I blame what you are about to read on matcha green tea ice cream cravings and my age — I’ll be 24 in about 5 days, gross.
I did absolutely nothing today. I woke up at 5:00 am with the intention of watching the sunrise from the trail above our house. Unfortunately due to the cleanse I am doing for a week, I can’t have coffee. At that hour, even the best of intentions fail and are less appealing if caffeine is not at the core. So I walked around for a bit sat on the couch. At about 7:15 I showered because I was a disaster and even I know that as counter-productive as it is, I would not go to the gym before having one. My eta for the gym was 9:30. I showered, put on my gear, drank the cleanse-brew, and sat on the couch again. This was quite unappealing so I went down to the den where I plugged in the latest ‘Brothers and Sisters’ episode (I’ve started watching the show — not bad). I woke up in my gym clothes at 11:45. At this point I realized my movie was due back at noon and I had 10 mins to get to the 20 min away location. I put my shoes on, walked out to my car, walked back into the house, and took off my shoes. I stripped down to my sportsbra (sorry) and shorts and sat on the chair outside in the heat — which reclines so I fell asleep until the heat woke me up. Then I went on facebook for all of 7 mins to respond to an e-mail, or message – whatever, and then realized my time allowance on megavideo was available so I watched another ep. of BaS. To which I fell asleep. Jes phoned at approximately 4:09 pm which was right around the time that I woke up and was fixing my next cleanse juice. And put a load of laundry in the dryer. When she called, I told her it felt like I just woke up from an 10.5 month coma (which started last September) but our conversation was so long and heated and passionate about the issues, the oh-so-rampant-issues, in my over-excited-life, I got plain exhausted and had to lay down. Now it is 7:18, and I just woke up. Oh, and I drank a calculated 24+ cups of water in the last 12 hours so there have been bathroom breaks in my day too.
I feel like 25 cents for not going to the gym because I love the gym and love what’s happening to me because of it, 4 bucks for not having coffee, $12.95 for watching 9.5 episodes of ‘Brothers and Sisters’, 17 dollars for dreaming about the new-to-me Counting Crows song I heard, and like I maxed my credit card for maxing on my sleep. A new day dawns, my friends, but the only thing I feel good about right now is that I have enough confidence in myself and my readership to be 100% honest with all of you. I know you’re jealous.
For someone who is never, ever this unproductive, I think I am handling the wasted-day with class. And a sunburn cause that 50 mins in the recliner just about did me in.
What did you do today? (I am going back to bed so I will check tomorrow.. 
)
Dear sweetie,
I am so excited to meet you, I feel like I’ve been waiting for this day for way too long. And even though there are still a few too many months before you come out to play, there are a couple of things I want you to know so that when you are here and take over our world, you will get started on the right foot:
First of all, I am head over heels in love with you already. I know that might not matter much all of the time but I also know that one day it might mean the world. If you need someone to remind you how much the world doesn’t stand a chance against you, that you are the most beautiful person in the room, or that you deserve to have your heart cherished and admired, I will be there. And before me, I am sure you’ll see your mom and dad ready to remind you first.
Sometimes, people are not very nice. Since you are going to be the coolest kid around, it will be your job to make sure that the other kids are not forgotten, that you include even the girls or boys that might not see things the same way you do. Find the best in everyone because if you’re patient, I am sure they will surprise you. And I promise you will learn more from the people who challenge you and question you rather than the ones who will always agree with you. Be kind, respectful, and bold with your heart and actions — and if you find yourself on the opposite side, forgotten by your peers, I pray someone kind and special will reach out to you.
Dave Matthews Band, Matt Wertz, Garth Brooks, Paul Brandt, Pearl Jam, Dave Barnes, Jewel, Patty Griffin, Hootie and the Blowfish, Bryan Adams, Matchbox 20, Sheree Plett, Kate Voegele, Counting Crows, Kings of Leon, Chris Tomlin — I am not saying that they have everything figured out, because they don’t, but they provide an awesome soundtrack to when you might be feeling particularly lost or joyful or afraid or expectant. And if you want, I will take you to any of their concerts, ever, because they will be classics by the time you’re old enough, and you will be the coolest for simply listening to some of the greats.
