Christmas Dance Party

Just a taste of Christmas at our house.

~Kathryn

Silver Bells

Blog friends, excuse me for a moment as I post a video that's primarily for family who missed our church's Christmas concert and missed my song. (-: Feel free to listen as well, though, it's a bluegrassy Silver Bells. (-:

~Kathryn

Joni Mitchell for John G (A Vlog)

Yesterday, as I was procrastinating my homework, I pulled out my guitar and started playing lots of random songs. Then, when Mark and Karlie got home, they wanted "Both Sides, Now", by Joni Mitchell, which I hadn't done in forever. So Mark tuned my guitar into one of her very odd tunings, and I rummaged through the internet to find a remotely accurate version in that open tuning.

With my new fancy computer I recorded it for Mark, because it's his favorite, and then I just knew of one other person who would really appreciate it. The number one fan of my blog - my Uncle John G straight from sunny SoCal. He's one of my favorite people in the world, and I just wish we could see him more often.

Here I am - the one one the left making the weird face, holding the bunny, with my parents and John G, who is kneeling by my brother:

And here we are at my wedding - he flew all the way in from California and surprised us. It made the day.

And here we are, about a year ago, when Mark and I went to visit him in California:

He's pretty swell. So, I'm putting this song up for him - everyone else: you are welcome to watch it, although you might find it incredibly boring. (-: I figured since all the cool kids were doing Vlogs this week, I should, too.

I hope you like it, Uncle John! (-: xoxo (



~Kathryn

Road Trip: Day of Cooking Out and Swimming

Well, today was another fun and relaxing day in Virginia. Unfortunately, my cousin's migraine worsened so she was out for the count for most of the day. So, Mark and I made another trip to the pool with the girls. This time we got some video footage and some pics. Let's just say the girls LOVED playing with Mark in the pool. I thought it was VERY comical, so I snapped several photos.

And Mark is in this pic, you just can't see him, because he is surrounded by girls:

And here I am with the cousins. The youngest one is Elizabeth, and it's been two years since I've seen her. She isn't four yet, so she doesn't exactly remember me. We were walking back to the car today and she looked up at me and randomly said, "I still don't remember you." ha.

Here is me and Mark. Yay!

Here are the girls sitting out of the pool for the grown-up swim time, with Mark in the pool. This is a video:



And here I am, talking to Elizabeth, and teaching her the peace sign, which is very crucial to learn:



And here's one final picture from the pool of my, Georgia, and Annie.

Tomorrow we are going to the Zoo. That should be pretty fabulous. And tonight we are cooking out. No photos of that yet.

Peace!

~Kathryn

Road Trip: A Museum and the Pool!

Today was a very exciting day in our nation's capitol. We started the day with a riveting ride on the DC Metro to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. This is the "dinosaur museum" as my cousins call it. Mark and I took the two middle cousins with us. We had to stop for lemonade before we made it into the museum. Of course, the girls took full advantage of the free Metro newspaper:

And here we are, in front of the museum, drinking our lemonade:

And yes, in perfect tourist form, I wore my I "heart" Tulsa shirt and Mark wore his Eskimo Joe's shirt today. All we needed was a fanny pack. (-:

After we wore ourselves out at the museum and ate lunch at the local mall's food court, we loaded up all the kiddos in the minivan and headed to the neighborhood pool for some swimming and pizza.And it was just Mark and I, with 5 kids, all between the ages of 3 and 10. Are you impressed? I was impressed. Here is a video from the car ride in case you don't believe me (their mom got a migraine, so we were without her):



And here is a picture of me with the youngest at the pool. Note the awesome new shorts I have on. I know you can't see them completely, but I got them at Urban Outfitters, and I love them.

And there you have it. A day of swimming, eating, nap taking, and museum visiting. Pretty stinkin' awesome.

~Kathryn

Road Trip Video Blog: Day 2, Part 2: WE MADE IT!

Okay, everyone! Here is the final portion of our video blog on our way to DC!

