turns out i did a surprising amount of things in 2011...

what's, that mr. twenty-eleven?

you want some recognition?

well, by all means...

most notable things i did this year...

+ ran a 1/2 marathon

+ ran a ragnar relay

+ got me one of them legitimate career things

+ turned 24

+ travelled to san francisco

+ won a volleyball championship

+ married off a little sister

+ married off a roommate

+ changed my own car battery & oil

+ went camping with my people

+ went camping again & hiked the subway

+ kept KAST alive & kickin'

+ various dating adventures and non-adventures

+ got interviewed by the phoenix biz journal

+ put feathers in my hair

+ read the book of mormon again

+ published more stuff on the huffington post

+ became a ward missionary

+ travelled to portland

+ travelled to seattle

+ travelled to utah 4 times
+ finally caved and got a smartypants phone

+ took the GRE

+ dressed up as a dragon for halloween

+ got me a new baby niece

+ celebrated my parents' 30th anniversary

+ got braces

my most popular blog posts in 2011...

1. brains vs. beauty

2. dating: the ladder theory

3. well, i chose a pig

4. public breastfeeding: wrong? right? medium well?

5. bridesmaid round 11

but mostly i love...

any of my posts where i actually write 

or any about dating

other personal favorites...

memoirs of a (potentially) difficult girlfriend
love, actually

the 4 pinnacles of commercialism

in my noodle: swag, mucus & chicken nuggets

to my baby sister as she goes to college

that one time on a friday night

that one time i helped a friend propose in the airport

good gracious i've been busy!

seriously can't wait to see what 2012 has in store.

stay tuned for my resolution!

"he looks like a pink nightmare."

my bloggity is still all abuzz with yesterday's touchy-subject post,

but i just found this photo...

via this girl's blog...

...and i can't stop laughing.

for some reason this picture is just really, really funny to me.

happy thursday!

side hug,

katilda

public breastfeeding: wrong? right? medium-well?

[via]

sooo...

what's your take on public breastfeeding?

i read this news story

and it got me thinking.

and i'm not talking about politely-covered-with-a-blanket breastfeeding.

we're talking no-secrets-between-you-and-the-public breastfeeding.

i suppose i can see the pros and cons quite clearly on this one.

on one hand...

it's a functional thing.

we shouldn't be ashamed.

them babies gotta eat!
there's more nudity than that in classical art.

on the other hand...

what about public decency?

and respect for other people's comfort levels?

how hard is it to drape a blanket over yourself?

but i suppose my take is...

live and let live.

public breastfeeding doesn't really rub me the wrong way.

or the right way.

it doesn't really rub me any way at all, actually.

and if i'm ever out in public,

with my future man-child,

and we are to see such a thing,

then well....

i'd probably quite frankly inform him that she is breastfeeding her child, and if we feel uncomfortable we can choose to look away.

and then i'd drop it.

and buy my man-child a snowcone.

and one for me too.

however,

if we're going to allow bare-chested women in public...

are we going to let the menfolk unzip & pee openly in public as well?

or scratch themselves, if needs be?

i mean, it'd be functional nudity...

sorry for any visuals i've caused.

i saw no reason to be indirect about the matter.

but it's a point to consider.

your thoughts?

put ME in the zoo.

soooo,

last week i went to the coolest zoo ever.

with my friend tiffany.
we rode the ski lift, aka "sky ride."
and we ate hot dogs.

also, i got to pet & feed a sting ray. 

and a kangaroo. 

and a giraffe.

also keep in mind that i'm terrified of aquariums.

so some of these pics are kind of a big deal.

and just in case you want to move in to the emu enclosure...

they're selling.

p.s.

watch ridiculous videos of us interacting with the animals, here and here and here and here.

gettin' crafty up in hizzle

i decided to make my parents' christmas gift this year...

and i wanted to involve the words to their wedding song.

behold,

the product of...

an hour wandering the aisles of the craft store

a couple fingers temporarily super-glued together

a growing addiction to using spray paint

then i got a little excited about crafting...

and mayyyybe gave my entire bedroom wall a makeover.

here's a preview:

[please excuse the asymmetrical chevron stripes]

stay tuned for the full report!

buttons! pleats! bows! (toothpaste!)

fact: thrifting is one of the greatest pleasures of my life.

it's also a good cure for the shopping bug, minus the guilt.

i am, however, progressively running out of room in my closet...

...but today we are not thinking about that.

so, enjoy my finds from a recent Goodwill run!

with a few sponsors:

photos, courtesy of my smartyphone.

modesty in the yellow dress, courtesy of my hair.

class & style, courtesy of my mismatched, folded-down socks.

oh, and remember my phone cover looks like a cassette tape...

