runrunkitkat is packing up and leaving Blogger.
This move kinda came on sooner than I'd planned, but no need to fear, I'm not ending my blog.
We have our own website that we're in the process of updating post-wedding. It will eventually include a 'todd & katie blog', and in order to streamline things, my personal blog is joining the website. You know, keep the family together and happy. Plus, my blog gets a new look, something I've been wanting to do for quite awhile.
So this is my last post at runrunkitkat.blogspot.com. I'm not leaving with any party or sendoff, just plain and simple, keep on following me at my new site and you won't even notice anything has changed.
Be sure to add http://toddandkatie.com/katiesblog/ to your daily blog readings!
Adieu! See you soon!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
Flashback Monday Funday
As I was running by the UW football stadium on Saturday morning, the air was permeated with the smells of bacon and the enthusiastic cheers and laughs of college students who sacrificed sleep for tailgating time.
It made me nostalgic for my days of college football tailgating. While I don't miss it so much that I want to be out drinking beer and eating burgers with them, it did make me remember all the great memories I made with friends and fellow Wildcat fans during my 4.5 years at K-State. Tailgating was an important part of my college days-- behavior I'll never go back to-- but something I have such fond memories of.
I especially recalled the morning several of us woke up at 4:30 am (unheard of for normal college students) to walk to the stadium and wait for an hour behind the barricades......sprint to the stadium gates.....stampede down the stairs to get prime spots....and then wait another 2 or 3 hours for the live broadcast of ESPN's College Gameday from Manhattan, KS to begin. (yeah, this was back when our team was ranked in the Top 10...not so much the case in recent years)
I'm pretty sure my friends and I never got on tv, but who cares? We were part of a faithful following of crazy fans who devoted our Saturdays to supporting our team.
I went back through my photo albums for some good memories.
Freshman year tailgating before the 2000 Big 12 Championship vs. OU.
I was a cheerleader at heart. But I was too tall and about 30 pounds too heavy to make the real squad.
Junior year tailgating with girlfriends.
One of my senior years :) with my brother in his notorious I Eta Pi gameday apparel.
Hard to believe some of those were 8 years ago.
Eat 'em up, beat 'em up, K-S-U!
It made me nostalgic for my days of college football tailgating. While I don't miss it so much that I want to be out drinking beer and eating burgers with them, it did make me remember all the great memories I made with friends and fellow Wildcat fans during my 4.5 years at K-State. Tailgating was an important part of my college days-- behavior I'll never go back to-- but something I have such fond memories of.
I especially recalled the morning several of us woke up at 4:30 am (unheard of for normal college students) to walk to the stadium and wait for an hour behind the barricades......sprint to the stadium gates.....stampede down the stairs to get prime spots....and then wait another 2 or 3 hours for the live broadcast of ESPN's College Gameday from Manhattan, KS to begin. (yeah, this was back when our team was ranked in the Top 10...not so much the case in recent years)
I'm pretty sure my friends and I never got on tv, but who cares? We were part of a faithful following of crazy fans who devoted our Saturdays to supporting our team.
I went back through my photo albums for some good memories.
Freshman year tailgating before the 2000 Big 12 Championship vs. OU.
I was a cheerleader at heart. But I was too tall and about 30 pounds too heavy to make the real squad.
Junior year tailgating with girlfriends.
One of my senior years :) with my brother in his notorious I Eta Pi gameday apparel.
Hard to believe some of those were 8 years ago.
Eat 'em up, beat 'em up, K-S-U!
Saturday, October 25, 2008
We make a great pair
I get to enjoy a 10 mile run on a lovely fall day.
He gets to sleep in until 10:30.
I decided to go back to my old 'stomping ground'. Its been awhile since I've ran the Lake Union Loop and up through UW on the Burke Gilman trail. It was nice, the sun came out and all the vibrant leaves made for a colorful start to the day.
We're off to tour several apartments today. Should be fun.
He gets to sleep in until 10:30.
