February 1st, 2010 by Kateastrophe

So I didn’t want to talk about it too much (or really at all) because I’m the first person to get annoyed when someone starts talking about their fad diet, so shhhhh don’t tell my conscience but I’m on a diet.  And it’s working.

I was like a lost, scared puppy at first because the calorie intake is really low and I’m SUCH a foodie.  I was going to miss so many things.  Then someone sent me a cookbook for this particular diet that was written by a real chef and the heavens opened and angels sang songs of praise.  I am not lying when I say I’ve really enjoyed my diet food.  Granted, there’s a distinct lack of snacks for this habitual snacker (recently solved with organic, sugar free apple chips!  Aren’t you jealous??), but the food actually tastes GOOD!  I spend a good part of my Sunday prepping and cooking for the week ahead, which is sort of annoying but I’ve discovered if I don’t do it, I’m likely to have contemplated eating my arm by the time I find food/prep and cook a meal.  See, the portions fill me up once I EAT them.  And I’m full for a good two and a half hours afterward but if I go past that amount of time without my next portion of food I turn into a pumpkin and die.  Or something like that.  Yay hypoglycemia!  The point is if I take the time to prepare them ahead, I’m all set and am much less likely to cheat.  So far I’ve had homemade marinara sauce, meatballs, amazing marinades for fish and chicken,  delicious soups, and even some desserts!  The cookbook is almost 200 pages so the possibilities are endless.  And everything is truly healthy and on the low, low end of the glycemic index.

My one problem so far stemmed from the weekend and being home all day, close to the fridge.  And the pantry.  And the Costco.  And the restaurants.  I will admit to ingesting about two bites of chocolate cake, some extra Melba Toast (ok quite a bit of extra Melba Toast) and one Crispy Honey Shrimp at PF Changs.  I’d heard horrible rumors of immediate weight gain if any deviation was taken from the strict instructions.  I think the two hours of exercise that morning saved me because I still lost three ounces over the weekend.  Which is not a lot, but it’s a loss and I’ll TAKE IT!   Work makes things a lot easier because I have my neat little bag of pre-prepared, perfectly portioned food and if I eat it all for breakfast, my boss would most likely find me gnawing on the formica countertop in the lunch room while begging for quarters for the vending machine.  This weekend (and the next one) will be more of a challenge because I’m going on trips, but after some investigation I’ve found lots of places that have food that I can eat.  Memo to you guys; DON’T ASK FOR THE NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION AT PF CHANGS.  Doing so caused nightmares of 65 grams of fat/1400 calories per serving proportions.

I’m not going to pretend I don’t miss potatoes.  And pasta.  And bread.  And sugar.  I’m just having to get creative and find interesting substitutes and I’ve learned so many fun things!  Zucchini pasta?  IS DELICIOUS.  My Mom has been telling me this for years, I just refused to listen.  Sorry Mom.  As usual, you were right, blah blah blah.  I’m also getting used to more heat and spice in my food.  The incentive to burn more calories was just too tempting so I’m adding cayenne pepper to everything.  Sometimes I regret the decision, but the body is slowly adjusting.  Stevia is freaking awesome.  Protein shakes don’t taste so bad.  Mock-lemonade blended with ice and mint is unbelievable.  Strawberries are the fruit of the gods.  Squash is my friend. Buy a decent blender because the cheap one will light on fire in your kitchen on the first morning  Stuff like that.

The point of all this blathering is that I’ve already lost ten pounds.  And it seems completely possible to lose another ten to fifteen pound by the end of this madness.  Not just possible but doable!  Without death and vomiting or a tragedy to send me into a food deprived depression!  I would lie and tell you I just want to be healthy but my real incentive is that Matt told me if I lose the goal amount of weight, he doesn’t care how many new outfits I buy and everyone knows and outfit isn’t complete without shoes.  Scha-wing!!

January 19th, 2010 by Kateastrophe

Well folks, I’m now “that girl” who has a guy for the color and a guy for the cut.  I adore them both and I’m keeping them.

