Author Archives: katherine

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Distance makes the heart grow…crazy?

Right now as I sit on the couch and scan my living room I see a basket of clothes that needs to be folded. A basket of clothes waiting to be put away. A stack of pillows on a chair. My gym back, yoga mat and picnic blanket on another chair. And the floor is scattered with various toys, baby dolls, a half-played game of Candy Land and some suit cases.

But instead of milling about picking up the clutter here I sit.

Listening to a sound that I have missed so much.

The whole house is quiet but for this one noise.

His voice. Reading our little girl a story before nap.

Oh how I have missed that voice.

I’m not going to lie, I have relished in the quiet during his absence. There’s times I like nothing more than to sit in silence. These last 12 days, after the Monster was in bed, there was plenty of silence to be had.

However, if I had to choose silence or the sound of his strong, reassuring, comforting voice there would be no contest as to which I would choose.

Going on ten years together we have never been apart for that long. I know the actual saying is “Distance make the heart grow fonder” and I would agree with that statement up to about day 5. After that point it’s crazy.

All day yesterday while I counted down the seconds minutes hours until I got to pick him up from the airport I was like a giddy teenager. My stomach had butterflies. My heart pounded. I couldn’t stop smiling. See? Crazy.

I swear I love that man more now than I did 10 years ago. Watching him with our daughter. Seeing his face light up when he got to drive his Cruiser for the first time in 4 years. The calmness that is about him just because it’s Summer.

My heart? It overflows. It gushes. It causes me to write mushy “I just threw up in my mouth” type posts.

But you guys? I missed that voice.

Wife of the year? Perhaps…

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Do you know how hard it is for me to keep a secret!?

Well…it’s hard. Really, really hard.

So the fact that I’ve been scheming and saving and keeping a HUGE secret since December has been killing me. Sure, I have told a few people, but I didn’t tell the one person I tell everything to. Andy.

Let me tell you a bit about my secret.

I know this guy…his name is Andy. I’m married to him actually. And one of the reasons I fell so in love with him is because of his huge, giving heart. It also happens to be one of his biggest downfalls because it means he always puts himself last.

His “other love” needed a little TLC. I was going to have his 1978 Toyota FJ40 Land Cruiser fixed for him.

It all started back on our first date…when he picked me up from my dad’s house in his Cruiser. I thought it was pretty much the coolest thing ever. And then he told me he had TWO of them! One he’d keep stock but the other one…well, he had BIG plans for that one…Including a new motor in one, lifting it, new wheels & tires, a new paint job…and the list went on and on. And he did all those things. Mostly the week before our wedding so we had a cool vehicle to drive off in. It’s his other love, so it just made total sense it was included in our wedding day, right?

Well, with the new motor meant there was a lot of extra heat under the hood and eventually he burnt out the plug wires. It went into the garage until he would have time to fix it. And well, there’s always something that needs to be done when you have 12 acres, and then your wife gets pregnant and you have a kid, and then there’s more stuff that has to be done and…well…there the Cruiser sits…in the same spot for the next 4 years.

He’s talked about fixing it every Summer since it stopped running. I decided that was enough talking…it was time to take action! I decided it was time he was able to have a little fun too.

So, while he was on his once-in-a-lifetime TWELVE DAY fishing trip in Alaska I decided I would do something I knew he really wanted done but would never have time to do on his own.

That goofy grin he had on his face in the video? Never left his face the rest of the night.

And…even if I don’t win wife of the year this was so worth it!

Curious…you know…some of life’s TOUGH questions

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I have these questions that seem to haunting me lately…

Creeping into my mind at the most inopportune times.

I’m curious…about Curious George.

Why does the man with the yellow hat seem to have no name? What the hell is that man’s name? And why does he always wear a yellow hat?

And what does he do for a living anyway!? I mean, think about it…he never seems to be working. He’s friends with all kinds of scientists and doctors. He has a home in the country and an apartment in the city. He’s gotta be raking in the dough somehow.

And can someone please tell me how it is socially acceptable for a freaking monkey to go everywhere with this man with no name!? And half the time the monkey is going places by himself!?

Folks…the monkey helps cook in an italian restaurant! HOW IS THAT EVEN SANITARY!?

Any why does George never actually get into trouble? All I know is that if I made an igloo in my living room in the middle of the night when I was little I would have been in SO.MUCH.TROUBLE.

Or if I would have taken the brake off of a neighbor’s buggy/wagon to use on a soap box race car I was making? My ass would’ve been grass. But NOOOooo…not George.

I’m not even kidding…these are the things that go through my head when Rylee watches this show and when I read her Curious George books.

Anyone have any answers for me?

I’m for Change. Are you?

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The following is a post sponsored by Yahoo! Every time someone clicks here to make Yahoo! their homepage, they’re showing their support for Girls For A Change.

I was selected for this opportunity by Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.
*****

Being a female working in the heavily male dominated hunting industry, I don’t have the luxury of being timid or soft spoken. I have to be willing to speak up. Take charge. Lead a project. Give direction.

It’s my job to make things happen.

I have been very fortunate in my life to be surrounded by strong, amazing women who have taught me what it means to stand up for what I believe in, to be independent, to take charge and to never look back. Women like…

My grandma…who was a parachute packer in WWII, got her driver’s license at the age of 36, who battled cancer and beat it twice and who, up until the last minute of her life, had such a thoughtful heart.

My mom…who ran a successful handmade business while raising 4 kids.

My cousin…who became a widow when she was only 22, with a 2 year old and another just weeks from being born.

My sister…who worked hard through college and landed an amazing job not long after graduation not only using her degree but incorporating her passion for the outdoors.

My youth pastor…who showed me that it’s ok to just be yourself.

Growing up with them to look up to taught me so much about life and the true meaning of “it may not always be blue skies, but there’s always a silver lining”.

I really don’t know where I’d be in my life right now if it wasn’t for the influence of these women.

It’s hard for me to imagine that there are girls growing up right now without a strong, independent female role model to look up to.

Enter Girls For A Change.

I only recently learned about Girls For A Change, or GFC. But from what I know, I’m pumped. I love what they stand for.

“Girls For A Change (GFC) is a national organization that empowers girls to create social change. We invite young women to design, lead, fund and implement social change projects that tackle issues girls face in their own neighborhoods. GFC empowers girls for personal and social transformation. The program inspires girls to have the voice, ability and problem solving capacity to speak up, be decision makers, create visionary change and realize their full potential.”

I love this. Every single young girl should know that it’s OK to speak up and make things happen. Don’t you?

You can help!

Right now Yahoo! will donate $10 to GFC for EACH PERSON who clicks here to make Yahoo! their home page. Up to $10,000! Pretty awesome, am I right!?

I’m the kind of person that likes to make things happen so I’ve done it.

I’m willing to make the change for such a great cause.

What about you?

Are you willing to make things happen?

What We’ve Been Up To…

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It seems like we’ve been on warp speed this last week. Not much time for blogging so I thought I’d just share some of the pics I snagged on my phone. If you follow me on instagram, you’ve seen these. Some have even been floating around facebook.

Amy over at A Good Life Blog hosts a weekly iPhone photo link-up. It’s a really fun way to recap your week.