Goodness knows I haven't been the happiest of all the campers lately.

I'm sure all of my life bunkmates have been pretty tired my attitude over the past few months.

I know I have.

Luckily, there are things that can still make me giggle like a schoolgirl.

Heck, most of them make me laugh like a hyena at a comedy show.

- I started watching LOST again. It's so much more dramatic than I remember. I still love it.

But this scene made me laugh so hard. I watched it at least seven times! -

- The first time in ages that I've posted a post without photos and I lost a bunch of followers. I laughed. No worries though. They are probably the people who kill baby dolphins for fun. I don't want them and their porpoise murdering ways to taint my blog. -

- This photo. It made me chuckle. I thought I was so cool with my long hair. It's at least four inches longer than that now. (BTW, I still think I'm so cool with my long hair!) -

- My long, emotional goodbye to my old, dead laptop before I took it to get sold. Just to find out it wasn't eligible and Laptop Xchange wouldn't take it. -

- This song. But only for the Zach Galifianakis line. Every time I hear the song, I giggle. -



- I have two jobs right now. I'm hired at a third. And I'm struggling to make rent this month more than I have since I got here. The irony is pretty hilarious! Let's hope I survive! -

Life is funny? Don't you think?

While blog hopping the other day, I came across this post on one of my favorite blogs. Busy Bee Lauren is pretty much amazing. Check her out!

In the post, she talked about a fun site called Free Crappy Portraits. 

You send in a photo of yourself and a small description, and later they email you a really badly drawn portrait of yourself.

It's awesome.

And did I mention that it's free?

I sent in this photo of myself with this description:

And four days later, I got sent this awesomely crappy portrait! So much fun!

I think I want to be a guest artist now! So much fun!

Check out Free Crappy Portraits! Whole heck a lot of fun!

I've noticed in so many of my recent posts that I've been holding myself back.

I only show the side of myself that I think is least likely to be made fun of.

Well today, I'm going to change that.

Today I'm going to show off my goofier side. 

This is me!

I sing Broadway songs at the top of my lungs when I'm home alone!

I smell my hair when I think no one is watching!

Duke likes 'em hairy!

And skanky too, obviously.

Oh work.

I never understood why the Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly would ever swallow a fly. 

Now I do. The thing was zooming around her room, buzzing as loud as a million Twilight fan-girls. She swallowed it to shut it up! 

See?! She looks like she's going to go insane!

Only, she wasn't smart enough to know that stomach acid doesn't kill flies. Spiders do. And then she was stuck in an endless cycle of eating animals whole until her stomach popped like a balloon. 

See. I'm smarter than her. I know better than to swallow bugs on purpose. I run around my room like a mad woman with a fly swatter. Bugs beware! I will be your doom!

At least... that was my determination. 

So last night when I heard the ZZZzzzzzzZZZZZZZzzzzZzz of a hairy house fly zooming aimlessly around my room, I was up in an instant with a primal need to slaughter the annoying creature. "Shoo fly" was not enough. The thing needed to die a horrible and painful death. I was the hunter and it was my disease carrying prey.

Has anyone ever tried to aim with a fly swatter?! You have to move quickly, because though flies can't fly in a straight line and repeatedly run into walls and windows, they have excellent escape tactics. So you swing that swatter like a death mace and miss completely because the handle is too long to aim correctly and you have to hunt the bugger down again. 

This would be annoying in any case, but top it off with having a head cold and you've got a really dizzy, ticked off Katie. It's incredible how such a small thing that can ruin my mood. (I'm tempted to segue into how that relates to real life... but I really am just talking about a fly.) Soon enough the buzzing sounded like taunting laughter. It was mocking me. Evil. The thing is evil.

I finally whacked him hard. I knew I smashed the offending beast. I went to sleep and life was good. (Though I had nightmares about being attacked by a giant housefly.) 

ZzzzzZZZZZZZzzzzzZZz... 

It was now three hours later. And I was getting woken up by the buzzing and soft 'tap tap tap' of a blind-in-the-darkness fly repeatedly head butting the wall. 

Where are the revenge seeking spiders when I need them? 

I somehow managed to fall back to sleep. I haven't heard him yet today. Maybe the internal bleeding I gave him finally killed him. One can only hope...

My family is hilarious. Always has been. Lately, though, we don't hang out. Just a few "hey, hi, hello's" and they are out the door. 

But tonight. Tonight we had family dinner. Banana pancakes with strawberries on top. Yum. After the plates had been cleared, we all sat at the table and just chatted. Two of my sisters and my parents. One of the stories I just had to share because it would have been selfish of me to keep it to myself.