Speaking of having things figured out, please don’t forget that this is a goal that is impossible. So why not enjoy life and the spins it will send your way and embrace them as opportunities that will continue to mold, define, renovate, invigorate, and educate who you are. That way, when the end comes and you look back and wonder about those moments where you wish you had had it all figured out, at least you know you gave it your very best shot.
About your Dad — he’s one of my favourite people on the planet. Use him for when you’re unsure or excited about something, because he’s one of the greatest listeners and greatest dreamers I know — I can’t think of anyone better to be vulnerable around or to find a sincere support for the dreams you have. And I promise that if you’re having a bad day or you are confused about something, your Dad’s laugh will make the day lighter and your curiosity for the world and all of its parts came from him.
And your mom? She’s my best friend. I want you to open your heart to her because there’s no better place to be than in her heart. Her ability to tell you the truth, always, in love is totally unmatched. And if some days it feels like there is no one who understands or cares or simply can’t relate, your Mom will — and if she’s unsure, she will try harder than anyone to make sure you know that you are the priority. She’ll carry you — your hurts will be hers, same with your successes, love, passions, and dreams. Just make sure that you make an effort to make her loves, passions, and dreams part of your own.
Read. Live vicariously through stories and adventures and experiences on paper. Not only will it teach you, but your own free spirit will crave the adventure that is your life. And if you ever want someone to live your adventure along side you, I might come along from time to time — I will try to be a cool aunt.
Be brave and take risks. Be honest with yourself but make sure that you will take a chance, especially if people are telling you not to. You need to be your greatest advocate, and I promise your support team of family will make sure everyone else knows that you are a force… life is simply a gift, make sure you appreciate it every day — and courage and bravery will make you do the things that other people might not.
Don’t ever forget that the world owes you nothing, that in fact — you owe something to the world. God has given you talents and gifts and treasures and time that as His child, makes you a servant-heart. Love Jesus, live your life and live it with joy, and everything will be ok.
While I can’t promise I will never embarrass, disappoint, lose focus, or not check in on you, I promise I will try my hardest to do it as little as possible. I also will help you with all of your English and Social Studies homework, and if I am your teacher, I can’t promise you won’t be the teacher’s pet.
I can promise I will always encourage you, remember you, and love you for all of the perfect and imperfect parts about you. I might get old and grumpy and fragile, but I will never, ever get tired of hearing your stories, looking at your pictures, watching you grow, cheering you on, and thanking God for the gift that you already are.
(And it would be in your best interests to be a Riders fan. Even if you become more in tune to your British Columbian heritage, and love the Lions more, this is the only avenue of your life that I will support you lying to your Dad. It might even be fun!)
I love you and am anticipating your arrival more than you might ever know…
Love, Auntie Katie,
–your biggest fan.
Did you know she turned 12 today? My sweetest, littlest, spunkiest sister is officially old. No, really.
This face is the face of a miracle. Jayme got hit by a car on Monday, did you hear? She was walking across the cross walk after getting the mail and a lady didn’t see her, hit her, and sent her tumbling across the ground. Her road rash is extensive, her thigh is throbbing, her heart is scared, but she is alive. I asked her how she was doing, after the painkillers/Tylenol seemed to have kicked in, and she said “when I think about what could’ve happened, it scares me but then I think about how none of my friends can say they got hit by a car today, can they?” . In other words, this is the face of a miracle but also a tough little lady who gave us quite the scare. We’re blessed, she’s blessed, and thankful doesn’t even start to cover the deep truth of what this accident could have been.
This is the face of the kindest, gentlest, funniest, most modern, fashionable, entertaining, independent, friendly, honest, loved girl I know who constantly reminds me that the best way to see the world is through her kind of eyes — ones hoping for the very best and expecting even better. I admire her and adore her soul… I didn’t know kids that size came with hearts that big.
