Why I have such high expectations of the Men I date

I almost forgot to mention one of the sweetest things that happened over the break. As previously mentioned, Tree day is a big deal in my family. My mom goes to great lengths to make is special for everyone. Usually my dad just tries to stay out of our way.

This year he went to the hardware store for an hour or so. When he came back he pulled my mom aside for a minute and gave her a beautiful poinsetta. He said it was her Tree Day present. She works so hard to make it special for everyone else, and this was his gift to make it special for her.

Pretty thoughtful, huh!

Two of my favorite people

The ear doctor came up to be with me at the wedding.

Aren't they great?

Tree Day

My mom is very clever. In the spirit of Tom Sawyer she has devised a way to trick our entire family into happily helping her put up all of her many, MANY Christmas decorations in one day.

It is called "Tree Day" and it is almost as highly anticipated as Thanksgiving itself. The day after Thanksgiving everyone comes over to my mom's house and participates in decorating the tree, and house. You can almost feel the house throbbing to the rhythm of the most wonderful time of the year. My sister works on the gingerbread houses and I put the lights on the tree. Presents are handed out hourly. This year they culminated for me in an at home soft serve ice cream maker.

Anyway, this year to add to the festivities, my two little nieces put on hourly shows for the family. Every hour or so they made us all take a break, drink a diet coke, and watch their shows. Really, it was the same show over and over, but it was so cute it really didn't matter. My little niece, Kathryn:

would hold two big red bows on strings, one in each hand. Then, while Lexi switched on the musical carousel playing Jingle Bells, Kathryn would jump up and down and swing the red bows around, num-chuck style. After the aerobatics were over, she would serenade us with her own rendition of the classic jingle bells that went a little something like this:

Dashing tha-woo the snow...in um um um open um....oh the fiewds we go....laughing all the way, HA HA HA (at ear splitting volume)....bews on bum bum bum....making spiwits bwight....oh em fun ........OH

Jingo Bews, Jingo Bews, Jingo all the way.....OH McFun it is to wide in a one hose open slay. HEY! Jingo Bews, Jingo Bews, Jingo all the way.....OH McFun it is to wide in a one hose open slay

I called it the McDonald's version and am currently looking into a deal with the server of 99 billion hambugers for a holiday endorsement.

Tis the Season....well, almost

I know, I know, it isn't officially Christmas season until after Thanksgiving, but I've had my Christmas template made for about 2 weeks now and I am so excited to put it up. It is my first decoration for the season.

Plus, I'm going home tomorrow and won't have access to the template there, so really the options were put the Christmas template up today, or next Monday.

And by next Monday I would have wasted 3 good days of Christmas celebrating, so this really is the only option.

If you're one of those people who are like, "Jeez, I can't believe they are already setting out Christmas gifts at the Mall" or "Hello, shouldn't Christmas come only a week before the big day" then you can just turn around and leave because from now until the end of December this is an official holiday stop.

My coworkers

So, it had to come out some day.

I knew they would put the pieces together, they're smart guys.

Yes, I have been discovered.

My two coworkers have unearthed the truth....I am a BLOGGER.

The great thing is that they, too, blog.

I've never felt closer to them now. All this time we've been sharing offices and copiers and white boards and I never knew that we could form a friendship via satellite trasmition.

Thank you, technology, for bringing me closer to the person I share a 10 x 15 foot area with.

Check out their blogs:

Derrick

Litespeed

Grin and Bear It

After 6 hours of having your photo taken, this happens to even the most patient bride:

The reunion

So, I know it is lame to get caught up in TV so much, but I just don't care.

Last night I both loved and hated the show.

And by "the show" I of course mean Gilmore Girls.

I loved that Lor and Rory made up. That was so perfect. I really felt Lor's excitement when she told Luke they could finally set a date.

But,

I have to admit that I think the whole "Luke has an illegitimate 12 year-old daughter" is just a little bit retarded, and over dramatic for the tone of the story. Seriously, it is supposed to be about ordinary people and this step just seemed too day-time drama for me. What next, Sukie's twins were switched at birth? Or maybe Emily will be possessed by the devil?