Today was the much anticipated cut.  He took off about six or seven inches, which at first was frightening and a little emotional considering I haven’t had more than a trim since 2002 and I’ve sort of decided I like being “the girl with the long hair,” but I am SO happy with the results.  It’s a drastic change without being cut so short that I feel like it will take years if I decide to grow it out again.  It has awesome layers that I can choose to show or hide as I please and it’s truly a haircut I can style exactly the same way he did at home.  He showed me all kinds of little tricks (ex: he NEVER uses conditioner.  I’ve really only used it on the ends of my hair but now I might reconsider!) and made it very clear that I need to allow it to be “messy” because it’s “just sexier that way.”  (Said in a Lebanese/French accent.  SO great.)

I will admit I was a bit intimidated and frightened by the signed headshots of some of my heroes (Bernadette Peters, Barbra Streisand) hanging everywhere, and I’m not certain but I think he might be the guy who gave Jennifer Aniston “THE” haircut back in the day, but the guy is famous for a very good reason.  Plus he’s hilarious. When I walked in he said “it’s a good thing you’re pretty and you have amazing hair.  Sometimes these ugly people with two strands of hair come in asking me to make them look like Heather Locklear and I just smile and nod then secretly hate them with my eyes.”  Kate=wrapped around his little genius of a finger.

Without further blabbing, here’s the new hair — just note that it’s POURING rain here and there’s a leeeeetle bit of static.  OK a lot of static.

See?  STATIC.  Also, the Photobooth lighting on this computer is no bueno.  Hello, fluorescent blue face!

January 14th, 2010 by Kateastrophe

In a year that’s been very hard for many Americans, Matt and I have been extremely blessed and when a tragedy like the earthquake in Haiti strikes, it makes me feel even luckier . . . and makes me wonder what I can do to help.

As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the first place I look is to the church.  Due to our amazing welfare program, the LDS church is often the first on the scene after a horrible tragedy like this.  Haiti is no different.

Here is the LDS Church’s press release on what they are doing to help. Besides the help that is probably already set up in Haiti through church members and programs already in place, they are sending two planes with 80,000 lbs of food and mobilizing trucks from the Dominican Republic with hygiene kits, newborn essentials and probably tons more food.

The church uses regular donations from it’s members (not tithing donations) to fund projects like this, but they can always use a little more help.  If you’d like to donate to help you can go here .

I’ll also be donating to the Red Cross and other relief efforts, some of which can be found in this post by Chris Sacca.

January 13th, 2010 by Kateastrophe

Lately everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) in my office has been sick.  The flu and a nasty bronchitis that takes two rounds of antibiotics have both been circling.  My boss and I seem to be the only ones who were immune to the plague.

I felt pretty awesome about it.  I was like “yeah, I exercise and eat my veggies.  My immune system kicks your immune system’s BUTT!”

Well, my immune system can consider itself served because yesterday, after eight hours of feeling awesome and normal, at about 5:00, right as I was leaving to go home, I went from totally fine and healthy to “ohmagosh I think I’m going to die.” 

It hit me just that fast.  One minute I was chipper and happy and the next, I was ready to curl into a ball and cry.  My ears were popping, my throat was screaming in pain and the snot was a-comin’.  I went home, ate some dinner, took eight hundred vitamins, a decongestant and four advil, snuggled into the couch with a blanket and made it through exactly ten minutes of Scrubs.  Then I was out-ski.  I woke up for exactly ten minutes at midnight after dreaming of giant black sores on my throat (sssiiiicccck) to take more advil, a dose of NyQuil and get a cough drop.  I slept until 7:15 this morning.

I decided to come to work for one (well, sort of two) superficial reasons.  I’m getting my hair dyed today.  My blondish roots are starting to make me look pretty white trash.  Normally, I would just reschedule the appointment but not this week.  Because next Tuesday?  I have an appoinment for a haircut with a hair GENIUS.  My boss is married to a celebrity hair artist and he has agreed to cut my hair.  AND I AM SO EXCITED!  He was the stylist for Melrose Place back in the day, and he continues to work wonders on Heather Locklear and a bunch of other uberfamous peoples.  My haircut with him is absolutely contingent on the fact that I get my hair dyed prior to my appointment with him.  The only time before Tuesday I can get in to get the color done is today.  So I’m pretending, whilst unable to breath and swimming in Jell-o brain, that I’m not sick AT ALL.