Happy Birthday Peanut, you are the perfect sister for me — keep being you and the rest of us will try and keep up!
xo
As a pending English teacher, I’ve been trying to broaden my literary arsenal so-to-speak. This month is poetry. So I will share some of the poems that I am reading and reflecting on… I encourage you to do the same because there is something oh-so-beautiful about the words of those past that still have passion and meaning and a voice in our very-present-moments.
Here, is my good friend James Joyce’s ‘At That Hour’ (we’re not good friends, but I wish we had been – he was quite smart) to start off July, Kate’s poetry month:
At That Hour
At that hour when all things have repose,
O lonely watcher of the skies,
Do you hear the night wind and the sighs
Of harps playing unto Love to unclose
The pale gates of sunrise?
When all things repose, do you alone
Awake to hear the sweet harps play
To Love before him on his way,
And the night wind answering in antiphon
Till night is overgone?
Play on, invisible harps, unto Love,
Whose way in heaven is aglow
At that hour when soft lights come and go,
Soft sweet music in the air above
And in the earth below.
What did you think? Poetry ain’t half bad!
Happy Birthday my beloved Canada… I am watching your skies today.
I’ve decided I am resigning to the things in the world that I have absolutely NO control over:
-the weather. why complain about it if it doesn’t change it?
-the size of my head. might as well adjust the hat since i can’t adjust the head.
-what other people say. i am constantly shocked by what other people say. why? i shouldn’t actually be surprised when i am not making them say it (or not making).
-my character. i can refine it or tweak it or discover it, but i can’t really change it so i might as well forget it.
-my job. i keep forgetting that i have to do as i am told. period.
-hoards of tourists. they are what and who they are. i can control my reactions to them, particularly this weekend — the elvis festival. oh, it’s that bad.
-living at home for four months. i can’t decide what’s important to my mom so i might as well go with it.
-change. it happens.
-the taste of cilantro. i try desperately to love it but really, i can’t force my tongue to enjoy it.
-routine. it creeps up on you and it’s only noticeable when something has gone awry.
-family dynamics. i swear it’s not my fault.
-priorities of others. i need patience to remember that though I am my first priority, doesn’t mean I am theirs.
-how books take me elsewhere. it’s not in my power to put a book down 3 hours later and be cognizant of what went on around me in the meantime.
-the way somethings make me feel. like seeing Paul yesterday for the first time since this time last year and the year before that, i can’t help that he’s my dearest friend that i love and hate the most in my world. i try but he makes me happy and angry. i can’t control it.
-i’ve read 5 jodi picoult novels in the last 10 days. i swore i would never read her, but now that i have i’ve lost all recollection of why i said that in the first place.
-coffee loving. did you know that it’s impossible to lose your first love?
-my heart. it didn’t come with an instruction manual.
In typical “bring Kate’s life” turn of events, my wallet has been returned to me withalmost everything in it. It was only missing my visa and cheque book and the loonie I keep in there for a rainy day when I think Americanos will finally cost less than a dollar.
I would just like to point out that when my car was stolen and then returned that this was the most annoying: why go through the adventure and heart attack factor of the theft and chase only to have it returned almost completely intact? I don’t get it?
Mom, Luke, my imaginary friend(s), and my coworkers seem to believe it so that I have stories to tell.
I like to believe that blessings in my life flow in abundance… even if they are as annoying as this, it’s still nice. And funny. And a nuisance. And a subject for a blog post.
Oh well.
Living vicariously through my own life is not giving me much clarity.
My wallet got stolen on Wednesday — somebody broke into my car and took it.
