Sisters!

PABLO PICASSO

2010-11-26T17:56:00.000-08:00

Pablo Manuel Tejada Bassols is the best brother-in-law I have ever had in my whole life. Nick Smith is also awesome. But he isn't standing right here, hovering over my shoulder.

Happy freaking thanskgiving, ya'll!

xo,
Katie

My new apartment

2009-08-31T14:26:00.000-07:00

In case you care, here are pictures of my new apartment in Greensboro. I found the most fantastic one bedroom on the second floor of an old cute house in the historic district. Best part is, I can practically see the science building from my living room window. I'm still working on getting furniture, but it's coming together.

Here's something I'm actually quite proud of: A giant poster (50 sheets of paper) of the Hawthorne bridge in Portland. Nick showed me this website that makes giant rastersized versions of pictures for free. Check it out: http://homokaasu.org/rasterbator/

Destination: Greensboro, NC...eventually

2009-08-31T14:10:00.001-07:00

Natalie and I left Utah and drove 9ish hours to Rapid City, SD. We got to see Mount Rushmore, the beloved "Shrine of Democracy." Natalie got a real kick out of that distinction. I would say that Mount Rushmore is equal parts bizarre and jaw-dropping. Why the heck somebody would want to risk their lives hovering at the edge of a cliff in order to carve some dead guys' mugs into a giant rock is beyond me. Natalie and I feigned enthusiasm.

After SD, we headed to St. Paul, MN to see Lachelle, Nick, Keety, and Lola. No, this stop was not really on the way, but it was the highlight of our trip. We got to spend about 5 days with the fam and had a great time. Natalie bonded with Lola. I yelled at Keyton for standing on top of the car. He didn't really seem to care. That was kind of a theme for the whole week, actually.

Here we are at the zoo, sitting on top of a giant pig. How precious.

My birthday was August 9th, and we had an early celebration. Nick bought me a giant cheesecake from Costco. Lola wanted in on the frosting action. Smart baby.

In other events, Nick sat on top of Keyton. Typical.

Destination: Provo, UT

2009-08-31T14:00:00.000-07:00

So, in case you don't know, I moved to Greensboro, NC for graduate school. And my moved I mean drove. My dear boyfriend-slave Mike volunteered to drive with me to Provo to pick up Natalie, who accompanied me on the remainder of the trip. We left bright and early for Utah, and I thought about bagging the whole grad school idea when my alarm went off at 3:30am.

Mike and I had a great time, though. Clearly.

When we arrived in Utah, Natalie took us out to Cafe Rio...I think that's what it's called. It's the place I remember Janelle always talked about.

Thanks, Mike, for helping me with this part of the drive. Without you, I probably would've fallen asleep at the wheel and wound up in a ditch somewhere in Idaho. That would have really sucked.

Running with Olympians

2009-01-19T13:22:00.000-08:00

Meet Kara Goucher and Amy Yoder-Begley. Here they are at the 2009 Olympic trials after qualifying in the 10k. Amy is the one on the far left, and Kara is in the middle. (The other fast skinny lady is Shalane Flanagan, the American record holder in the 5k and the 10k.)

Now, here's a video of me racing Kara and Amy, the aforementioned Olympians. Look for me at the start, then 9 minutes later when Kara Goucher laps me during her finish, and then 50 seconds later when I finally finish. I'm in the black uniform all the way on the right in the front row. This was quite the experience of my life.

This video goes along nicely with my other documented Kara Goucher encounter. Here we are hanging out at the Olympic Trials in Eugene last summer.

This is how Amy and Kara must have felt after beating me in the 3k. Nobody was expecting such a slaughter!

Swiffer!

2009-01-10T19:17:00.000-08:00

Mike Swiffers the ceiling. What a guy!

"Go away blue shark!"

2008-11-16T21:59:00.000-08:00

Keyton likes to have his turn reading scriptures. See his blog for the entire blue shark story.