You should get very excited about these videos because they include me singing (duh), a dramatic story involving ice cream, and our almost arrival at our destination. So how can that not be cool?

So, here's the first one, with us coming upon Morgantown, West Virginia, which happens to be in a song by my girl, Joni Mitchell:



And this is after we were charged an outrageous price for some Ben and Jerry's, so I opted for another brand:



And finally, here I am, about to explode with excitement as we are pulling up to the house!




And there you have it!

We are here and so enjoying ourselves. We spent today getting the shopping out of the way. (-: We went to Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie mainly, and Whole Foods. I got four shirt and a pair of shorts and a skirt.But, I decided I'm taking the skirt back because it doesn't look as awesome as I thought it did at first, plus it was was $20, and that's kind of expensive. And I'm kinda cheap. What can I say? I want a house.

Anyway, tomorrow we are going to the museum of Natural History. So that should be fun!

Catch you guys later!

~Kathryn

Road Trip: Day 2, Part 1

Well, we have made it to our destination. (-:

And of course, we did some video blogging on the second day. There is more singing by Mark, and lots of commentary by me. I know you are so excited. We have six videos, varying from 30 seconds to one minute in length. Unfortunately, they are taking forever to load, so I'm doing three in this post and three in the next post.

Here we are, four hours into our drive, and me about thirty minutes in. Yes, I slept from 4:00am to 8:00am while Mark drove.



And here is what also went down during the trip:



I know you all love to hear Mark sing on the road. You will love this. The memory stick gave out at a rather crucial point, but I think you will enjoy this:



More to come...

~Kathryn

Road Trip Video Blog: Day One!

Hello from the road! We finished our first leg of our trip and have survived, but it only took us about 5 hours and 20 minutes. I guess you could call it a warm-up. We are in for a rude awakening tomorrow.

There's really not much need for me to chat on here, I'll let the videos speak for themselves. They are pretty priceless. Oh, and here's a picture of what Mark looks like while he's driving holding his cassettes:

And here I am, in the passenger seat:

Now that that's out of the way, we will start the video blog. There are five videos, approximately one minute long each.

This first video is right after we left. We were fresh and excited for the trip!



This second video is after I woke up from my nap and Mark talked a little. My apologies that I didn't realize I couldn't turn the video camera on its side. Ha. Oops., but don't worry, I fix it party through the video:



This next video is of our pit-stop. Very thrilling. (-:



This next video involves Mark's cassettes and the joy he experiences with them:



Impressive, eh? And here is our final video after our arrival on the first leg of the trip. We got this hotel off of priceline.com for $50. So now you can see what we got with us!



And there you have it. Do you feel like you were with us in the car? I bet you wish you were in that backseat with the cooler. (-:

Until tomorrow, Ciao!

~Kathryn

That Video I Mentioned...

from the SNL Lawrence Welk Show episode... Here it is:



~Kathryn

Happy Birthday, Harrison!

My little brother turned 23 yesterday. My sister and I sang him a birthday song. I thought you might enjoy seeing it. Happy Weekend!

~Kathryn

March Madness at My House

We are snowed in. Being the good wife that I am, I have consented to the all day ticket of March Madness.

If you want a sneak peek into my world, enjoy the following short clips of Mark's antics.



And yes, he talks to himself the whole time. And one more:

 

I hope you are having fun watching B-ball at your place as well. (-:

~Kathryn

Your Questions Answered and A Video

Hi, everyone! We are going to try to wrap up the question/answer segment. Also, we have arrived in Branson, MO, for some vacation time! Yay! At the bottom of this there is a video (that may as well just be audio because you can't see anything) of a little of our road trip. Enjoy!

I want to know some OSU stuff....like what you love about it, favorite OSU memory, etc!!! GO POKES!!!