Here’s why being Kate is such an adventure…it went something like this:
I finally cracked down and decided to fix Bella, my blue little fireball of a car. (This is the same car that was broken into and the stereo stolen and the same car that was stolen herself). I’ve known for quite sometime that the CV axel and bushings (whatever those are) at the front end needed to be replaced, this knowledge heightened when the problem wore out my tires and left me stranded in Williams Lake with two flats when I was travelling home from Smithers.
So on Monday I brought my car in and on Wednesday my coworker brought me to pick it up after work. I made a deal with myself that if it cost under $650, I would go to Staples and buy an external hard drive for my computer. The work cost me $640. 43 so to Staples I went. I had called ahead of time from work so all I had to do was go to the counter and pay.
I arrived at Staples at 4:58 pm. It was pouring rain so I just grabbed my debit card out of my wallet, shoved my wallet under my gym bag, and ran into the store. (Sidenote: I don’t need the ‘don’t leave anything in your car’ lecture — you’re not allowed, see previous thefts #1 and #2… this is the first time since that I’ve left anything in Bella). When I left the store, the manager was walking in and said “Do you own a Honda Civic?” and I yelled “WHAAAAAT” thinking the little expensive disaster just got stolen AGAIN. No.
“Somebody just shimmied the lock, stole something, and ran away!” – Manager
“I saw the whole thing!” – Some lady.
“WHY DIDN’T YOU YELL!!!!” – Hysteric me.
“Well, I DIDN’T KNOW!” – Said lady.
“I am sorry.” – Me. Still hysterical.
“HE WAS WEARING A BLACK HAT AND BLUE SWEATER AND CARRYING A BAG! And he ran over there by the TD!” – Lady.
“OK. Have a nice afternoon, THANKS” – Me.
(Sidenote #2: Never try to drive a standard when you’re having a conniption. My leg was shaking so much I stalled three times.)
So what did I do? Why, what any classy, smart, level headed woman would… I went after him! I drove up by someone who fit the description and rolled down my window and said
“Can you please give me back my wallet?”
To which he responded
“I don’t have your wallet! Ha Ha Ha.” and he kept walking/running up to the crosswalk.
I am thinking This is SO NOT MY DAY. So I circled around through the Mohawk parking lot and saw that he was crossing the street into the mall parking lot. Where there is a CIBC. My bank. Oh NO he has my VISA. Oh ****! (I am not proud of this, but I was cussing in my head and probably outloud, the next few minutes are a bit of a blur). So I phoned my mom and said:
“MOM my WALLET WAS JUST STOLEN OUT OF MY CAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
“WHAT! Kate! WHAT! How?”
“Mom there’s no time, I need you to cancel my Visa RIGHT NOW.” (The stores were still open and he was heading to the mall!)
“Well, what are you doing?”
“I AM TRAILING THE GUY! I already asked him nicely now I am following him, we’re in the Cherry Lane Parking lot and I am in my car”
“Well, GET OUT THERE AND DEMAND IT BACK.”
So what do I do? Obviously. I parked, kept my mom on the line, and ran after him. That’s right, it was all of my CSI dreams come true until I had a fleeting moment where I realized I didn’t know what to do if he pulled a gun on me. I’d deal with that later and kept running. When I caught him, he was angry and said “Look, I don’t have your wallet” and pulled out his own from his back pocket. So I asked if I could look in his bag. He threw it on the ground and let me. It was filled with pop cans and bottles. My heart broke, I apologized and said he fit the description and I didn’t mean to invade his space and to have a really nice afternoon.
Anyways, I am still convinced he had it but whatever.
I went home, and mom had cancelled my Visa. If you can believe it: I left Staples at 5:04 pm. Mom had my visa cancelled at 5:13 pm. The guy tried to charge something to it at 5:18 pm. So in the matter of 14 mins (more accurately, 19 minutes from the time I arrived at Staples), I bought a hard drive, my car was broken into, my wallet stolen, I chased down a criminal (twice), my mom dealt with my bank, and I failed miserably. That was the longest 14 minutes of my life. But look how FAST things like this happen.