Seriously, writers, what were you thinking?

Pretty Girl

This photo features my beautiful baby sister in her stunning wedding dress in our back yard between the ceremony and the reception.

New theme

Because there has been such great demand, and to show off my skillz as a photographer, I am going to post one photo a day from my sister's wedding back in July. Here is the first one.

I call it "FORBIDDEN SECRET"

A few nice things

Dear Southwest airlines,

Thank you SO much for finally deciding to pick up Denver as one of your destinations in January. You really have no idea how much it means to be to be able to get a cheap flight to anywhere your friendly airline flies. When I moved to Denver, and learned that you did not fly here, I deemed it as the single fly in the ointment of Colorado. Thank you for restoring my belief that this is the ideal place to live.

Sincerely,

Katie

PS Do'nt tell anyone but I think this will be the last nail in the coffin for United. He He He

Dear People in my Spanish class,

I am a little dissapointed that only two of you showed up to our Spanish only dinner last night. I thought we had all made a lasting friendship and I was sorely dissapointed that only two of you felt like it was "cool enough" for you to attend. Shame, shame on you.

Sincerely,

Katie

Dear Student that I TA,

Still, two days later, I am a little disgrunteled with your treatment of me, your TA. When you confronted me in a very combattive matter, I responded equally combattively and now I feel there is a rift between us. Please know that if you had treated me with the respect I deserve as your evaluator, this whole situation could have been avoided, and we both would have been satisfied. The way things stand now, we are both just annoyed.

Sincerely,

Katie

Dear Ear Doctor,

I know right now you are stressed and worried about the conference, but just know that I think you are so accomplished and so well prepared that you will do an amazing job. Say hi to Shamu for me.

Sincerely,

Katie

Dear Makers of the Williams and Sonomoa 2003 Christmas CD,

You have no idea how much joy your product has been giving me the last week. I have been letting the happy, hopeful songs on your recording drift through the air of my car and it has made this incredably difficult and long week bareable.

Sincerely,

Katie

Dear Person who brings the doughnuts to work on Fridays,

Really, my appreciate for you has no limit. I have been looking forward to this moment all morning. The first, glorious, sugar filled and chocolate covered bite brings me close to nirvana.

Sincerely,

Katie

This is totally for reals

Very like the last installment of "I just realized what I said was really really dumb," my Spanish class today had a little gem of a moment.

We have finally got to my favorite section of learning another language...LA COMIDA!

I just love learning how to say food in other languages becuase I feel like it will be really useful to me.

Anyway, today we were learning how to say apple in Spanish. One of the exercises was, given a description of the food in Spanish, we had to determine the right vocab word.

Anyway, the description in the book was:

"Una fruta roja o verde" (A red or green fruit)

The answer, of course, was "Una manzana" (apple)

This girl, I'm sure before thinking, piped up and said, "So, I didn't know until a year ago that the red and green apples were different types of apples. I always thought that the yellow ones were the least ripe, the green ones were a little riper and the red were ready to eat. I totally didn't ever eat the green ones."

Yeah, and she is a SENIOR!

The whole class just tried to laugh along with her, but I was shocked and it was all I could do to wipe the, "where did you come from" slack-jawwed expression off my face.

525600

Today is a very important day.

Not because it is Monday, the start of a new week.

Not because today is the day I register for my classes next semester.

Not because my bangs look particularly slammin today.

Exactly one year ago today the ear doctor and I decided we would be exclusive.

Yep, today is our one year dating anniversary.

And since it has been a while since I've listed his amazing attributes in this forum, I've decided like today would be the most fitting of days to do so.

Reasons why the ear doctor is awesome:

• He is really smart. I mean really smart. The kid is getting his PhD for goodness sakes.
  
  

• He is so good looking, and not in that skinny, gross, MTv way. He is strong and big and I love that his shoulders are so broad that I can barely get my arms around them.
• He is so thoughtful.
• Always (or nearly) patient with my rudeness or general disregard for everyone around me.
• he can really see people. What the need and want and then tries to help whenever he can.
• He loves taking me out to dinner.
• He loves going to the movies.
• He thinks I'm funny.
• He loves Lucille Ball.

