Noise cancelling headphones and any sort of MP3 device that plays movies are totally worth the money.
2. Matching pink and black ATV gear is awesome and makes all the five year old girls at the campground jealous of you.  That’s always been a goal of mine.  Now I can check that off my list of things to do before I die.  Make young impressionable girls jealous of my awesomeness.  CHECK!
3.  Black ATV gear is HOT and makes you sweat like a pig.  But at least you look cool and the little girls are jealous.  (Seriously I felt SO bad-a!)
4. Don’t get over-confident on your sweet ride because if you do?  Several bad things might occur:
   • You might pop a wheelie at the top of a very steep ledged hill and slide right off the back of your sweet ride which will, in turn, stay upright on it’s two back wheels for many yards before settling down onto all four and travelling another 50 yards or so to rest at the bottom of a hill.  (My butt print is my gift to Southern Utah and the vision of me sliding off the back of my ATV is my gift Steve.  You’re very welcome, both of you.)
   • You might hit a very very large cow pie at full speed.  Said cow pie may explode all over sweet ride and sweet clothes.  You may have to clean it up.  It may take a very long time.  And stink.
5. Husbands scare easily when they see their wife rolling around on the ground with her ATV 100 yard away from her.  They come running at full speed to save the wife and might be just a little irritated when they find her laughing hysterically, unable to speak, merely pointing at her perfectly preserved ass print in the sand.
6. Never hurry when stepping out of the camper.  Sprained ankles SOUND fun but in reality?  They are not.
7. Do not attempt to get your sweet ride un-stuck from the sand from behind with your knee whilst wearing shorts.  There is a hot muffler there and burned skin smells bad and scars for life.  It also hurts like a mo-fo when the nerves start to grow back and the blister pops.
8. Try to bring two air mattresses for spousal sleeping arrangements.  Sharing one really sucks because when one moves, we all move.  When one moves (therefore we all move) ALL NIGHT LONG, we all don’t get no sleepy.
9. Bees like Diet Coke with Lime.  A LOT.  Like, enough to go on suicide missions just to get a tiny drop of that limey goodness.  I can’t really say I blame them.

I think the overall theme here is that I am a giant accident waiting to happen.  Or continually happening.  All the time.  Yeah.  That one.

 (Oh and I really need a CrackBerry.  Pale pearly pink, please!)

September 1st, 2008 by Kateastrophe

I don’t care what anyone says.  God makes miracles happen.

Category 5 hurricanes diffuse, despite ideal conditions to increase, and hit land as category 2 hurricanes.  Levies hold (so far), homes are protected, peoples lives are saved and my angel of a little sister, full of relief and joy, danced in the rain and laughed in the face of Gustav.

August 30th, 2008 by Kateastrophe

I am not writing a Soap Opera Sunday this weekend because . . . see, my sister Meagan and her husband Lucas live in New Orleans.  The city that has barely started recovering from Katrina and is now bracing for Gustav, which, at the moment is a CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE.  Katrina was a Category 3.  Yeah.  And here’s the kicker . . . they’re not leaving.  They can’t leave.  They work at the hospital and had to sign a contract that they would be available to work during natural disasters.  Just for the record, I think my sister, her husband and all the people who have stayed behind to care for and protect the city the best they can, are heroes.  I’d have been on a plane a week ago.

Despite how scary this sounds, they are lucky.  The hospital is the safest place to be during a hurricane.  It will most likely not lose power.  There will be plenty of food.  It will be heavily guarded.  During Katrina this particular hospital sustianed no major damage.  It’s a veritable fortress.  They will be physically safe.

However, they will still be in the city for what might be a worse storm than Katrina.  They will see the horror first-hand as they care for the sick and injured.    If the storm keeps it’s current path, their home may not make it.  Their physical belongings may not survive.  None of it is going to be easy for them or for the city.

I know Megs and Luke will be safe and no harm will come to them.  My faith in that statement is stronger than I can describe — but that doesn’t mean I’m not scared.  I’m scared for the future of New Orleans, a city I fell madly in love with on my first visit in January.  I’m scared for the people who won’t be protected within the walls of the hospital.  I’m scared of many things.