I decided to go back to my old 'stomping ground'. Its been awhile since I've ran the Lake Union Loop and up through UW on the Burke Gilman trail. It was nice, the sun came out and all the vibrant leaves made for a colorful start to the day.
We're off to tour several apartments today. Should be fun.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
The other girl
You know those little things you avoid talking about because bringing up that subject always ends in disagreements? (ie: I don't talk to my husband for hours...yep, that's me, totally passive-agressive)
That 800 pound gorilla sitting in the room?
The thing that you can't seem to discuss without getting frustrated?
*hand raised real high*
Yeah.
We have one subject that we tiptoe around.
Her name is Silvia.
Todd talks about her every once in awhile, shows pictures of them when they were younger, smiles as he remembers all the wonderful times they had together. She was there for him in high school and college, he even moved her to Seattle when he got a job up here. She was perhaps his first love. I think our best man's toast was more about her than me.
In the years that we dated, Todd started spending less time with her, and she eventually just sat by and stayed mostly out of the way. Never made a move to win back the title of his favorite girl.
But I know she's still around. Sometimes he even reminds me just how close Silvia and I are in his ranking of favorite things. Thankfully I always rank just a wee bit above her.
Oh yeah, Silvia is a car.
You may think "Its just a car, why get so irrational over it?" Ah, yes, excellent question.
But to fully explain this, I'd have to go back in time to when my Dad began collecting his cars (no time for that- it would take an entire book to tell about all of his cars). And then my brother followed in his footsteps. I've seen the stress it causes my mother and sister-in-law. I never wanted that for myself.
But sometimes, things work out in ways you never wished for. I fell in love with a man who loves cars. Just like the other two favorite men in my life.
*sigh*
I suppose I could learn to love Silvia if I'd have the chance to actually go for a ride in her or drive her somewhere, but instead she has been locked in a storage unit for the past several years. Gathering mold. Going nowhere. She has no seats. No battery. And her rent is not cheap. I liken it to flushing your money down the toilet every month. What is the use in having a car that doesn't run? Why not get rid of it? Touchy subject indeed.
This past weekend, much to my delight, we put Silvia on a trailer and hauled her off to Idaho where she can be close to her grandparents.
We can go visit her whenever we want, which makes Todd happy. And we're paying 75% less each month for storage, which makes me happy. Perhaps we can put that money to good use and get her some parts.
And sell her. Muahahahahaaa!
I kid, I kid. I know how much he loves her. And as long as he loves me more, I'm fine if they stay friends and keep in touch every once in awhile..
That 800 pound gorilla sitting in the room?
The thing that you can't seem to discuss without getting frustrated?
*hand raised real high*
Yeah.
We have one subject that we tiptoe around.
Her name is Silvia.
Todd talks about her every once in awhile, shows pictures of them when they were younger, smiles as he remembers all the wonderful times they had together. She was there for him in high school and college, he even moved her to Seattle when he got a job up here. She was perhaps his first love. I think our best man's toast was more about her than me.
In the years that we dated, Todd started spending less time with her, and she eventually just sat by and stayed mostly out of the way. Never made a move to win back the title of his favorite girl.
But I know she's still around. Sometimes he even reminds me just how close Silvia and I are in his ranking of favorite things. Thankfully I always rank just a wee bit above her.
Oh yeah, Silvia is a car.
You may think "Its just a car, why get so irrational over it?" Ah, yes, excellent question.
But to fully explain this, I'd have to go back in time to when my Dad began collecting his cars (no time for that- it would take an entire book to tell about all of his cars). And then my brother followed in his footsteps. I've seen the stress it causes my mother and sister-in-law. I never wanted that for myself.
But sometimes, things work out in ways you never wished for. I fell in love with a man who loves cars. Just like the other two favorite men in my life.