I was ranting about how I never want a public proposal. It's tacky, and even if I love the guy, I'll say no. Too much pressure. It's not a game show! I don't need the "Say yes! Say yes!" from the crowd. It's not Deal or No Deal. My dad then began telling this story of an old flame he had back in his college days. She would always tell him that if he asked, she would marry him in a heartbeat. He was certain this wasn't true. (He didn't want to marry her either.) We all listened as he explained how he proposed to this girl in this perfect little park while beautiful big snowflakes fell slowly from the sky. "Kathy, will you marry me?" "No." He laughed, pointed his finger in her face and said. "See!? I told you that you wouldn't say yes."

Kristi: "Dad... if you didn't like this girl, and she didn't really like you... why were you so serious?"

Dad: "She was a great kisser." 

*A few chuckles, pursed lips from mom and a groan from me.*

Katie: "And I'm trying to find one of you people? Here I was thinking that my dad was above all of this shallow guy stuff. Thanks dad."

He continued to explain how for the first four dates they talked about EVERYTHING. They seemed to be so in tune with each other. So much so that he invited her to come and spend Thanksgiving with his family. My grandfather didn't like her. At all. He asked my dad: "Why do you like her so much?" "We connect really well." "Have you kissed her?" "No." "Well, maybe you should find out if your 'physical' connection is strong before you decide."

So, later: 

Dad: "My dad says we need to kiss." (Great opener. That's just what every girl wants to hear.)

Kathy: "I have great respect for your dad."

She was a great kisser and needless to say conversation is effectively ruined when your lips are smashed together. 

I always panic a little bit when someone sits behind me in church and whispers my name before the meetings start. It only means one of two things: 

Of course I said yes! But who am I to judge what people will like or not. I finally settled on one of my favorite games.

Boxers or Briefs.

No. We don't line all of the guys in the ward up against a wall while the girls debate what they think they are wearing underneath. Simply because all of the guys there tonight would have been wearing garments and it wouldn't have been a fun game. 

Here's what the back of the box says: "Grab some friends and get ready for rounds of laughter as each player is put on the hot seat. The hilarity begins when you have to choose from the wild & wacky statements your friends pick to describe you. Will they reveal hidden quirks or will you all share a good laugh at their absurd choices? This easy-to-learn game will get the party started! More than 2000 unique and funny phrases provides hours of entertainment."

I first played this game at a party in 2007. Loved it the moment it started. I'm so shocked that more people don't know about it. It's simply hilarious to play. Everyone loved it. And even better, I had been having a pretty rotten day, and this cheered me up immensely.

Things I am excited for:

That's right folks. I'm doing 'Blog Every Day in April.' I'm not sure how well I'm going to do, but I'm going to try. I've been slacking in my blogging for the past two months, and I'm determined to pick it back up! So, here goes nothing!

It's April Fool's Day. I hate this holiday. There are couple of reasons which I will now list for your reading pleasure:

Let's focus on these three things for this year.

I hate April Fool's Day.

But BEDA will be fun. I'm determined to make it so.

Happiest Moment: Watching Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. That show was hilarious. (Close second: Talking with CJ. If it wasn't so complicated, it would probably be number one.)

Saddest Moment: When they closed Annie's casket. That was heartbreaking.

Favorite Food: Salsa. 10 calorie goodness. Mmm. 

Singles Ward Family Home Evenings make me smile. I always get dressed up, because inevitably, there will be guys there. It's a great chance to meet people and just talk and laugh in a way that is difficult during the Sunday block schedule meetings. 

I put a little bit of effort into my appearance yesterday, but my whole heart wasn't into it like it usually is. I'm still fighting off the remnants of my cold, and I have a pinched nerve in my neck that makes it so I can't turn my head. I feel like Michael Keaton in Batman. I'm guessing the mask isn't nearly as painful as my pinched nerve. Maybe a bit more claustrophobic, but probably not painful. 

I showed up a little late and sat down by Natalie. I love this girl. Problem is, we should never sit by one another. I have a few people I should never sit by during could-be-edifying moments. Danielle, Pete, and Dale. Being reverent seems monumentally impossible when sitting next to these people. Though things can get very entertaining when the lesson drags on. 

A guy named Brad was giving the lesson. Brad's a nice guy and he has great arms... I'm just not attracted to him. I mentioned this to Natalie, who pulled out a piece of paper from her purse and wrote me a note. We spent the rest of the too-long-for-FHE lesson passing this little envelope back and forth, laughing at the crazy things we said. I won't share all of it with you, but here's one of my favorite parts!

Kate: I won't deny that once I'm married, I'll probably try to convince my hubby to wear some tight little tights and treat me like a damsel.

Natalie: Well, you definitely have the hair for it. 

Kate: I suppose it is the hair that will make it believable. Costumes won't matter for long.

Natalie: OH! You can be Ariel and he can be Eric!

Kate: "Honey, Ursula just made me human! Kiss me if you want to keep me!"

Natalie: At least you won't have the awkward 'Kiss the Girl' scene!

Kate: No, no! Definitely don't need any crabs!