So, to sum up, I’m so sick I think I’m dying but I’m at work because I’m superficial enough to be worried about getting my hair dyed.  Sickness: 0 Kate: 10.  If I’m dead tomorrow, I have my beauty to blame for it.

January 5th, 2010 by Kateastrophe

I really hate the days I wake up on the “wrong side of the bed.” 

{Begin Tangent}  Why do people say that?  Only once in my life have I literally woken up on the wrong side of the bed.  My head was where my feet should have been and I even had a pillow.  I woke up because I kicked my husband in the face.  For reals.  And it didn’t make me cranky, it made for an awesome start to my day because I kicked him in the face and laughed for like an hour. {End Tangent}

Today is one of those days. 

I stayed up late last night waiting for my husband and some of his friends - both of whom I’ve never met - to come home from the Fiesta Bowl, and I had to give up at midnight.  Then of course they came home shortly after that riiiiiight as I was drifitng off.  Matt came in and got in bed and proceeded to wiggle for what seemed like ten years.  At first I just heard his foot slooooowwwlllyy rubbing across the sheet.  Then he itched his leg.  Then his arm.  Then what seemed like his whole body.  He was trying to do it gently but it was causing wiggles in the bed.  Then he rolled over, which in Matt land is sort of like a walrus THROWING himself off a rock into the water.   The man doesn’t slowly roll, he flails around, bounching me off the bed as if we’d been playing trampoline games.  Then his phone vibrated on the bathroom counter and he absolutley HAD to get out of bed at 1 AM to see what it was.  Then he got back in bed (felt like jumped) and proceeded to do the whole wiggling thing again.  Finally I couldn’t take it and yelled “GOOD HELL MAN!”  He meekly apologized and said his skin was “crawly.”  In my half asleep grumpiness I explained that I didn’t care and he needed to HOLD STILL FOR THE LOVE OF EVERYTHING HOLY.  This apparently meant “put your hand on my butt” because that’s how he responded.  I was annoyed until I realized that doing that apparently causes immediate paralysis in “crawly skinned” husbands.  (I’ll note that for later.) I was finally able to drift off to sleep.

Until about ten minutes later when I remembered a huge work project we have to get started on and complete in two weeks.  During my busiest time of the month.  And we have a regional meeting here the day before it’s due.  AND I have Jury Duty the day after.  So then I was wide awake going over the details in my head.  For about two hours.  GAH!

Needless to say I pushed snooze for an eternity this morning, causing me to be late to work as well as be smack dab in the middle of the worst part of rush hour.  Shoot me now. 

Now I’m here and I’m alllllll sorts of grumpy-pants.  I am so grumpy I have no desire to eat the delicious Sprinkles Red Velvet Cupcake sitting on my desk.  Yeah, it’s bad.  I have no idea how to get out of the grumpy funk.

How do YOU guys do it?  Any great ideas?  Help a grumpasaurus out!

January 3rd, 2010 by Kateastrophe

 . . . there is just too much to write and try to catch up on.  Christmas was amazing.  We were spoiled rotten.   My one regret might be the HD video camera I gave Matt.  I’m starting to understand why movie stars are anorexic.  The camera adds WAY more than ten pounds.  And it adds zits.  And weird hair.  And a double chin.  Ok, maybe that’s just me.

Our New Year was rung in with style at my Birthday/New Year’s Eve Party.  We had a homemade photo booth, Rock Band, Wii, a delicious, custom make cake and the best friends we could ever ask for.  And we’ve been lazy ever since.  So far 2010/my last year in my twenties has been fantastic.  I am blessed beyond words and I can’t wait for the amazing things this year has to bring.