The Baby Bet

2008-11-11T22:50:00.000-08:00

As we all know, Lachelle is due to have a baby pretty much any day now. She is, as they say, a ticking time bomb....of joy! Her actual due date is Thursday, Nov. 13th. But, will little Baby Sister come that day? Will she come sooner? Later? Who knows! Natalie, Mike, and I have decided to make a bet: whoever guesses closest to the actual hour that the baby is brought into this world is the winner. The two losers must make the winner a Baby Bet Dinner of their choice, and, as Natalie suggested, a Baby Bet dessert if the winner so desires it. Here are the guesses:

Mike: Friday, 11:00 pm
Natalie: Friday at 12:00 am
Katie: Friday at 1:00 am

(Lachelle, if you really love me, you'll have your baby sometime between 1am and 11:59am on Friday. Come on!)

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-11T21:49:00.000-08:00

I haven't really done much for Halloween in years, unless you count sitting on the couch in the dark (scary!) watching the first half of Hostel. (The movie is so sick and deeply disturbing there's really no need to watch more than that.) This year I went for the double whammy: I carved pumpkins AND dressed up! Here's me holding my pumpkin, obviously.

Can anyone identify this molecule? It's everyone's favorite!

Mike worked really hard to carve an awesome design on his pumpkin. We bought one of those pumpkin carving kits, and he was going to carve out a picture of three wolves howling at the moon. But, the pieces were too intricate, and Mike had a card time popping the appropriate shapes out of the pumpkin. After hours of work, he flipped his pumpkin over and carved a generic smile with triangle eyes in about 30 seconds. Keyton would have approved.

Some mean people my freshman year called me Peter Pan after I chopped all my hair off. Instead of continuing to feel bad about this, I finally decided to embrace it. Props to Mama Meerkat for making me this sweet Peter Pan costume, and props to Larry for making me this sweet dagger. (I even match Keety; check out his blog!) Mike is Captain Hook...or just a regular pirate with a hook. Whatever. We're a cute couple. We match.

I think Mike might be a real pirate!

"Don't worry: this will only be the most painful experience of your life."

These guys will eat anything

2008-08-28T17:04:00.000-07:00

Goats in the city?! Brilliant!! (Keety would have loved this.)

Welcome Home, Nat Pat!

2008-08-28T16:51:00.000-07:00

After 2 painful months of being Natalie-free, my dear sister finally returned to me on August 23rd, 2008. I think this may have been one of the most joyous days in my 21 years of life. Oh, how I missed her! To welcome home our cherished Nat Pat, Mike and I made her a celebratory fun-fetti cake. (Don't mind the spanish vulgarity; it's how I show I care!)

We got a little excited with the cake decorating supplies, and decided to sport some festive mexican mustaches in honor of the occasion. Ayayayayaya!

What a delicious masterpiece!

And here's Mike doing some very important reading with his new glasses.

The Zoo!

2008-07-10T22:40:00.000-07:00

I think I've only been to the zoo a handful of times in my entire life. Somehow, I managed to make two trips to the zoo in one week. Because I made a trip to both the Woodland Park zoo in Seattle and the Washington Park zoo in Portland during that week, I am now able to provide a thorough analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of both zoos. Let's see which zoo comes out on top:

First off, the Seattle zoo is cleaner, more educational, has a greater variety of animals, (all of which seem to be more active and happy), and the zoo has a more convenient layout. Most importantly, however, the Seattle zoo allows you to not only view animals, but to impersonate them as well:

Here I'm a spider, facing troubles with the law for "prowling."

And look! Mike has developed into a beautiful butterfly!

And here I am as a zebra. Cute, right?

While the Portland zoo is smaller, dirtier, and honestly less fun, it does have two reedeming qualities:

1) MEERKATS!!!!

2) One thing that the Portland zoo will have more often than the Seattle zoo is Keyton. He makes the zoo more entertaining than all the tigers, monkeys, or hippos combined. Here is Keety feeding the lorakeets with his grandma Banana. (Note: this is also one of maybe 3 picture in existence where my mom looks normal.)

Here is Keety using the skills he picked up with the lorakeets, attempting to feed the penguins through the glass. What a guy!