• Clearly has a thing for red heads.
• He makes me laugh SO hard.
• He likes my little sister.

• He planned the perfect 1 year anniversary night out.
• Complete with chocolate fountain fond when we got home.
  
  
  
• He likes quality in things and doesn't mind paying for it.
• He cannot find a new pair of shoes that he really likes.
• He owns the coolest new Nixon watch they make.
  
  
  
• He's one of the best dancers this side of the Mississippi, and doesn't mind that I'm not that great.
  
  
• He doesn't think it is that weird that I have a strange love for the Christmas season.
• He always wants to get people the perfect gift.
• He is always on time.
• He is very responsible.

There are more, but I should get some work done today.

Mental Prostitution

So I've been banging my head against my keyboard for the last 4 hours trying to figure out how to program.

This really nice guy I met yesterday asked how it was coming and I went off with my frustrations.

He sat down and helped me for an hour try to get this together.

And now it works like a dream.

My gratitude to him was thoroughly effusive. I seriously could not have done it without him.

After we were done we were chatting and he admitted that he doesn't have a lot of friends in the program and he was happy that he'd now made a friend.

It was so cute I almost wanted to reach over and give him a hug.

It was just like the scene at the end of Can't buy me Love when Kenneth is helping the cheerleader girl with her math so he could sit at the popular table at lunch.

Except, I am nowhere near as cool as that girl is,

Nor is my hair as big as hers,

but you get the picture.

Good News

Don't worry, the doughnuts were here this morning.

I know you were all concerned.

You may now resume your normal lives.

My boyfriend RULES

Just in case you were wondering how the ear doctor's costume turned out this year, you should all wander over to Genius's site and check him out.