Me: Well, neither of us went to OSU. Shocking? I will let Mark tell about his love for OSU, but I will say that he knows more about that school and loves it more than many people I know that graduated from there. Also, he is considering a master's degree from OSU. I started liking OSU because I was dating a boy who was really obsessed with the school, had season football tickets, and knew everything about it. So, I decided that if I was going to date that boy, I should like his school. He just happened to be Mark.

Mark: Our favorite OSU memory together was the 2007 OSU/Texas Tech football game. It was an offensive shoot-out that came down to the final possessions and the Cowboys prevailed 49-45. However, what more people remember from that day is not the game, but the post game press conference, which can be seen here.

If you could travel anywhere in the world where would you go?

Me: Hmm... Well, I have maybe two places. Or three. I'd really like to go Hawaii, because it's so beautiful, and people speak English. So that's a plus. Other than that, I would like to go to Paris and London probably. Apparently Mark agrees. I just asked him. That's handy.

Fav activity to do with hubby?

Me: That's a really tough question. There are a lot of things I love to do. But, I think it I HAD to pick one, I would probably say just talking. Like in the car or at a coffee shop or at a camp out. We have a lot of fun talking to each other and Mark always makes me think of things from a different angle. We have a lot of fun talking, planning, and making each other laugh. Hopefully that doesn't sound too cheesey, but it's true.

Mark: Relax together while I read and Kathryn blogs. And getting Italian cream sodas from Rocket Brothers Coffee.

Favorite gift you ever received? :)

Me: Hmm.... one that really sticks out is a keyboard my dad got me when I was really little and had just started piano lessons. I remember going to the store to pick it out and they were "sold out" of the one I wanted, but on Christmas, it was mysteriously at my house. I remember feeling really special when I saw the keyboard. Even though I was really young, that is still a really strong memory for me. Other than that, anything Mark gets me. (-:

If you both had a month off of work, and all expenses paid, where would you take a vacation to and what would you do while you are there?

Me: Somewhere with a beach and the ocean. I LOVE the ocean. And I would probably lay on the beach five days of the seven and then the other two days we would dress up and go out to eat and do fun things. (-: And repeat that for a month. Mark concurs.
 
How does your hubby feel about your blogging and blog friends?

Me: He is very supportive. He reads all the posts, and lets me know if there is one he especially likes. I bounce a lot of ideas off of him. As far as my blog friends go, he is kind of friends with them through me. Occassionally I will be sitting on the couch reading a blog of someone going through a really hard time, and I feel especially burdened and I just start crying. And so then he reads the blog, too. I feel like I have a connection with a lot of bloggers, even if I haven't met them. I pray for them, and enjoy reading their blogs, getting their comments on mine, and even meeting some of them. So Mark has to hear about them as well.

Mark: I think it is one of the most constructive habits Kathryn could have because it chronicles our lives. I encourage her because I enjoy reading books while she types.
 
What makes you really angry? And can you get over it easily and move on?

Me: I guess the thing that makes me really angry is rude people. I don't get angry very often, but when people are rude for no reason it really fires me up. Life is too short for people to be rude. And yes, I usually get over it pretty quickly. Rude people shouldn't be able to ruin my day. (-:
 
What's your fave meal? Fave food?
 
Me: I pretty much like anything. There are very few things I don't eat. That being said, I love... hmm... so many things are going through my head. I used to always say Chinese was my favorite, and I still really love it, but don't eat it nearly as often. I love Mexican food as well, Chipotle is a favorite. I love meatloaf, chicken pot pie, stir fry, soups of many kinds, wings, really good sandwiches, ice cream, lots of stuff.
Mark: Right now, it's probably pizza. If it's at home, it's the tomato basil pizza Kathryn makes. If I'm eating out, it's Sam and Ellas.

What was the "I'm in love" moment for each of you?
 
Me: This is really hard. I can't say that I have a definining moment, but I do remember us riding in the car together and driving home from somewhere and just talking. I remember the highway and I remember Mark being more open than usual and I remember being to really be able to see his heart. And I remember that being a really special moment.