Another great thing about the Portland zoo, and I think Keety will agree, is the petting zoo. Keyton was happier chasing these goats around than he was viewing the "zebahs," which, by the way, was what he seemed to be looking forward to all day.

In the end, the Portland zoo obviously comes out on top thanks only to Keyton's ability to take your mind off of the fact that you are viewing wild animals trapped in concrete cages that are too small for them and that smell like poop. Oh, and the meerkats don't hurt, either.

Mission Day

2008-04-24T16:22:00.000-07:00

Each spring, Seattle University sets aside one day for faculty and staff to focus on the school's Jesuit Catholic mission in order to explore it in greater depth and to expand their understanding of it. Typically, Mission day is a time when the students at Seattle University are free to sleep in and relish in the fact that they need not go to class. However, Mike and I decided to take the day a little more seriously and pursue our own special mission.

Mission day began at Volunteer Park Cafe, a lovely neighborhood coffee shop that serves up some delicious treats. Mission one: eat copious amounts of food.

Then, it was off to the park to take advantage of the windy conditions. Mission two: get the Nemo kite off the ground.

Mike clearly needed my help. I found that running around like a lunatic really encouraged the kite to stay in the air.

Finally, mike succeeded in the mission, and was flying the Nemo kite with ease.

Look, we rock at flying kites! Mission accomplished.

Lent

2008-02-23T21:38:00.000-08:00

Lent is the 40 day liturgical season of fasting and prayer before Easter. The 40 days represent the time Jesus spent in the desert, where, according to the Bible, he endured temptation by Satan. This year, since we do go to a Jesuit university, we have all decided to properly recognize Lent after years of neglecting such a momentous religious event.

Natalie is showing a lot of self-control by giving up studying during Lent. No more Indian Law, Contracts, or Constitutional Law. It's just Grey's Anatomy for the next 40 days around here.

Katie is making quite a large sacrifice during Lent and will be giving up running. Her coach (and waistline) won't be happy, but Jesus will.

Mike is also observing Lent, and will not be eating vegetables until Easter. Surprisingly, he doesn't look like he is having too hard of a time with it.

What are YOU giving up for Lent?

The best foraging find yet!

2008-02-23T21:31:00.000-08:00

That's right. As if life couldn't get any better, they are now making meerkat cereal!

Meerkat Mike no longer has to forage for scorpians and millapedes. Hooray!

Jumping on the bed turns into an existential dilemma

2008-01-14T10:07:00.000-08:00

When Mike was in Portland with me, he couldn't hold back his urge to jump on my mum's bed. What is it about those things that are off-limits to us that make us desire them so strongly?

Kyle saw the photo, and decided to take immediate action.

However, his plan quickly backfired. Unfortunately, he is taking his unchecked wrath out on poor little me!

And sure enough, mom has decided to disown me. She sent me an e-mail stating a simple, yet hurtful, message:

My family relationships are declining swiftly. How could this situation possibly be rectified? What could ease my pain? As always, Mike has some great advice:

HELP -- I Can't Stop Eating!

2008-01-02T22:46:00.000-08:00

I also can't figure out how to turn this picture around. Boy, do I have problems.

Meerkats!

2007-12-22T16:48:00.000-08:00

Meerkats are all the rage this season. Here's Katie and mom looking lovely and buck-toothed.

Larry and mom are the love-bird meerkats.

Mike makes the cutest (and tallest) meerkat of all. He is good at watching for signs of danger.

And here are a few meerkat poseurs. Losers.

Peacock Lane

2007-12-22T16:36:00.000-08:00

The fam strolled down to Peacock Lane to witness all of the bright and glaring xmas splendor that makes this street famous. Keety loved watching the ridiculous moving lawn decorations and lights. Grandma Banana loved watching Keety.

Happy Birthday, sisters!

2007-12-22T16:32:00.000-08:00

Natalie turned 23 on Dec.17th. She got a carrot cake. Lachelle apparently turned one on Nov. 28th. She got a belated chocolate flan cake. Oh joy!

Damn straight.