*sigh*
I suppose I could learn to love Silvia if I'd have the chance to actually go for a ride in her or drive her somewhere, but instead she has been locked in a storage unit for the past several years. Gathering mold. Going nowhere. She has no seats. No battery. And her rent is not cheap. I liken it to flushing your money down the toilet every month. What is the use in having a car that doesn't run? Why not get rid of it? Touchy subject indeed.
This past weekend, much to my delight, we put Silvia on a trailer and hauled her off to Idaho where she can be close to her grandparents.
We can go visit her whenever we want, which makes Todd happy. And we're paying 75% less each month for storage, which makes me happy. Perhaps we can put that money to good use and get her some parts.
And sell her. Muahahahahaaa!
I kid, I kid. I know how much he loves her. And as long as he loves me more, I'm fine if they stay friends and keep in touch every once in awhile..
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
War.....what is it good for?
I have recently become a huge fan of this website. Can't remember how I discovered it, but it's a slight addiction right now.
Kitten War
Even if you don't like kittens so much (*cough* jamie), you have to admit this is pretty cute. I do feel bad having to make one of the kittens a 'loser', but like the site states "all our kittens are winners really...".
I even submitted a picture of our beloved Miles McCool (may he rest in peace), but either it's still pending approval or the judges have decided he isn't 'kitten' enough.
After all, he was maybe 12 (he never would reveal his real age to us) when the picture was taken, so that would qualify him more for the ElderlyCats War if they had a website for that.
He's still a winner in my heart. Look at that ornery face. Even in his last days he was a playful, happy dude.
Vote for Miles McCool in 2008!
[That's the most political you'll ever hear me be]
Kitten War
Even if you don't like kittens so much (*cough* jamie), you have to admit this is pretty cute. I do feel bad having to make one of the kittens a 'loser', but like the site states "all our kittens are winners really...".
I even submitted a picture of our beloved Miles McCool (may he rest in peace), but either it's still pending approval or the judges have decided he isn't 'kitten' enough.
After all, he was maybe 12 (he never would reveal his real age to us) when the picture was taken, so that would qualify him more for the ElderlyCats War if they had a website for that.
He's still a winner in my heart. Look at that ornery face. Even in his last days he was a playful, happy dude.
Vote for Miles McCool in 2008!
[That's the most political you'll ever hear me be]
Monday, October 13, 2008
the number for today is 7.
Now that I have a little extra free time on my hands....no wedding planning or projects to fuss over, no full-time job to be bored at all day...I've taken this opportunity to get back to my love of training for races.
The annual Seattle Marathon is coming up quickly at the end of November, and since I enjoyed the 1/2 marathon last year, I really wanted to run it again this year. This will be my 7th half marathon, but the first one that I'll be running a 2nd time. My training won't be as gradual as I would like since I just basically started training about 8.5 weeks out, but I'll make it work as long as it doesn't kill my legs.
So far, so good.
This past weekend was sunny and lovely, we got to drive the convertible with the top down 2 days in a row!–- A rare statement for October in Seattle.
But I especially took advantage of the wonderful fall weather to do a long run yesterday afternoon. I'd planned on going 6 but decided to just push it a little further and run to meet up with Todd at a coffee shop he was going to be doing some work at. I like to call it the 'lake-to-sound-to-steep steps-to coffee' run.
It ended up being 7.7 miles, surprisingly at an 8:28 pace. And that was including all the annoying stop lights along the way and the painfully steep stairclimb through Pike Place market you see there right before mile 7.
Ugh.
But those stairs are so worth it after running along my new favorite spot. This is the second run I've taken down through the Olympic Sculpture park and along the Puget Sound through Myrtle Edwards and Elliot Bay parks.
It humbles and amazes me each time–- that we live in such a beautiful city and yet are just a quick run away from nature's grandeur. The sun was hovering just above the Olympic mountains and lit up the water like fire. It makes a long run so much easier when you can watch the boats sail by and the waves crash on the rocks. I wish I'd had my camera.
I finished up at Uptown Espresso where Todd was, then we walked home, stopping at the grocery store for a couple items so I could make tacos for dinner. What a great way to finish out a lovely weekend.