Mi Amor

100 Things

1. I have a whole walk-in closet full of clothes and there are really only about 3 outfits that I really like to wear.
2. One of those consists of my hideous green sweat/pajama pants and my soft baby blue housecoat. Accented by my bright red Steve Madden slippers and you have the perfect ensemble.
3. I really want an orange kitten, but I just don’t have the time to properly raise it right now….maybe I’ll get it this summer when I don’t have classes.
4. Grad school is not quite what I thought it would be. The other week I thought about quitting. The funny thing is that I thought I was the only one who thought about quitting grad school. The more people I’ve talked to the more I realize this is a normal thing that everyone goes through.
5. I am so glad that I have learned how to open up to people….at least a little bit.
6. Every day I realize more that I have no ability to change anyone but myself. If I’m unhappy with a situation I can’t expect to complain about how I’m being treated, rather I have to be the one who changes my expectations.
7. I love carving pumpkins, but I’m really confused why everyone says they like roasted pumpkin seeds. I think they are nast.
8. I don’t like turtleneck sweaters because I have a short neck and they usually come up to my ear lobes when I wear them making me look like I am being suffocated by my own vestments.
9. Cranberry Grapefruit SoBe is ambrosia to my tongue.
10. Me gusta bialar con mi novio, the ear doctor, porque el es muy guapo!
11. I love the fact that I have some people in this world who care about me so much that time and distance are really nothing.
12. My flat iron broke…this is a serious loss felt by me and I am still wearing black in mourning the little guy.
13. I love to jump on trampolines and I secretly resent my parents for never getting me one. (just kidding mom)
14. I am SO looking forward to going to England for spring break with my family. I feel like I haven’t been on a trip with them in AGES!
15. I think my mom is the most amazing woman who ever walked on God’s green earth.
16. I am so lucky to have had the childhood I did. Yesterday I heard a story about a girl whose parents kicked her out of the house at 14, tried ever drug under the sun, has since become a born again Christian and is now getting a PhD in Physics. Dramatic!
17. I love going to college and high school football games.
18. I love cooking, but always create the hugest mess in the process.
19. I wish I had the desire to work out more.
20. I love reading and am currently re-reading the Narnia series. This time I’m reading the story in chronological order (instead of the order CS Lewis wrote them in). I am getting SO much out of the story.
21. There really are deeper levels to that book that speak to me.
22. I’ve stopped doing my hair every day. I’ve finally learned the joy of just showering and throwing that knot of wet scraggly hair into a knot on top of my head and going. It really is liberating.
23. I love going to the movies….any time of the day, with anyone, or by myself.
24. I still don’t know what I’m going to be for Halloween. I never really know until about 7 pm the day I need a costume.
25. My new job at church is very demanding of me, but somehow I am being helped to meet the needs of everyone I care for.
26. That really is a miracle.
27. I do not think that, “I’m drunk” is an excuse for being rude or thoughtless. Just because I am the sober one does not mean you can take advantage of me.
28. Being passive-aggressive drives me NUTS.
29. A person who cannot see themselves and their flaws is really hard for me to handle.
30. Right now, my entry level Spanish class is my favorite….by far.
31. Every morning I come into work and make myself a cup of hot cocoa. On Fridays someone brings in doughnuts. I get kind of annoyed when they forget them.
32. My bangs are getting a little too long and drive me crazy.
33. I love doing special things for my friends for their birthdays. Nothing makes me happier than finding the perfect gift for them.
34. I am so excited that so many of my friends are getting married and having babies right now. It is so cool to watch them go through everything.
35. I love love LOVE that my friends don’t make be feel weird or pressured or anything because I am one of the last remaining singles in our posse.
36. My ideal Saturday would be this: wake up early and stay in my warm bed reading a book. Meet up with friends for a late breakfast. Go to a farmers market/take a walk/hike. See a late afternoon movie. Go to dinner with the ED and then go out to see a show in Denver. Perfection.
37. I genuinely like Mondays… I know, weird.
38. I love Nut Rolls.
39. And Hot Tamales.
40. I’m really excited about my classes next semester. They are exactly the classes I wanted to take and learn about.
41. I hope I have the time to take another Spanish class before I’m done with my degree.
42. I love that I have a savings account and I actually use it. So grown-up.
43. I’m starting to learn to slow down and enjoy each moment of my life. If I’m starting to feel rushed or hurried I tell myself to remember that I choose my course. I’m guiding my actions and if I’m not happy I don’t have to do anything. It really helps.
44. I can’t wait for the T-shirt and chocolate covered macadamia nuts that my mom got me in Hawaii to come. I could down a whole box of those bad boys in about 3 minutes.
45. I love Girl Scout cookies.
46. I would rather be cold than hot.
47. I’m more uncomfortable in small spaces than at high heights.
48. Saturday I will be spending the whole day either working on Halloween costumes or in the computer lab. I hope the weather is crappy.
49. I rarely have food cravings.
50. I love being around people who are clever.
51. Intelligence in other people doesn’t intimidate me…it attracts me.
52. I used to define myself as “fiercely independent.” I don’t anymore.
53. I am loyal to a fault.
54. I’m an awesome roommate.
55. I love old people, especially old couples. They just treat each other with such respect. I guess that comes when you’ve been with someone almost every day of your life for over 50 years.
56. If, at the end of my working career, I have built the type of life my grandparents have I will consider myself very successful.
57. Happiness isn’t a destination, but a route.
58. Last night I watched the DVD from my sister’s wedding. The photos were so beautiful I was tearing up, but the music less than great.
59. That is kind of frustrating for me personally because I did such an awesome job of actually compiling some AWESOME music for the wedding and now their memories are all associated with weird stuff that doesn’t really say, “Maggie and Dan forever”. Boo.
60. I don’t have a bike.
61. Sometimes I wonder if I got back on one after all this time if it would really come back to me, “like riding a bicycle?”
62. Wow, that was dorky.
63. I think crocks are ugly.
64. Actually, most typical “Colorado” shoes I think are pretty heinous.
65. I love that Colorado style still, and always will, includes down vests. I love them.
66. I want to take cooking classes.
67. I thought about dropping out of grad school and going to culinary arts school….for about 10 minutes.
68. I don’t understand why other people expect you to love their dogs as much as they do.
    Why are people rude in the grocery store? Seriously, CALM DOWN.
69. When I get tired my eyes start to droop.
70. Last night the ear doctor and I spent a ridiculous amount of time at Wal-Mart. The cool thing is that because I was with him, it was fun the whole time.
71. The ear doctor already has an idea of what he wants to carve into his second pumpkin tomorrow. I have no idea.
72. That is pretty indicative of our relationship.
73. For the first time ever I sent my mom a Halloween care package. I think she loved it.
74. I wish I had the patience to be a really great scrapbooker, but I don’t. And I probably never will.
75. Photos in a shoe box works for me.
76. Actually I wish there was a classy way to just plaster my walls with photos of my friends and family. Cool idea, but it would probably drive me crazy with business.
77. I love going to home shows, but would never want to live in a house so big it echoed.
78. This afternoon the institute director is making Pad Thai. Yummmmm
79. On a sunny day there is nothing better than getting a jamba, rolling down the windows, cranking up the tunes and driving.
80. I love the ocean.
81. I love the ocean in Oregon when it is cold and misty. It calms me.
82. I love waking up early in the mountains and walking away from the campsite to be alone. When the light is in almost horizontal shafts through the trees it takes my breath away.
83. I don’t like hiking fast because I don’t like looking at the ground. I like hiking so slow that I can look up between each step and see where I am. It’s not about the destination for me.
84. I can eat a whole box of Kraft Mac & Cheese in one sitting.
85. I eat it right out of the pot I used to cook it in. Why dirty another dish?
86. I am really excited about going to London in March. REALLY excited. My grandparents offered to let us use their time-share points so it looks like our lodging will only cost about $150 for the whole week. SCORE!
87. I only have about 7 minutes to finish the rest of this. Yikes!
88. I love playing spoons with my family. We do a tournament every year at Thanksgiving and I am going to DOMINATE this year. (last year I came in 2nd)
89. I help my mom cook Thanksgiving dinner every year. We get up at 6 am and work so hard we pretty much collapse by 5 pm. It is awesome.
90. This year Thanksgiving is going to be really small…only about 15 or so.
91. That is much more manageable than the 25-30 we usually have.
92. I miss my Aunt Sandy every day.
93. I love Christmas more than any holiday of the whole year. I don’t know what I’m going to do this year without the baby.
94. I’m really excited to meet Olivia Jane.
95. I love wearing green but feel like I have to regulate my wearing of it or else that is all I would wear.
96. I have a real love/hate relationship with haunted houses.
97. I love spring more than any other season.
98. Then fall,
99. Winter and summer tie for 3rd.
100. I like cake.