Thanks for sticking with me through this crazy year.  I love you all and wish you a Happy New Year!

December 11th, 2009 by Kateastrophe

Where have I been???  Sheesh!

Last time I was around here was Thanksgiving!  That’s like a million years in Blog time.  B

Our Thanksgiving was awesome.  I spent almost an entire week cooking and prepping and then literally spent the whole day cooking.  The food was amazing and I was tired.  I made several recipes from Luisa Perkins’ AMAZING cookbook, Comfortably Yum and they were a huge hit.  I’ve been meaning to give her a shout-out for months now.  That woman?  Can cook.  Everything in that cookbook is drool worthy delicious.  If you like to cook even a little bit, do yourself a favor and go buy it now.  My #1 recommendation thus far is the cranberry chutney.  Or the applie pie.  Or the lasagna.  Or the shepherd’s pie.  Ok fine I can’t choose a favorite.

I am somehow super on top of life right now and by December 3rd I had 99% of my Christmas shopping complete and all the decorations but the tree up, and that wasn’t far behind.  We have big old lights on the outside (which I LOVE) and 27 strands of twinkle lights on the 9′ Christmas tree.  That’s right, I said TWENTY-SEVEN.  Let’s all pray I can keep that sucker hydrated.  And don’t worry electricians (cough*Steve*cough), I bought power strips and no more than three (ok maybe four) strands are hooked together.  I’m not going to start a fire THAT way.  I’m going to start it the OTHER way when the tree dies and dries out and the lights are too hot.  I’m a responsible fire starter.  Duh.

All that’s left are a few presents for friends (RHONDA - so hard to shop for) and small neighbor/work gifts and I’m dunzo.  Which means I’m not sure what to do with the rest of December.  Which is weird because I think I’m so used to chaos I don’t know what to do when I don’t have it.  I won’t be relaxing, that’s for sure, because I belong to Anxieties-r-us and will find some way to make myself have a Christmas melt-down.  Hello, Xanax.

We’re staying home for Christmas due to the fact that I have a 90-day probationary period at the new j-o-b which means (as I believe I’ve mentioned before) no days off for me.  I think this is the longest I’ve gone without a non-holiday day off and I’m pretty sure my vacation brain cells are exploding.  When that 90 days are up I’m going to throw myself a HUGE party.  Either that or take a day off.  Because I can. 

We’re having our second annual New Year’s Eve/My Birthday party and I’m SO EXCITED.  I maybe invited too many people, but that’s OK.  It’s going to be even more fun than last year’s party which, if I do say so myself, was awesome. 

My dear, creative, amazing friend Julia designed the cutest.invitation.ever.  I’m serious.  SEE?

It’s so great.  And I’m going to be 29 and whimsy, which is maybe even more great!  30 here I come!

Now I’m off to get my eyebrows waxed because ohmagosh I look like a yetti.  Seriously.

November 25th, 2009 by Kateastrophe

I tried all day to come up with the words to express how very thankful I am for my life.  I was having a hard time until I started humming the words to one of my favorite songs sung by Brian Stokes Mitchell.  Then I knew I just needed to share them with you.  They say it all:

Grateful

I’ve got a roof over my head
I’ve got a warm place to sleep
Some nights I lie awake counting gifts
Instead of counting sheep

I’ve got a heart that can hold love
I’ve got a mind that can think
There may be times when I lose the light
And let my spirits sink
But I can’t stay depressed
When I remember how I’m blessed

Grateful, grateful
Truly grateful I am
Grateful, grateful
Truly blessed And duly grateful

In a city of strangers
I got a family of friends
No matter what rocks and brambles fill the way
I know that they will stay until the end

I feel a hand holding my hand
It’s not a hand you can see
But on the road to the promised land
This hand will shepherd me
Through delight and despair
Holding tight and always there

Grateful, grateful
Truly grateful I am
Grateful, grateful
Truly blessed And duly grateful

It’s not that I don’t want a lot
Or hope for more, or dream of more
But giving thanks for what I’ve got
Makes me happier than keeping score

In a world that can bring pain
I will still take each chance
For I believe that whatever the terrain
Our feet can learn to dance
Whatever stone life may sling
We can moan or we can sing

Grateful, grateful
Truly grateful I am
Grateful, grateful
Truly blessed And duly grateful
Truly blessed And duly grateful

Performed by Brian Stokes Mitchell (my musical hero)

Music & Lyrics by John Bucchino

Do me a favor this weekend and hold your loved ones tight and remember to tell them how grateful you are for them in your lives. 