...lest you be confused, like everyone always is.

blue buttoned skirt, $4.99

green pleated skirt, $2.50

yellow dress with a bow, $9.99

oh, and don't worry,

i totally wore that green skirt this weekend.

what's that?

you want a picture?

maybe in my messy bathroom?

maybe while i'm brushing my teeth?

well, if you insist...

heart,

katilda

when i'm 80.

christmas, christmas, christmas...

...'twas lovely, my friends.

much laughter.

much family.

much gifts given & received.

much blossomingJustDance3 addiction...

and much pictures to come, don't fret!
but here's a taste, my festive green pants and all:

anyway,

it is like....1am.

and i was just thinking to mineself.

my thoughts wandered to a story i meant to blog about, but it slipped my mind.

you see, one night in november i wanted hot chocolate...

three friends obliged and went with me.

and as we were leaving the local QT with our beverages in hand,

an old man with a newspaper stopped us.

fact: i like old people.

sometimes, i feel like an old person.

i like the stories they tell...

they often seem quite wise.

and they have perspective.

and they play some fierce uno.

anyway,

this man at the QT, he told fantastical stories.

i think he said he invented chocolate?

and maybe was friends with warren buffet?

and used to drive a shmancy car?

the details are fuzzy.

but what i remember most is that he talked a lot about money.

about wealth.

about living fancy in a hoity toity part of town.

...i feel like the newsies when i say hoity toity.

[...christian bale?!]

anyway,

now this man lives in an area he considers the slums.

he had disdain.

he was not a fan of the neighborhood.

his greatest pleasure, he told us, were his daily trips to the nicest grocery store in walking distance to get a name-brand cherry pastry-something-or-other.

we must have one of those cherry things, he said.

and you know...

i felt a little sad for him.

i hope when i'm 80 that i'm not looking down on everyone around me, even if i live in "the slums" and don't drive a fancy car or hang with warren buffet.

also, i typed "buffest" at first...

in any case,

if i don't want to be consumed by unimportant things when i'm 80...

...i sure hope i'm not wasting time worrying about them now.

though, the cherry whatever-pastry-he-said didn't sound too shabby.

i could totes be on board for that idea.

what do YOU want to be doing when you're 80?

this will be me...

yellow pants and all, kiddos.

[via]

happy christmas from new zealand!

i couldn't resist sharing this.

no, i'm not in new zealand.

but the kids in this priceless video are.

so,

happy christmas my loves.

focus on the sheep and the star.

and the line, "he has two daddies."

xoxomistletoeandstuff,

katilda

feliz navidad ▲

...and that's really all i have to say about that.

happy christmas eve.

he had the crazy eyes.

that title is really all i have to say about the first photo...

in other news,

guess what i did?

that's right kiddos...this girl can change a car battery.

score one for grown-up katie.

the first half of a chick flick.

sometimes my life is kind of like a chick flick...

but, you know, the first half of the movie.

all them awkward parts.

i've seen enough of this genre to know that i've racked up enough first half encounters to have earned myself some kisses in the park and dramatic wedding crashing moments by now.

in any case,
here's this week's winning first half moment:

it is rather late on a weekday night

i potentially have a fever

[can't kick those hooverdam germs!]

my dear roommate needs a ride from the airport

fact: my car's interior is atrocious

we're talking UH.TRO.SHISH.

so i make a half-hearted attempt to consolidate all my junk into one neat tower in the back of the car

i drive a CR-V, so there's no trunk, just an open back space

no secrets here, baby!

anyway,

i drive to the airport

and discover that said roommate has brought home her verygoodlookingbrother for the holidays

i am duly embarrassed by my tower of things

apologize profusely

and all seems mostly well, until...

i have one of those uncertain moments with a yellow light

decide to go for it

speed thru a left arrow

and in the process of said very-fast-left-turn...

the tower comes a-tumblin'

and all my car's random treasures are now intermingled with the luggage of my roommate and her verygoodlookingbrother.

eep.

upon arriving at our place,

i rush to the back of the car to salvage the damage

but alas,

roommate & verygoodlookingbrother are witness to my avalanche

and we're not talking normal stuff, here.

items of note include:

cans of sliced peaches

my "missing" hair straightener

2 bottles of sparkling cider

a can of soup

a pair of batman boxer shorts [don't ask.]

a belly dancing kit [again with the not asking.]

for serious you guys.

i think the first phrase i uttered was,

"i'm a disgusting human being. don't judge me."

sooo...

this is when i go eat brown m&m's by a tree in the park and wait for fate to step in, right?

hey, if it works for J. Lo, it works for me.

oh, i did indeed later confirm that i had a fever.

