The Day I Realize that I am Ridiculous

Hello,
So, yes, I understand that this is not one but TWO days late.  Count yourselves lucky because I sent my brother-in-law's birthday card two WEEKS late.  Yeah, I felt a little bad about that one.  Brian, I promise I know when your birthday is.  It is November 4th.  I just am bad at getting my act together to address an envelope and buy and card and stuff.   But, anyway, Brother, I love you.

So, today I realized that I was ridiculous and this is why.  I looked into my fridge to decide what I wanted to eat for breakfast.  I do not know why I even bother.  I know I am going to have cereal with milk like always, but I like the option.  So, I looked in the door to grab the milk, and I found not one, not two, but THREE open bottles of BBQ sauce.  I don't even eat Bar-B-Que often.  Really, it is when my mom calls me and says, "Hey, do you want ribs?" My answer is always, "Obviously."  So, I don't even MAKE the ribs, I just devour them.  I think it was from when I made the Lil' Smokies (a.k.a. wieners, but that word weirds me out.  Beyond the obvious reasons, but I just think that it is the diphthong of vowels.  Diphthong also weirds me out, but I will let bigons be bigons. I also think that that word sounds like bison; that's just an observation).  Wow, that was a long and mildly unnecessary aside.  Sort of like all of Hamlet.  All you see is Aside and then 14-28 lines of monologue.  As in, what the hell is he talking about. I don't know.  Moving on.

Alright, here are ten things that make me smile:

1. Children's Museums.  So freaking cool.  I realized, however, that I still need ridiculous validation.  While Laura, Gabe, Amy and Dom were woodworking and using tools, my mom and I played with blocks, magnets, and boards to create mazes.  As I was working on my giant board, all I remember thinking was, "Oh my Gosh, this is SO cool.  I can't wait to show my mom.  She's going to love it so much." Then, I realized that I was thinking like a five year old.  I am comfortable with that.

2. Subway lunch with a dear friend.

3. All purpose cleaner, and the smell it leaves after you've cleaned your house.

4. Fall colors and boots.

5. Packers being 10 and 0.  For obvious reasons.

6. A five year old telling me a story about how he was hunting dinosaurs;
Gabe: I am not fibbing, I promise!
Kat(i)e: Are you fibbing about fibbing?
Gabe: Giant smile and a little deceptive laugh

7. Sharing my tangrams with a ____ year old man (greater than 45 less than 56) who is not my father (enjoy Bruce!)

8. Reading the St. Norbert College magazine and seeing my residents' faces and names pop up about all of the amazing things they're doing.  It makes a mama proud.  Congrats Carrie! I love you.

9. Reading.  Everything.

10. And getting excited every time I see my favorite teacher from high school.  Setting up coffee with her, and realizing that real friends are those with whom you connect on multiple layers that transcend time, space and all other physical boundaries we place upon ourselves.

Not a whole lot is better than taking a nap,

BUT there are a few things.

1. Listening to acapella sensation show "The Sing-Off" while snacking on jam, bread and tea.  Unfortunately, I was not in Austria, nor am I a governess or will I be chased by Nazis at the end of the movie.

2. Sending my finalized application for South Korea tomorrow.

3. Getting my favorite kinds of flowers, "Just because we love you."

4. Being snuggled (read: beat up) by a five year old boy while he's sleeping, knowing that when he wakes up, you can tell him how much you love him.

5. Cleaning my apartment.

6. Wearing shorts on half-November.

7. Watching students finally "get it."

8. Reading my friend Matt Bougie's writing on agnosticism, which really showcases interesting and insightful opinions about which I have never thought.  

9. Opening my fridge and seeing cheese, beer, and tortilla shells.  When did I become "that guy?"  I think it was right after the Spinach Escapade of Aught Nine and The Great Peanut Debacle of Twenty Ten.

10. Headbutting. Everyone.

So, today was the first snow

So, as it was snowing today and one of my best friends called me out on being a bad blogger, I realized that it has been about two months since I have written, and that I am, in fact, a terrible blogger. I will do much better when I go to Korea, folks. I promise. Also, I am typing this on an iPad, so I take absolutely no responsibility to how things are spelled or autocorrected. Bear with me, like a hungry bear or maybe even a hibernating one. Makes no matter to me.

Anyway, so as I was at lunch then coffee with a friend, she told me how her husband flat out said that he did not understand her. And, in my mind,I thought, "well, no shit. Womens is crazy." After further explanation, it was in a sense of wonderment how this woman lives every day with adventure. Every day she finds beauty and grace in the littlest things. In my mind I haven't been doing a whole lot, which is why I struggle blogging. I find my everyday dirge or movements exhausting. However, I forget that in-between the grind of work, there is beauty in play. I caught tons of grasshoppers with an amazing little boy while we were hiking. I fed horses and pigs and sheep. I even took a picture of a llama and sent it to my amazing mama. With this realization, I have had countless adventures. Last weekend, I went apple picking at which we found a playground. For twenty minutes, we played Peter Pan and Captain hook. I was, of course, smee...mostly because that is what we were for one of our Halloween trick or treating adventures. With this in mind, I need to make it a goal to everyday write down something that amazes me. I will share them all with you on a given day, probably Sunday.

Today, my amazing this was this. I was driving a scary winding road, and I looked up and I saw a tree's leaves on fire with color. The reds and oranges hung on for their dear life admits the torrent of wind, sleet and snow. It was one of the most beautiful things that i have ever seen. I hope that you come with me into this journey of simple things that make the world beautiful.

Love,
Katie