2007-12-22T16:31:00.000-08:00

Cash Advance Loans

Happy holidays!

2007-12-12T21:09:00.000-08:00

During this holiday season, make sure you don't lose sight of the true meaning of christmas: your love for others is measured in how much money you spend and how much meaningless shit you buy them.

Also, If you ever find yourself feeling depressed this time of year, just follow baby Jesus' example and smile! At least you are not an aborted fetus.

Beans and Blisters

2007-12-09T22:00:00.000-08:00

Mike (boyfriend-slave) developed a pretty nasty running-related blister this week. Dr. Katie came to the rescue, safety pin in hand. We all enjoyed watching the liquidy-lymph ooze out of the punctured blister. So satisfying.

After playing with Mike's nasty feet, we made enough nachos to feed all the starving children in the world out of Natalie's world-famous black bean dip. Katie and Mike ate their fair share of the nachos, while Natalie boxed up her portion and sent them to some hungry Nicaraguan children. Muchos gracias, senorata!

Mom's Job

2007-12-05T21:51:00.000-08:00

Mom has a new job teaching 6th grade ELL math. That's English Language Learners, in case you didn't know. Here's the paper from one student. He's eleven and just new to the U.S. from Mexico. He speaks no English. Maybe he's never learned to write, either. What's with the backwards spelling here? Mom needs H-E-L-P ! To volunteer in her classroom helping to get this student (and 49 others just like him) up to speed so he can pass the federal No Child Left Behind tests, please post a comment with your name and phone number. She'll be in touch.

See Katie eat. See Katie run.

2007-12-05T21:44:00.000-08:00

Which sister do you think ate this?

Which sister ate this?

Mom and her amazingly great boyfriend, Larry, came to my track meet last weekend. They enjoyed all the track events.

But mostly, they enjoyed watching me run.

Mom's so proud of me!

Two Truths and a Lie

2007-11-29T21:36:00.000-08:00

1) The neighbors think Natalie and Katie are a hot lesbian couple
2) Katie receives love letters from female admirers
3) Katie is pregnant...with another woman's baby!! (Science, you did it again!)

Holidazzle Parade!

2007-11-25T15:22:00.000-08:00

Last night we went to the Holidazzle Parade, Minneapolis' annual "magical downtown storybook spectacular." Here's the fam all bundled up.

Keety was wearing more clothes than any child there, and looked lovely doing so. He was undoubtably the warmest one at the event, and I think by the end of the night he embraced his fashion faux pas. Function over fashion, Keety.

Here is one of the floats...

...and Keety's response to so many lights and so much noise. The night was filled with considerable horror.

More fun with Keety

2007-11-24T10:00:00.000-08:00

Keety has been having a lot of fun with Photo Booth.

Yesterday we went to see the puppet show at the library. Keyton loved this pig puppet, as well as tormenting all the other children.

I had the priveledge of babysitting Keety yesterday. He ran around the house in his boots and my hat. He looked real good, and we had a real good time.

Another favorite activity of Keyton's is listening to The Beatles and jumping on the couch with his cool aunt. I got really tired and sweaty, and every time I wanted to stop he cried. So, we ended up doing this for quite a while.

And finally, here's white trash Keyton, wearing his warm winter clothes sans t-shirt.

Our Brother Kyle

2007-11-23T18:51:00.000-08:00

You already know that we have another sister (the one with the greatest baby), but did you know we have a brother, too? This is Kyle riding a bus in Portland. He's on a quest for a Blazer t-shirt and a box of Voodoo donuts.

Kyle has three questions on his mind: Where is the Nike store? Would they have a Blazer shirt? Why is his mom following him around with a camera?

At the Nike store, Kyle finds balls but no Blazer t-shirts. To his dismay, he discovers that the Blazers have a contract with Adidas, not Nike.

Kyle finds holiday spirit at the downtown mall, but no Blazer gear.

Kyle gives up his search for a shirt and turns his attention to his second goal, finding Voodoo donuts.

There's bad news on Voodoo's door.

No shirt. No donuts. But there's always pizza.

