In Honor of Emma on Christmas Day (because she's so cute!)

This tag was from Megan—the same one came from Alycia. Thanks friends.:) Hope you all learn a whole lot of cool stuff about me from this.

The rules:
A. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning.
B. Each player lists 6 facts/habits about themselves.
C. At the end of the post, the player then tags 6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

1. I absolutely love to plan parties and get together with my friends, but I think just as much as being a party girl, I love to do my own thing. If I don't get Katie time I feel off balance, like I'm just running from one thing to the next without time to get my life together.

2. Singing, talking to babies (esp.), and sometimes talking to people makes my eyes water. I’ve been like that since I was little. It’s sometimes annoying because it keeps me from talking to babies if there are lots of people around, but I guess it’s my spirit talking to their spirit and it’s emotional whether I realize it or not.

3. The following items give me varying degrees of fear: diving, riding horses, cooking anything that requires yeast, being misunderstood, being in an awkward kissing situation with someone I don’t want to kiss, roller skating, leading music, and dropping from heights.

4. I want to do everything and see everything. I don’t get bored with what I'm doing, so it's hard for me to understand it when I hear people say they’re bored. There are just too many things I want to/need to do! Life’s too short, and there are never enough hours in the day!:)

5. Homemade cookies are my absolute favorite dessert. I could eat them till I’m sick, and I LOVE drinking milk with them. Yum!!

6. Before I die, I am going to visit all of the main ruins in Central America, including Machu Picchu in Peru. For Christmas my mom gave me a calendar of ruins, so every day I get to look at El Tajin in Mexico, Tikal in Gautemala, and Copán in Honduras! I can't wait to see these places in real life!

I don't know who's already been tagged with this, but I'm going to say Emily Smith, Marci, Polly, Chels, Dee, and Jacq.

Joy to the World

Did you know that if you go caroling to someone's home—someone who is over the age of 65—the chances they will invite you in for a "treat" are pretty much 99.9%? Tonight we went caroling for part of our Relief Society Christmas Party, and we seriously had a blast! We parked and walked around a neighborhood with a map of the elderly people we knew would love to hear our singing. We did a good job of entertaining ourselves in between houses, too: slipping and falling on ice, talking about how we should invent caroling karaoke, laughing when we caught people in their under-roos, singing to a blind man and not realizing it until Nicole had been holding his card out to him for a good 30 seconds, and imitating the cute Danish woman's voice when she invited us in for a cookie and then wished us the best in finding the right man.
One man was in a wheelchair, and his wife and he invited us in to sing some more songs inside their home. It was so amazing to see how happy we made them—just a few minutes of our time changed their entire dispositions. One woman helped her husband to the door, and then he started mumbling along to the Christmas carols. When we finished she said, "You just made him happy for the rest of the week. Now he'll be singing all night.":)

Take time to make not only your Christmas memorable but others' as well. Watch out for those who may get overlooked. You can make a difference in their lives. Merry Christmas!!!

Ice is Nice, But Ice on the Road is Twice as Nice

Tonight the roads were completely covered with a layer of ice. As soon as I pulled out of my work parking lot and came to the stop sign a block away, my wheels were spinning! It was scary, but no cars were on the road so I just went through the stop sign. Then I passed three cars all crunched together in one of the Dan's Grocery Store parking lot driveways with a police car already on the scene. Going up the steep hill where my parents live was also very slippery. I knew it wasn't just me being paranoid when I saw a little triangular warning light come on my dashboard with a picture of a car and swirvy lines under the tires! I was very impressed with my Saab.:) Then I pushed on my little WEATHER button, which is like traction control to put motion in tires the front right and the back left (or something like that).

My motto has always been "Safety First," so I called off our Relief Society visits (which we usually do on Thursdays). I was really sad because we were all set to visit a lot of girls and take them cookies and invite them to our Relief Society Christmas Party on Tuesday night. But now, since I'm actually home (which is SO nice), I can update my blog. This entry is definitely action packed (as you can already see for yourself), so now you see what you've been missing out on the past couple of weeks. The only times I really update my blog are when I have pictures of Emma . . . or go on interesting dates. Lately I've actually felt paranoid about posting my date stories in case the boys mentioned in my date stories read my blog. So let's just say, I have at least two really good date stories that will make you gasp or just laugh really hard or say, "No way. No way!" So call me for the scoop. To give you a little sneak peak, one of the stories has to do with the guy rubbing ice on his lips during dinner.:) Yes, I am not lying.

I leave Saturday morning at 4 a.m. for Long Beach!! Lauren Buchanan is getting married on Sunday, so it should be a lot of fun to see high school friends and other very important people in my life.:) I can't wait to see the ocean. Ahhhh . . . I can smell it now! I have a work Christmas party tomorrow night, which is why I'm not flying out until Saturday, and then I will be back on Monday around midnight. My goal is to not get sick while I'm gone. Mom keeps making me promise her that I won't stay up late every night. That inevitably gets me sick. She keeps saying, "Remember, you can talk to Karina any time. You don't have to do it at 2 in the morning." But at 2 in the morning conversations are just starting to get good.:)

By the way, I had to share my favorite picture of Emma (so far), which is why it's part of this blog. An entry just wouldn't be the same without cute little Emma's face being part of it!:)

Celebs I Look Like!