So the rest of the hour I was on the phone with my bank because not only was my Visa in there but my cheque book so I had to cancel my bank accounts as well! Then, because my S.I.N. card was in there I had to call the Credit Bureau(s) to flag my credit in case of fraud, and talk to the RCMP… who, sidenote #3, strongly encouraged me to buy a different vehicle given my history with her in such a short period of time!
The nice B.I.D. (blessing in disguise) to this adventure is that an hour or so after my life was flashing before my eyes, a gal from a local pub phoned to tell me she found my license underneath her car. So mom and I went to pick it up and did some dumpster diving/scouring back there before I went and met the RCMP officer in the parking lot to talk about what happened.
I am getting so tired of talking to the RCMP.
And way too used to feeling violated.
Thus begins the painful, annoying, expensive process of replacing everything that was in there. For example, my birth certificate was in my wallet because I just recently got a passport and didn’t take it out yet. For the love of fruit smoothies, that is so annoying. Along with my BCAA, Visa, S.I.N., UVic Student ID, etc. etc. etc… I don’t have time for this heinous nuisance.
On the way home from our Crime Scene Investigating, my mom says
“Kate, I just have to laugh, I think this is how your life simply is…you need the adventure”
To which I responded
“Mom, are you kidding me? It’s not like I am asking for this or walk into these sorts of things on purpose!”
“But Kate, it’s not like these sorts of things surprise you anymore, either.“
Good point.
But get this, along with my license, the gal found my air miles card and Save on More card under her car. HOWEVER, when we were on our way home, I turned the Save On card over and burst out laughing… it wasn’t my card! SO, either it’s from another wallet stole OR it’s the card of the thief’s…
Ergo, the saga continues… maybe they’ll start letting me ride in the squad car.
I think this picture fits well here, yet again:
Here’s an example of something that would get you shot in Penticton, Victoria, and BC as a whole. As part of my job at the Regional District I have to advocate for the environment. Not even close, actually, that’s not in my job description but after working with some of the most environementally conscious people in the entire polluted atmosphere and living in the most green, recyclable city in that said atmosphere, it starts rubbing off.
When a certain pair of pesky human beings mentioned that they still burn their garbage, I had a conniption fit/rage black out. I could hardly see straight so my weak attempt at advocating for the environment, I sent them each a magnet that said “1-2-3 Turn your key, be idle free, and SPARE OUR AIR” (because the second indication of idiocy in certain people is a love of free stuff). ANYWAYS.
They found the perfect spot for their new magnets… and sent me these two clips to prove it (see if you can find them).
The subjects of the following two videos are not named in effort to protect the not-so-innocent… but I would say that the quality of filming, the heinous background cackling by the videographer, and the shorts/hiking boot/sock/white leg combo of the star actor make them easily identifiable. Please watch the first vid first.
there's the rain... a much needed and welcome old friend.
Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something.
- Plato
He’s made an excellent point. Now just to decide which category I fit into cause honey, I’m not often at a loss for words. This could foreshadow problems to come.
Also, my baby brother recently graduated and while the gold and purple looked dashing on him, the experience caused me to reflect on my own day of white and blue a mere, disgusting six years ago. I’d like to believe I’ve come a long way. But then again, I sure enjoyed myself in those days — I hope that kinda thing lasts well into the post-ten year reunion years:
(holy smacks, please don’t judge how these pictures have been placed on this blog — they are impossible to manipulate properly, even if Trav would disagree, I am helpless).
- my best friend and me.
- we thought those gowns looked hot.
- i was scared michael would trip and fall… can you sense the concern?
- my triple ‘p’: Perfect Prom-date Pete.
are these dresses retro and outdated yet?
entering a new phase of 'good-looking'.
- nadina nailed it
- more foreshadowing of things to come.
Cue Whitesnake’s “Here I Go Again” and Mark Perry’s “Under Northern Skies” and you, I promise, will feel like you never missed a moment of Grad 2003… not entirely grossly overrated, but growing up kinda has been.