The annual Seattle Marathon is coming up quickly at the end of November, and since I enjoyed the 1/2 marathon last year, I really wanted to run it again this year. This will be my 7th half marathon, but the first one that I'll be running a 2nd time. My training won't be as gradual as I would like since I just basically started training about 8.5 weeks out, but I'll make it work as long as it doesn't kill my legs.
So far, so good.
This past weekend was sunny and lovely, we got to drive the convertible with the top down 2 days in a row!–- A rare statement for October in Seattle.
But I especially took advantage of the wonderful fall weather to do a long run yesterday afternoon. I'd planned on going 6 but decided to just push it a little further and run to meet up with Todd at a coffee shop he was going to be doing some work at. I like to call it the 'lake-to-sound-to-steep steps-to coffee' run.
It ended up being 7.7 miles, surprisingly at an 8:28 pace. And that was including all the annoying stop lights along the way and the painfully steep stairclimb through Pike Place market you see there right before mile 7.
Ugh.
But those stairs are so worth it after running along my new favorite spot. This is the second run I've taken down through the Olympic Sculpture park and along the Puget Sound through Myrtle Edwards and Elliot Bay parks.
It humbles and amazes me each time–- that we live in such a beautiful city and yet are just a quick run away from nature's grandeur. The sun was hovering just above the Olympic mountains and lit up the water like fire. It makes a long run so much easier when you can watch the boats sail by and the waves crash on the rocks. I wish I'd had my camera.
I finished up at Uptown Espresso where Todd was, then we walked home, stopping at the grocery store for a couple items so I could make tacos for dinner. What a great way to finish out a lovely weekend.
Friday, October 10, 2008
a glimmer of hope
If there's one thing I never understood about my husband (hmmm...still feels a little weird calling him that), it is his odd eating preferences. Or, mostly his dislikes. Seafood, tomatoes, mushrooms, feta cheese, etc....and STRAWBERRIES!??!
*GASP!*
I'm the strawberry girl, after all! My birth announcements were strawberries that said 'its strawberry season and we picked a sweet one'.
awwwwwww.....how cute is that?
They've always been my #1 favorite food, and to find out recently that he's "not too fond of strawberries" was a major shock to my system and everything I've ever believed. God really led me to marry this man??
But learning his eating habits, I've realized how fortunate I was growing up.
My grandpa and dad would take us fishing and we'd clean and fry up that day's catch. Catching a fish with caviar (not the fancy expensive type, mind you, this was pond fish) was a special treat and my brother and I would fight over the little yellow egg packets. My grandparents were all farmers and gardeners so fresh veggies and fruits were what we ate on a daily basis. We prepped for the winters by canning and freezing the summer's produce.
At the time, I thought it was such a pain to have to pick the corn, shuck the corn, clean the corn, cook the corn, can the corn, freeze the corn....now I miss that.
My mom always did such a great job of fixing meals with a wide variety of ingredients and flavors, giving us a varied, well developed flavor palate. Plus, if I didn't eat my food, my brother would scarf it down and there was no peanut butter and jelly sandwich waiting for me instead.
Back to my original point....my seafood disliking husband. This has been an ongoing struggle for me since we've lived in the same city and I've been cooking for us. We are blessed to live in one of the best places to get fresh seafood in the world. Even so, we don't frequent many seafood restaurants, except on special occasions or when friends/family come to town.
I make this sacrifice in hopes that some day he'll realize he loves seafood. I leave my sushi eating to going out with friends. Besides, I can find some decent seafood in restaurants where he can have his chicken and beef. It's not always so easy the other way around.
I've been limited on what I cook for dinners. No tomato based products either (this is equally as difficult....i LOVE my parents' garden grow cherry tomatoes, those things are like candy to me).