During a week where the blogging world has shown just how supportive they can all be (I am seriously blown away by the support being shown for Stephanie and Christian Nielson ) I just ask for your prayers for New Orleans.  The storm is a couple of days out and it may diffuse itself, but if not, it could be worse than Katrina.  I firmly believe our prayers will help, even if in unseen ways.  I know my sister will feel them and be grateful.

** ETA: My sister?  She’s hilarious . . . and looking at the bright side.  Check her out her post about the upside of being stuck in a level 5 hurricane here.  There are pictures with captions.  Funny captions.  Beware the grammar, oh beware. But prepare to laugh.

April 27th, 2008 by Kateastrophe

Well hello there.

I am currently lounging in a fancy bathrobe next to my Mama, who is also in a fancy bathrobe, in a fancy hotel owned by Chain ala Marriott.  (Um, seriously, the SHEETS!?  Amazing.  Also, the Bath & Body Works concoctions in the bathroom?  Fughettaboutit.)

You’ll forgive me for not writing a Soap Opera Sunday today.   I had lots of best friends to see, cute babies to hold and giggle with, lots of crab legs to eat, and lots of hotel lounging to do.  And tomorrow there will be skiing.  I am both excited and frightened.  Mostly excited.

So, I might be missing for the next few days, but then again I might not.  I mean if I can blog from bed . . .

March 25th, 2008 by Kateastrophe

Saturday was an amazing day. Maybe the most amazing day, with the exception of the day I married Matt. Saturday I was sealed for time and all eternity in the Temple of the Lord to my mom, sister and my dad-and-a-half. It’s hard to describe the feeling as I knelt across the alter from my sister Meagan, with Mom in my left and Lucas (Meagan’s husband) on my right, acting as proxy for Mike. It’s hard to describe the joy I felt as the sealer proclaimed us a family forever.

There was a touch of sadness because my brothers weren’t there, but that’s OK. They have found happiness and joy, and I’m proud of everything they’ve overcome in their lives and the men they’ve become. Even though they’re not technically “sealed” to the rest of us, I know that they’ll be with us for eternity no matter what.

My dearest friend Sheila and her mom Janet, who happens to be my mom’s dearest friend as well, were able to be there with us and that was amazing as well. They have been such a big part of our family for as long as I’ve been alive (and before, I’m sure) and we love them dearly.

I wish there were more to say and describe to you about what happened, but that really sums it up. We’re glued. It’s amazing.

March 21st, 2008 by Kateastrophe

Um, I keep trying to write something interesting and witty but it seems my brain has left the building. So I’ll give you boring and lame instead, k?

Today I fly to California to be sealed in the temple to my Mom, sister and Dad-and-a-half. I’m very excited. I’ve worked out the trauma with the ripped temple dress and have all elebenteen outfits packed and ready to go. It’s sad that I have to check a back for a 48 hour trip, but what can you do, right? A girl needs a hundred outfits to choose from. And shoes to match.

In other news, I’m having a fantastic hair day, thanks to my nifty $2.50 Velcro rollers. I forgot how wonderous those things are. Ten pounds of hair sitting flat on your head? Not to worry! Velcro is here. Poof! Body! Well, at least for an hour or so. Now I wish I were going to see someone today who cared about my great hair day.

Rather than do something exciting at work (hahahahah), I have a three hour meeting in a room with twelve stinky boys. And when I say stinky, I mean stinky. The burper/farter from the cube next to mine will be in attendance as well as 11 of his other equally socially awkward cohorts. They’re smart, great guys but seriously. Showers? Personal hygiene? COMMON COURTESY? Last week in the first version of this meeting, the burper belched SUPER loud and no one did anything about it. What the crap?? My participation in this meeting basically includes calming everyone down as they fight about what it is our company actually does and breathing through my mouth so the stench doesn’t infect me. Oh and figuring out how to market what we have. Again, hahahahahaha. I tell you what, it’s going to be a par-tay.

On that note, I leave you with the happy news that TOMORROW I GET TO EAT PEEPS AND STARBURST JELLY BEANS!!!!!!!! I’m not excited at all.