An Ode To Colin

Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday dear Colin,
Happy birthday to you.

Happy birthday to you,
You live in a zoo,
You look like a monkey,
And you smell like one too.

Happy birthday to you,
I don’t know what to do,
Besides sing you a song,
Happy birthday to you.

Happy birthday to you,
I’m glad I’m part of your crew,
I think you are awesome,
And your wife is cool too.

Happy birthday to you,
You don’t smell like doo,
Hopefully after putting your name on the internet,
You won’t want to sue.

Happy birthday to you,
I have to use the loo,
This song is getting long,
And I have work still to do.

Happy birthday today,
Please party in a major way,
I’m so glad you’re my friend,
There’s nothing else to say.

Just thought you should all know how hard core I am

So my pal K in Seattle wrote this post yesterday and since it applies to me as well, I thought I'd link you over there to check it out.

Enjoy!

Christmas in October

I don't really have much time, because I'm doing this between classes, but I just needed to post.

Last night I once again realized the importance of having good girl friends. The kind of friends who make every minute with them special. The kind of people who turn a drive out to unincporprated Boulder to buy holiday scented candles from one of those "Tupperware-esque" type of open houses in the middle of October into a moment to remember. The kind of friends that make a stop at Starbucks into an event. The kind of friends who know that if they invite you to something, you'll end up having no control and just buying whatever you want, thereby giving them the liscence to do the same.