~~ THE END ~~

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-22T12:42:00.000-08:00

The day started out with a little playdough, a perfect tool to distract Keety from watching Reno 911 with his cool aunt.

Here's Nick looking thrilled about his sweet potatoes, and me having a really emotional time chopping onions for my vege stuffing.

Lachelle (the other sister) and me at dinner.

When it was time to head home, I went looking for Keyton so I could get him ready to go. But, he was nowhere to be found. When I called his name, I heard a faint cry coming from the bathroom. I went to investigate, and there was Keyton hanging out in the tub yelling "Baby bath!" He was sitting in a small puddle of water playing with all the exciting toys.

Adventures in Minnesota

2007-11-21T18:49:00.000-08:00

I flew into Minneapolis last night to visit Lachelle/Keety/Nick over Thanksgiving break. Unfortunately, I had to leave Natalie behind. It is extremely cold here, and is snowing quite a bit. But, that didn't deter us from riding the bus to the museum. Keyton loves the bus. If only his affinity for public transit was shared by all.

Keety liked this painting of chickens. He also liked one Georgia O'Keefe picture so much he decided to pet it. This didn't make the bitchy museum lady very happy.

And here's Keety eating plain cold noodles for lunch. Precious!

Jesus says...

2007-11-18T00:20:00.000-08:00

Natalie decided that Jesus is definitely on Planned Parenthood's side.

Cleaning Party!

2007-11-17T23:25:00.001-08:00

It was an especially exciting Saturday night for the Seattle sisters: drinking soy nog and cleaning the extremely messy apartment. There was mold on most of the food in the fridge, mildew in the shower, piles of dirt/dust/hairballs in all corners of the kitchen, and a sorta nasty smell lingering in the air. A little hard work, 409, and a boyfriend-slave was all we needed

Mike (boyfriend-slave) cleans the bathtub with a smile. What a guy!

Showing off the sparkling-clean kitchen.

Natalie made Mike hold her Rothko picture against the wall so she could visualize where she wanted to hang it. The results were heeelarious!

Some sexy hipster pictures in celebration of a job well done.

Mom Says, "Don't Come Back."

2007-11-13T20:27:00.000-08:00

After three days at her house, mom told us not to come back.

This little sister was out of control with the knife.

This boyfriend was caught jumping on mom's bed.

As sad as it is, Mom says "DON'T COME BACK!"

PDXoxo

2007-11-13T17:19:00.000-08:00

Natalie and Mike and I went home to Portland this last weekend. It was a good time.

Natalie made sandwiches for the long train ride home.

Mom bought us toys: Mike got a seal, I got a praying mantis, and Natalie got a dinosaur. Precious!!

Mom also bought Mike a cinnammon roll. Divorced parent guilt? I doubt it.

In other news, the train ride was a dramatic event, as you well can see.

Spirokeety

2007-11-12T10:21:00.000-08:00

In my microbiology class we have been studying the different shapes of bacteria. Spirochetes (pronounced spiro-keet) are microorganisms in the shape of flexible helices. With my nephew in mind, my dear friend Hillary and I started calling them "spirokeetys." Hillary took it one step further, however, and photoshopped this lovely image of a spirokeety. She then proceeded to e-mail it to our micro professor, who displayed it for the entire class the next day. He asked the class if perhaps we all had a bit too much time on our hands, seeing as Hillary turned some poor boy in a spirochete.

Isn't he cute?

Which/what?

2007-11-11T23:53:00.000-08:00

What part of which sister is this??

Hint: There is another sister in the family. She has a blog, too! (www.keytonsiddoway.blogspot.com)

We want a blog, too!

2007-11-11T23:39:00.000-08:00

After realizing that Natalie and I were the only people in the family without blogs, we decided to start our own. Just because we are not married doesn't mean people aren't interested in the most intimate details of our lives. In fact, I can almost guarantee that our existence as young single bachelorettes is far more interesting than a stupid kid in diapers. (Keety, I don't really mean it!) If you ever find yourself wondering what Natalie is wearing, what Katie had for breakfast, or what we both did on Monday night, just check the blog!