Haha! Natalie, I love you so much! That was such a funny conversation.

Last night while my family was hanging out, my sister brought up the 'pickle girl' segment from a few posts ago. Here's the quip if you missed it.

Speaking of pickles, my dad bought some last night. WHEW! They cleared my sinuses! I would so take a jar of pickles with me to the dance, but I don't want to risk two guys having THIS conversation. "So, was she cute?" "She smelled like pickles!" "OH! You were dancing with pickle-girl? Sorry dude. I could have warned you." No thank you. I do not much want to be pickle-girl! 

My dad made a very good point. "But what if the guy LIKES pickles?"

We all laughed pretty hard, the conversation between the two guys becoming something more along the lines of:

"So, was she cute?" "She smelled like pickles!" "OH! You were dancing with pickle-girl? Sorry dude. I could have warned..." "What are you talking about? It was intoxicating. Forget classic! She was VLASIC!" "Pickles turn you on?" "Are you kidding me? I smelled her breath and I heard the CRUNCH!"

As I mentioned in my previous post, I have a cold. It's not a huge deal, and I've been managing. I'm very doped up on all sorts of meds that my spell checker does not recognize. Zicam, Cold-A-Tak, Vicks Vapor Spray, Cepacol throat lozenges. I still feel a little groggy, but all of this has allowed me to go about my daily life with minimal discomfort. I'm being very careful with my medication, don't worry.

Although, on Friday, when I realized I was getting sick, I wanted to do all that I could to get over it. I had plans for the weekend, for crying out loud! So I dug through our medicine cabinet, looking through the array of meds for something that could kick my cold out of my system before it really took hold. I took some vitamin C, and read a few labels. Cold-A-Tak promised to get rid of my cold three times faster. It had the potential of being a miracle! Take five times a day for the first two days. I did the math, figuring I'd be awake for about 15 hours. "Okay! I'll take a pill every three hours then!" It was about hour nine that I realized that they expected me to take them every five or so hours instead of every three. Whoops. But there weren't any noticeable repercussions. Maybe I'll die of cancer of the roof of the mouth or something years from now.

I was able to attend the highly decorated dance because I was so heavily drowned in drugs. It was a little silly. When I arrived everyone was positioned in a circle. I felt myself groan. It was a single mingle type of dance. All of the boys were in a circle with their backs to each other, a girl facing each guy. You do a couple step-togethers, a spin or two and then the girl moves to the next guy. It's like speed dating to country music. I hate these activities. I tried to duck out...but was caught. I suppose there were a couple of guys that were very cute that I probably wouldn't have danced with otherwise...

The dance was a bit of a dud. Nothing special. I had to keep dodging a guy that I didn't want to talk to all night to the point of leaving the dance early. It wasn't a huge loss. I wasn't doing much dancing either way. Though, I did have a good conversation about marriage with a friend who was also frustrated by the dullness of the dance.

Sarah: I think I'm going to start fasting to find an eternal companion.

Kate: I'll fast with you!

Sarah: Every fast Sunday?

Kate: Why stop there? Lets fast EVERY Sunday. OR, every day! We'll be very tuned in to the spirit AND we'll lose weight!

It's the perfect plan!

Today, I woke up with a closed throat. Oh dear. If you recall, I was supposed to be singing in the choir. So I spent two hours singing through the song, sucking on a cough drop, and trying to work out the lump in my throat. It worked to an extent and I felt comfortable singing. Though, I do admit, I have taken my voice for granted. Once you lose something (if even for a few hours) it's much more appreciated. The choir sounded lovely! 

It's been an interesting weekend. I'm really hoping that my cold goes away soon.

Also! Happy Valentines Day! I've been spending it watching romantic movies. My dad also made blueberry pancakes for dinner which were fabulous! It's been a good Single Awareness Day.

It's been a trend on Facebook lately to change your profile picture to a picture of a celebrity that someone has said you look like. I've thought about it a few times, but something like this felt like it needed a bit of explanation. More explanation that the little caption below the picture could give. So a blog post it must be.

Recently I have been getting a lot of comments from people telling me that I look like Kirsten Dunst. I just don't see it.

However, once in high school, a friend told me that I looked like Chucky. "Like from Rugrats?" "No! Like the killer doll!" The sad thing is, she was completely serious.

And who wouldn't want to shoot a scene where you get to kiss a hot guy in a mask, upside down, and in the rain. Yeah. I can stand to be Kirsten Dunst.

Earlier this week I was talking to a cousin of mine. She's the only one I have that is my own age, and we are the best of friends. But ever since she moved to Provo to go to university, I rarely see her. The times I do are short; just a hug, a hi-how-you-doin' and then gone.

We'd both been feeling a little down and so I asked my dad if we could make a spur of the moment trip to Provo. Because he is such a wonderful dad (and also has family in the area he would like to visit) he agreed. 