Well yesterday I didn't feel like having chicken again. Didn't want to walk to the grocery store in the rain. But I did have some frozen Tilapia I'd picked up at Trader Joe's awhile back. I'd mostly intended to save it for when we're not able to eat dinner together, then I'd make it for myself.
Should I make fish? This was my dilemma for awhile and when he called me, I tiptoed around how to tell him I was thinking of making fish for dinner.
"I'm wondering if you..."
"What if I make, um..."
Oh for goodness sakes, he's your husband, he can eat it or make his own food!
"Is it okay if I make fish for dinner tonight?"
"Yeah hun, that sounds good."
What a sweetheart :) I love him.
I made fish. It was delicious. And he even said he liked it.
There's a bright glimmer of hope even in the darkest places....
*GASP!*
I'm the strawberry girl, after all! My birth announcements were strawberries that said 'its strawberry season and we picked a sweet one'.
awwwwwww.....how cute is that?
They've always been my #1 favorite food, and to find out recently that he's "not too fond of strawberries" was a major shock to my system and everything I've ever believed. God really led me to marry this man??
But learning his eating habits, I've realized how fortunate I was growing up.
My grandpa and dad would take us fishing and we'd clean and fry up that day's catch. Catching a fish with caviar (not the fancy expensive type, mind you, this was pond fish) was a special treat and my brother and I would fight over the little yellow egg packets. My grandparents were all farmers and gardeners so fresh veggies and fruits were what we ate on a daily basis. We prepped for the winters by canning and freezing the summer's produce.
At the time, I thought it was such a pain to have to pick the corn, shuck the corn, clean the corn, cook the corn, can the corn, freeze the corn....now I miss that.
My mom always did such a great job of fixing meals with a wide variety of ingredients and flavors, giving us a varied, well developed flavor palate. Plus, if I didn't eat my food, my brother would scarf it down and there was no peanut butter and jelly sandwich waiting for me instead.
Back to my original point....my seafood disliking husband. This has been an ongoing struggle for me since we've lived in the same city and I've been cooking for us. We are blessed to live in one of the best places to get fresh seafood in the world. Even so, we don't frequent many seafood restaurants, except on special occasions or when friends/family come to town.
I make this sacrifice in hopes that some day he'll realize he loves seafood. I leave my sushi eating to going out with friends. Besides, I can find some decent seafood in restaurants where he can have his chicken and beef. It's not always so easy the other way around.
I've been limited on what I cook for dinners. No tomato based products either (this is equally as difficult....i LOVE my parents' garden grow cherry tomatoes, those things are like candy to me).
Well yesterday I didn't feel like having chicken again. Didn't want to walk to the grocery store in the rain. But I did have some frozen Tilapia I'd picked up at Trader Joe's awhile back. I'd mostly intended to save it for when we're not able to eat dinner together, then I'd make it for myself.
Should I make fish? This was my dilemma for awhile and when he called me, I tiptoed around how to tell him I was thinking of making fish for dinner.
"I'm wondering if you..."
"What if I make, um..."
Oh for goodness sakes, he's your husband, he can eat it or make his own food!
"Is it okay if I make fish for dinner tonight?"
"Yeah hun, that sounds good."
What a sweetheart :) I love him.
I made fish. It was delicious. And he even said he liked it.
There's a bright glimmer of hope even in the darkest places....
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
A New Leaf
I've been meaning to blog everyday since we've returned from our honeymoon, but obviously, have failed to do so. I have too much to blog about, but I'm torn between what I want to blog about. And torn between where I want my blog to go. What started solely as a running blog became a random update site on my new experiences living halfway across the country from friends and family. And frankly, I think my mom is the only family member who even reads it! Thanks mom, love ya.
So I'm looking to do something different with this blog.
Maybe change the name. Definitely change the look at some point. Blog more frequently for sure. Maybe focus on blogging about more varied, intimate details of my daily life.
I read A LOT of blogs out there, so I have a tremendous amount of inspiration (which also shows me where i'm seriously lacking in having an interesting blog).