Everyone loves those cheeks!

Emma is so squishable, especially in the facial area. I like her a lot. I like her so much I even bought her a silver cape with a fuzzy white collar so that she can come play dress-up with Aunt Katie when she's older. I'm planning ahead.:)




This is Kevin, my cousin who just got back from a mission in Chihuahua, Mexico. I ate dinner with his family last night before our monthly Family Night on my dad's side of the family, and It was so fun to speak to him in Spanish. The coolest thing is that his last mission president (Presidente Flores) was one of my supervisors when I was in Mexico teaching employment workshops!!! Hno. Flores was so cool and drove a little VW Bug and called Kizzy Kissy. We called him Papito. I can't wait to tell him that Kevin and I are cousins!

And these are my super-cute new shoes! I had to show them off. I was so excited when I found them and their aerosoles, so they're semi-comfy.

Laughing Joshua

Dee's little baby boy is growing up! He's such a cutie and smiles so easily. I got to hang out with Dee, Jon (her husband), and Joshua a little bit yesterday, and it's fun to watch Dee be a mommy. For all of you who don't know Dee, she was my mission companion, roommate in Alta Apt. in Provo, camping buddy, travel partner, and teaching partner in Mexico City.

Creepy People

Daxton Wilde Foundation—helping kids w/ cancer

This morning I went and helped at a 5K and Kids' Fun Run for the Daxton Wilde Foundation. Daxton was a little boy who faught cancer like a hero and wrote a book (w/ the help of his mom), which we published at Gibbs Smith, Publisher. It's called I'm a Superhero. Daxton's book is all about how cancer is the bad guy and how he was a superhero and had to fight it with chemo. It's a great book to explain to anyone what cancer is and how treatments work. Daxton passed a way a few years ago, so his foundation is to help families with kids that have cancer. Daxton's mom, Sheri, is such a sweet upbeat lady who is the one who actively heads up these fundraisers.


To honor all the superheroes among us—specifically kids fighting cancer—we all dressed up like superheroes! It was so fun. See if you can guess who I was.:) I included photos of Captain Underpants and a few others. There are two pictures of Isabelle, a little girl fighting cancer. In the one picture she's with her mom and in the other one she's giving everyone 5. She's so cute! I also included a picture of Izzy sitting on my head while I was taking a nap after a late night and long morning. Isn't she cute, too?

"What are you going to be on Halloween night???"

—a ghost or a goblin or a ghoul? For those of you who don't know, that line is from a childhood sing-along tape by Janeen Brady.:) Brad and I used to dance around the house singing to it. Last night was my ward Halloween party. It was awesome, so I thought I'd share some of the costumes with you. I was a shadow. I followed people around. Most people thought I was a lady with an abusive husband because of all the shadows (not bruises) on my face and neck.:)

The party was in a barn (though it's all remodeled inside, so it was just like a huge den), and we even had a greased pig contest! I'd never even heard of one of those until last night. The things you learn in Utah. Ha ha. And everyone who grew up here knows at least the main line dances and recognizes the songs they go with. One song came on and everyone jumped up to dance. They thought it was so weird that I didn't know the dance. I told them that the only exposure I'd had to line dancing was in 6th grade with Ms. Johnson teaching us "The Boot Scootin' Boogie" in P.E. I don't know what Boot Scootin' dance we learned in Downey, but it was not the same one they did last night.

Happy Halloween!

Four Days w/ the Taggarts

I love visiting Sam and Gehren! Here are some pictures from last Monday when we were playing outside with the kids. I took Monday off of work, so it was so nice to not have to leave on Sunday afternoon. We're trying to figure out some system where I visit them every weekend.:) There's always quitting my job or cloning!

A Typical Katie Day

Wake-up at 8:30 a.m. (slept in). Cram a piece of toast down my throat while I get ready. Work. Eat. Work. Eat. Work. Go for a walk at 2:30 p.m. Eat. Work. Work.

Leave work at 5:30 p.m. Hurry home. Cut out construction paper pumpkins while I eat my yummy chicken taco and talk to my parents. Throw on a dress. Visit people and deliver Halloween treats. Go to my Stake Relief Society Meeting. Go visit Nicole on the way home. (Sorry this is getting long. I thought I was condensing it.) Go visit Jackie (who just had her gall bladder taken out). Hear the doorbell ring at Jackie's house. See the Speed Dating guy who wanted to massage my foot!!! Try not to make eye contact. Act cool. Announce I have to go. Laugh all the way home.

I was TAGGED

Five things I was doing 10 years ago:
1. Getting ready to race tomorrow, since Thursdays were district cross country meets.
2. Driving by BJ Angulo's house (Wait, I didn't have my license yet. Sam, I would've had you drive me then! Ha ha.) or at least telling Karina how gorgeous he was and how he drank out of my water bottle. Karina would've been agreeing with me.
3. Sitting on the floor by my bed doing HOMEWORK!! That was life back then.
4. Memorizing sentences I didn't understand for a skit in Ms. Mussler's Spanish class.
5. Putting fresh band-aids on my knees from my last fall.