 Happy Thanksgiving to all of you.  I’m grateful for your friendship and your attention and I hope you have a wonderful weekend. 

November 23rd, 2009 by Kateastrophe

I know this girl who seriously has more talent in one little finger than I have in my whole body.

Who is this talented person you ask?  She’s my real life bestie, Jewels (aka Julia Jolley).

I have always been in awe of her ability to create.  Whether it’s food, art, decorations, music, vacations or even PEOPLE (seriously, her boys are to-die-for cute) this girl hits a bullseye every time.

So this year when she announced that she was unveiling something awesome and creative, I waited anxiously for the reveal.  Boy oh boy was it worth it.  What was it you ask?? 

Jewels has started her own card company!  RSVP Invites, Cards & More!  Her designs are so so great!  She’s got such an awesome, elegant, retro style.  I just drool over everything.  I think my favorite is the Bird.  Could you die?  Also her banner?  She did that too.  Mmmm lovey.

Also?  She does designed-for-you custom work!  She may or may not be working on a little delicious treat for my New Year’s Eve/29th Birthday Party.  Mmmmm can’t WAIT!

So I’m thinking everyone needs to go check her bad self out.  Get yourself a cute Santa post card!  Or have her make something just for you to send out to your loved ones.  I promise, you will LOVE it!  Just look at her family’s card from last year.  SEE WHAT I MEAN?

 Go now!  What are you still doing here?  GO!

November 10th, 2009 by Kateastrophe

Last night at about 7:30 after cleaning up dinner my newly promoted, overworked and extremely exhausted husband came over and wrapped his arms around his newly jobbed, overstimulated and extremely exhausted wife, and leaned into the counter where we sat for a good fifteen minutes.  Eventually my legs started falling asleep and my neck was kinked so we had to break it up, but it felt so  good just to BE for a few minutes.

I struggle with my calendar because after work there are so few hours in the day. 

I want to exercise every day. 

I need to attend the LDS Temple more often.  I need to pray more often and longer.  I need to really study my scriptures and increase my spiritual knowledge. 

I want to spend more time hanging out with my girlfriends. 

I need to spend time with my husband. 

I want to get more involved in serving the community and giving back. 

I want to cook a delicious meal every day and cut coupons to help save money on groceries.  I want a clean house.  I want a nice yard.  I want clean, folded laundry.  I want to decorate my house and get the guest room finished up.

My new job has a distinct lack of creative work involved so I need to rekindle my creative side.   I want to take up voice and dance lessons again. 

There’s a very cool Yoga/Pilates/Ballet Bar class I want to take and eventually learn how to teach.  

Someday I want to add kids to the mix and I want them to be active and involved and full of joy.   

Shockingly, when I think of all of these things, my head explodes.

I realize nothing I’ve said is anything new to any of us.  Especially at this time of year the whole world seems overwhelmed.  We’re gearing up for the Holidays and the stress/fun that comes with them.  We’re working towards closing the chapter of 2009 and starting fresh in 2010.  I’m very not alone in the head exploding.

Despite feeling like my huge list of things to do will never get done and having moments where I feel like a complete failure, sitting with Matt last night helped me realize that sometimes I just need to just be still.  I need to make realistic goals.  I need to do one thing at a time.  I need to work hard not to overwhelm myself with expectations.  I need to allow life to ebb and flow and go with it a little bit more.  I won’t give up my goals or my expectations of myself, I will just be the boss of them, rather than feeling that they are the boss of me.

Starting tomorrow, I am going to work on BEing.