I keep up on my friends' blogs, wedding blogs, design blogs, photography, travel, culinary, spiritual, financial.....it's funny how my blogrolls have grown as my life has changed. I read only a couple running blogs now and have started reading more food and finance blogs as an attempt to be a good wife and set up a budget for our family.
But I'm first and foremost drawn to the wedding and design blogs b/c I consider that a form of research for work.
Yes, if I didn't officially previously mention it, I quit my 9-5 job at an ad agency to pursue my passion of having my own customized stationery design business. So I'm not sure if that's where I'll take this blog right now, or start a new one specifically for that, but I'm thinking all these things through while I get back into the groove of blogging about my new married life.
stay tuned....
So I'm looking to do something different with this blog.
Maybe change the name. Definitely change the look at some point. Blog more frequently for sure. Maybe focus on blogging about more varied, intimate details of my daily life.
I read A LOT of blogs out there, so I have a tremendous amount of inspiration (which also shows me where i'm seriously lacking in having an interesting blog).
I keep up on my friends' blogs, wedding blogs, design blogs, photography, travel, culinary, spiritual, financial.....it's funny how my blogrolls have grown as my life has changed. I read only a couple running blogs now and have started reading more food and finance blogs as an attempt to be a good wife and set up a budget for our family.
But I'm first and foremost drawn to the wedding and design blogs b/c I consider that a form of research for work.
Yes, if I didn't officially previously mention it, I quit my 9-5 job at an ad agency to pursue my passion of having my own customized stationery design business. So I'm not sure if that's where I'll take this blog right now, or start a new one specifically for that, but I'm thinking all these things through while I get back into the groove of blogging about my new married life.
stay tuned....
Monday, September 15, 2008
MARRIED!
Just a quick post to announce that we're married!!
Everything went fabulously and I could not have imagined a more awesome day. I'll get around to posting more pictures later, but for now, I'll focus on enjoying our honeymoon in San Francisco (I already had a yummy In-n-Out burger and strawberry milk shake...MMMM!).
Everything went fabulously and I could not have imagined a more awesome day. I'll get around to posting more pictures later, but for now, I'll focus on enjoying our honeymoon in San Francisco (I already had a yummy In-n-Out burger and strawberry milk shake...MMMM!).
Sunday, September 07, 2008
4 states down....4 to go.
Washington, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming....check, check, check, check.
We made it to Spearfish, South Dakota late last night and found a hotel room to crash at. After 13 hours of driving (or, riding, in my case) and 800 miles, I was eager to get some good sleep and realign my back.
Highlights from the day of driving include, but are not limited to:
-Crossing the Clark Fork river 15 times.
-Winning another bet against our friend Erin for not seeing any signs for hamburgers for over 30 miles.
-75 mph speed limits!
-Getting to listen to the K-State football game while driving through Montana State country, the team we were playing and eventually beat 69-10. It's not often that K-State games are broadcast out in Seattle, so that was a pleasant surprise.
-Being a couple weeks too late to attend the Testicle Festival in Montana. Thank goodness!
We're getting ready to hit the road again and make it through South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska and 7 miles into Kansas, where I'll finally feel like we're 'home'.
We made it to Spearfish, South Dakota late last night and found a hotel room to crash at. After 13 hours of driving (or, riding, in my case) and 800 miles, I was eager to get some good sleep and realign my back.
Highlights from the day of driving include, but are not limited to:
-Crossing the Clark Fork river 15 times.
-Winning another bet against our friend Erin for not seeing any signs for hamburgers for over 30 miles.
-75 mph speed limits!
-Getting to listen to the K-State football game while driving through Montana State country, the team we were playing and eventually beat 69-10. It's not often that K-State games are broadcast out in Seattle, so that was a pleasant surprise.
-Being a couple weeks too late to attend the Testicle Festival in Montana. Thank goodness!
We're getting ready to hit the road again and make it through South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska and 7 miles into Kansas, where I'll finally feel like we're 'home'.
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