[i really should stop doing things when i'm in that condition, case in point.]

hence, i work from home today...

i also don't know how to make attractive blogging faces.

i think i missed the memo about red lipstick, thick-framed glasses, and standing perpetually pigeon-toed and leaning forward with either my lips pursed or my mouth half-open in an alluring smile-laugh.

but fuzzy ponytail, oversized mango shirt and dark circles da size of texas due to no-makeup-at-all is a good second choice, right? right.

christmas eve...eve....eve...

so, tradition has it that my familia goes to dinner on christmas eve.

and we always go to the olive garden

this year, we went out on december 20

and we went somewhere new

we're gettin' crazy up in here!

so here it is, photographic evidence that may include...

the live john denver music

the silvery boots on the old lady at the next table

photo sessions with da nephews

my attempt to claim the donut i wanted with a hearty bite

my sister's attempt to claim the other donut with a finger poke

oh, and...maybe a surprise from my glory days....

and, the crowning jewel...

hot ham, i look good.

spoiled children & redemption

fact: i have [hopefully fully and irreversibly] resurfaced from the germy escapades.

it's kind of like the ice capades.

except a little different.

in any case,

it's about time to get this bloggity into da holiday groove.

let's start with these two festive vids...

1. made me wrinkle my nose at the condition of america's children, if we're being completely honest.

2. redeemed my faith in humankind. ees a good one.

germs vs. katie

germs:

"hey katie. just thought i'd drop in."

me:

"well...uh...good gracious, i just wasn't expecting you, ya know?"

germs:

"i know right? it was really fun to hit you in the face like a brick wall in the middle of a party on saturday night. the best part was when you decided it was time to go home and you had to crawl up the stairs when you got home because you were so tired, even though it was only 10:30pm."

me:

"i don't really remember that being as great as you say....."

germs:

"nah, you've got it all wrong. you love laying in bed all day, thinking about all the productive stuff you could/should be doing."

me:

"i think i have a fever in my eyeballs."

germs:

"is that all you've noticed? i thought the ache in your ears would've kicked in by now. how about the sore throat? fatigue? noticed any of that?"

me:

"i'm hungry."

germs:

"good, because the only thing you have in your fridge is eggs and bread. you could make french toast..."

me:

"that's not funny. you know i've never successfully made french toast in my life."

germs:

"fine then, go to the store and buy healthy foods."

me:

"the public does not want to see me in this state."

germs:

"sure they do. also, it looks cold outside, you should bundle up."

me:

"....ok."

me:

"hey it's totally warm out here. i don't know what you were thinking."

germs:

"i just wanted to make sure you'd be uncomfortably warm for your entire solitary trip to the store. you know you're not supposed to wear striped socks with sweatpants and moccasins right? what an embarrassment."

me:

"...hey how come my car won't start?"

germs:

"you were supposed to get a new battery today, remember?"

me:

"i was supposed to go to work, too. now look at me."

germs:

"well it turns out your car will BARELY start, so fingers crossed your luck continues until you feel well enough to take care of that."

me:

"bah."

germs:

"hey as long as you're at the store, buy some nyquil."

me:

"i hate doing that when i'm sick. the braces + pajamas + no makeup = they always card me for being too young to buy nyquil. it's demoralizing."

germs:

"oh but such fun for me to watch."

me:

"fine."

germs:

"hey remember how your dresser is broken? and your car is a wreck? and you have like 50 things you should be doing? forget them all! go lay in bed and think about the fever in your eyeballs!"

me:

"no way. i'm totally going to fix my dresser. all on my own. with a hammer."

germs:

"nice try. you don't have the right kind of nails for that."

me:

"screw you, i'll tape it all back together."

germs:

"touche. now go back to bed."

me:

"but i....i...um...ok."

germs:

"good girl. i love it when i get to control your life."

me:

".....i still really want french toast."

p.s.

my dresser is totally back in working condition. 

held together by black electrical tape.

me = champion.

keepin' ya 2012 calendar funky fresh, yo

remember how my bestie is on etsy?

[...remember how much i love the way that rhymes?]

anyway,

your people will thank you if you gift them this 2012 calendar:

seriously, i've seen all 12 prints

and trust me,

it's wicked cool.

i even helped pick out the quotes for each month.

i'm kind of privileged like that.

check out her other art while you're bee-boppin around in etsy-land.

reading: the best of 2011

we know i like reading.

we also know i'm less awesome at being timely about things.

so, cop-out or not

here's some good choices in bulk.

you know, costco style.

[minus the free samples.]

[and the ginormous boxes of fruit snacks.]

[shoot, why are you even reading this?]

anyway, from the archives of my 2011 reading,

i recommend...

[hint: click on the book for more info]

something classic:

something sci fi:

something deliciously romantic:

something youthful & timeless:

something emotional:

something from my heart & soul:

something religious:

another something religious:

and so you'll hold me accountable for future reviews...

i'm currently devouring:

and i have on deck:

and

stay tuned!

[no really, i mean it this time]

[....i saw you roll your eyes, don't think i didn't.]


other recommendations warmly welcomed!