Mark: For me, it was when I visited her in Washington, D.C. We were not dating at the time and it was then that I realized just how much I really had missed her. And the time that we had when I visited her was very memorable and special. Going home from that trip was definitely bittersweet. As soon as she came home from that semester, I put the full court press on, but that still took several months. And we've been together ever since.

Okay so this video is basically a dark blob, and then my nose. Because apparently my nose was the only thing big and bright enough to show up in the video. So, call me Rudolph. And PS, in case you can't tell, Mark is sick. Poor guy.

 
~Kathryn (and Mark)

Held Hostage By a Mouse

In this part of the country, we have been snowed in for a few days. My brother and sister-in-law came and spent a couple nights here, and we really had a fabulous time. We ate some yummy comfort food, watched some great movies (You've Got Mail, anyone?), enjoyed the snow, and relaxed.

That is, until an unwanted guest showed up.

There is now, officially, residing with us, a MOUSE. A live mouse. And not really a tiny mouse. He's pretty big. And really creepy. And his tail has got to be like a foot long. I think it's like one of those mice that are in NYC. My brother saw him first when he was in the shower (my brother, not the mouse). So, of course we all ran to the bathroom to see the mouse.

Somehow, in the hysteria of that moment, I had my wits about me enough to grab my camera and record the event. Harrison (my brother) and Mark got the brilliant idea to spray the mouse with carpet cleaner. Because, I mean, who would want to get sprayed with carpet cleaner, right? Surely the mouse would retreat. So there we are, all crowded in the bathroom, carpet cleaner flying, me screaming, Harrison in the shower, and the dogs wondering what in the world was going on.

So what happened? The mouse retreated (I'm sure only temporarily) back into THE CEILING. So that when it's my turn for a shower, he can make another appearance and trap me and try to get me back for him getting sprayed with carpet cleaner. I know that's what is going to happen.

So, you wanna see the video? Yeah, I thought you might. Please excuse the extreme loudness of my voice. Here it is:



Happy Monday!

~Kathryn

Goals for 2010 and New Year's Update

Well, Mark and I have been thinking and brainstorming, and have come up with some goals for 2010, and we have them broken into categories. Are you ready for this?

House-Keeping: We have a list on the fridge of things we can each do to keep the apartment clean. Living in a small space makes clutter almost always an issue, so we are working on being better at making sure everything has a place, and keeping it there if it's not in use.

Financial: We have some pretty large goals this year, including paying off one of my student loans, paying off mark's car, saving enough to pay cash for a new used car, and then spending the rest of the year starting a savings for a HOUSE! YAY!!!

Physical: We are going to try to work out together twice a week - even treadmill walking. Ugh. This is the one I am actually not excited about, but I know I really need to. I'm what you would consider a "skinny fat person" right now. I'm at a healthy weight, but my muscles are becoming non-existent. But, I still have some pretty awesome biceps. ha ha

Spiritual: We are going to work together toward Scripture memory.

Relational: Our goal is to be quicker to listen, slower to speak, and slow to become angry. We are also going to start having a date night every two weeks.

Health-wise: We are slowly switching everything over in our home to being more natural. Hopefully by the end of this year we will have a total switch. It's tough because there are a lot of areas to cover (food, cosmetics, hygiene products, cleaning items, water, etc). We are both going to be learning more about having a more natural home. You can check out the book I am using a guideline here: 

Super Natural Home: Improve Your Health, Home, and Planet--One Room at a Time

So, those are our goals. One of my personal goals is to be more organized. I'm just so much happier when things are organized, so I'm working on that at home and work.

In other news, we went to Ft. Worth this weekend and had a GREAT time with my wonderful grandparents. They are just fabulous. One of the things we did was watch "Food, Inc", after searching for it a LOOONG time. It was really ridiculous, actually. We chronicled our journey, and have a little video where you can see the part where we actually found the movie. This video has me and my brother and sister-in-law in it. Check it out.




Happy Monday!

~Kathryn