I had so much fun driving the six hours with him. He's always been a great traveling companion. Not only is he great conversation, but when I don't feel like talking and instead want to belt out to musical soundtracks; he is very understanding and willingly allows me to sing my heart out. 

My dad insisted on taking my two cousins and I to lunch once we arrived. I love him so much! Bajio it is! (We have a Cafe Rio in my home town, which is great. But it is not nearly as fabulous as Bajio.) 

Daddie-O dropped us off at their apartment after lunch and went off to do his own thing, leaving us girls to do ours. After an hour or so of catching up, we moved into the living room and had ourselves a random dance party. Pictures were taken. Embarrassment is sure to follow. I picked the coolest ones. 

It's been so long since I randomly danced with these two girls. It was hilarious fun, not to mention a great work out. 

The girls took me to a new addition to the Provo area. The Cocoa Bean. 

OMGG! (Oh my goodness gracious!) It is a cupcake bakery/hot chocolate and non-coffee drinks cafe. And holy cow is it delicious! Tip from me: The Raspberry Chocolate Cheesecake cupcake is TO DIE for! The Blueberry Lemon cupcake is also fabulous!

We also watched the movie "Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging" with one of their roommates. I had read the books when I was in Jr. High and loved them. I had forgotten how funny I found them. I might have to dig them up and reread them. Hilarity!

My dad showed up around six and we headed home. 

It was a short, but fun filled day. It was so great just to spend the time with my beautiful cousins and my amazing father. I love you all! I feel so blessed to have you in my life!

WARNING: Incredibly long post.

It's kind of surprising me how one conscious decision and some listening to the spirit has done for me in just two short days. A week ago, I would have sat at home with none of these experiences coming my way, and guaranteed a lot of sadness following it.

On Sunday, I was INCREDIBLY depressed. I cried quarts. With the help of a couple of friends, I changed the direction of my life. It was hard in the moment, but now I can feel how much that turn around has changed things. This change will make it so much easier to turn my back on those short comings.

Just after I did this, I emailed a bunch of friends. People that I wanted to hang out with and set up 'play dates.' I couldn't wait to get to church because it meant I would get out of my house. I couldn't wait to see people. I've realized that I spend WAY too much time online, and though talking to my online friends is great; I need some In Real Life (IRL) social contact.

Church was my first stop. You can read about the beginning of these exploits here.

It was 'Linger Longer*' after church and I was very excited. There are two different Singles Wards in my home town, and we combine for this activity once every month, rotating whose turn it is to prepare the activity. My ward's Linger Longers are INSANELY cool! Amazing food, decorations, different and fabulous things to drink. It's awesome. This week we were able to make our own grilled cheese sandwiches. (Tip: honey butter on a grilled cheese sandwich = fabulous!)

During this, I had the chance to flirt with two guys that I think are pretty cool. Pete and Devin. I had spent the last three hours of church with Pete since the Black Licorice Gum incident. I noticed that Devin was sitting alone, and because I kind of like him, too; I called over (totally out of character, I might add.) and invited him to sit with us. Another girl sat with us. Her name is Natalie, and she's about amazing. I quite love her to death. The fact that she's a fellow Friends addict instantly raised my appreciation for her. It was a great time. Flirting and laughter are bomb.

Yesterday, I went to lunch with a close friend of mine. She has been in town for nearly two months and I haven't spent any time with her, and I felt the need to remedy that. We went out to lunch and jammed on guitar. It was great to catch up with her, and I'm so glad we were able to make that happen.

My aunt and uncle are in town and the entire family went to my grandmother's house for soup and good company. I almost didn't go. I'm so VERY glad that I did. I was able to chat with two of my younger cousins. I love those girls! They are just cute, and so much fun to talk to. I'm very happy that I went and was able to spend time with family.

I did leave early. I had promised Natalie that I would come to the ward's Family Home Evening. You can read a bit about that event here. We played I've never, which is an incredibly fun game. The best is when you get targeted. There's no one to trade chairs with, as you are the only one who has done that thing. Someone tried to target me with "I've never made videos for YouTube." Half of the circle stood up, which surprised me.

After the game, we converged into the kitchen to munch on leftovers from Linger Longer the day before. Good chatting ensued. Including Pete asking me if I wanted to go on a date.

Pete: Have you seen the movie Avatar?

Kate: No, I haven't. I want to though.

Pete: I haven't seen it either. I want to.

...

Pete: We should go.

Kate: Yeah, I'd like that.

...

Kate: *after a long pause* When?

Pete: Oh! Umm...Thursday?

Kate: Sounds great!

I have so much more happening this week. I'll blog about it all, I'm sure. Movie night with a girl-friend tonight. Institute tomorrow. Date on Thursday. Haircut on Friday. It's going to be a good week. I'm determined to make it so.