Five things on my "to do" list today:
1. Conference call with a potenial photographer for the book The Chef Next Door.
2. Edit the manuscript for Goat Cheese.
3. Fax Gibbs the marketing ideas for Berkeley Bohemia.
4. Lunch date with Carrie at Rumbi Grill! Whoo-hoo.
5. Go to Target to buy special treats for special people. ( I can't give specifics because I haven't delivered them yet.)

Five things I'd do if I were a millionaire:
1. Pay for everyone who wanted to go with me to Egypt to help my aunt and uncle (who leave to go there in like three weeks!) with humanitarian aid projects. Then I'd sponsor other humanitarian projects around the globe and travel around to oversee them, of course paying you guys to contribute your skills and expertise.
2. Buy a house big enough that all my friends could come visit anytime. And of course we'd have someone to cook our food and give massages.:) It'd be a beach house.
3. Build a pool! And I'd also have all kinds of water slides and hot tubs and floaty rafts. Maybe I'd do this all at my house by the lake, so we could also canoe on the lake!
4. Help my dad make movies from all of his screenplays and his famous The Baseball Box. I'd publish The Baseball Box first and then turn it into a movie. My dad would also direct it. Then he'd direct a home and people makeover show and my mom would get to be the first person on the show. She'd get a whole new wardrobe and home makeover to finish the basement, get appliances that work, and have a fenced-in yard & a doggy door.:) (I know I'm really stretching my five-things limit.)
5. "If I ever get out of this elevator I'm having my eyes lasered."

Five things I'll never wear again:
1. My jean jumpsuit (Think cross between cowgirl and Charlie's Angels)
2. My T-shirt buckle shaped like a cat
3. My disco-era headband
4. My Etnies
5. My prom dress

My five favorite toys:
1. Izzy (my puppy)
2. Do shoes count? My new red flats!
3. My Saab
4. My Mac laptop
5. My iPod

Five people I tag:
1. Sammy
2. Jacqui
3. Megan
4. Tiffany
5. Polly

A Promise is a Promise

Upon request, I'm posting another true dating story. Ha ha. I'm laughing already just remembering.:) And Breanne, don't worry, my story's not about Spencer. I had fun with him. I'll call you, I promise.:)

So, I had a Collins (think Pride and Prejudice) experience two Sundays ago. Church ended and I stood, and there was this new guy standing in the pew (sp?) right behind me. He's tall, lanky, dark hair, glasses, and moved in a month ago. His first day in Sunday school he told us that he'd just gotten custody of his three children. He's very vocal, so I've been able to get to know him through his comments in church but had never had a one-on-one conversation. I've kind of kept my distance, so I was surprised to see him looking like he wanted to talk to me.

He didn't talk for the first few seconds and then said, "I've been waiting for the right moment to talk to you. I first noticed you at temple baptisms, and I find you very attractive . . ." Then he stared, and I kept my mouth shut waiting. He seemed to be looking at my neck, but then I looked away because I noticed Brother Weir, the executive secretary, waiting to talk to me. He seemed to recognize what was going on and walked away, even though I was ready to yell out, "Wait. Don't leave me!" Another girl was leaning on my bench waiting to talk to me, too, but when I made eye contact with her she whispered, "I'll talk to you later." I turned back to Collins and he continued. "So to skip right to it, do you want to go out this Saturday at 8 p.m.?" I froze. I hate being taken off guard. I knew I was already doing something, but I couldn't think. "I have a date." I knew I didn't have a date. "Hmm, I can see how that would be—you having a date," Collins said. I scrambled to end the conversation. "Well, thanks. Have a good Sunday" and turned to grab my bag and leave. I felt bad, but not that bad.

My mom so wished she could've been there, but you are all invited to watch the movie in heaven.:)

Emma's Blessing Day

Emma was born four Sundays ago today! She doesn't like to sleep, but she's SO cute.:) Chels and Brad are amazing parents even though Chels could use some naps here and there.





Here are some pictures from today—Emma's blessing day. Brad's an elder in our church and holds the priesthood, which means he has the authority to give blessings, baptize, and confirm someone with the gift of the Holy Ghost. My dad, Grandpa, Chels's dad, and Chels's brother also hold the priesthood, so they stood in on the blessing. Soon after babies are born they are blessed and officially given their name for the church records. Brad blessed Emma with health and strength, with a quick and alert mind, with a knowledge that her body is a temple of God, and some other beautiful things. Wish you guys could've been here!

La familia Hurtado

Nuestros amigos, la familia Hurtado, estan aqui desde Venezuela! Los quiero mucho—son como familia. Eran muy importantes para mi, los otros misioneros y la estaca Maturin y nos ayudo bastante. Nos han contado que las cosas en Venezuela son muy dificiles y casi no tienen la libertad de vivir ni respirar como quieran. Me hace muy triste al pensar en mis amigos que todavia estan alla porque siento que no hay nada que puedo hacer para cambiar la situacion de su gobierno.