Permission to HATE this Dell
Hate.  Hate.  Hate.  There's nothing wrong with it, per se, but it's not a Mac and I don't know how to work it...and it's ridiculously heavy.  There, I said it.  I hate it and I don't think I'm going to "learn to love it" like my mom said I would about broccoli.  Guess what.  I like my new PC as much as I like broccoli and that's not at all.

Permission to be OVERLY excited about an upcoming camping trip...
And when I say "camping" I mean in a cabin with bathrooms and a fireplace and several queen beds.  I feel like a 4 year old waiting for Santa!  SO EXCITED.  I should probably get out more.

Permission to feel sorry for myself and my craptastic ankles
Yeah I think God gave me bad ones.  It's not my fault and you should feel sorry for me too.  If you do, I'll try and pretend I feel sorry for you next time you complain.

Permission to STILL not have a new phone.  
Nope.  Still.  And I really can only help you out if you only want to know the time to the closest minute not the hour because I can't see the hour anymore.  I tell ya, I am one classy lady.

Permission to start branching out to new restaurants...starting now.
I admit it.  I'm a chain girl.  I love me some Cheesecake Factory, Chipolte, Paradise Bakery...you name the chain that's in ever city of the US and I'm there.  But as it turns out there are some pretty fab restaurants that are not chains.  I went to one tonight.  Delish food.  Not a chain.  Thank you Humble Pie for helping me see the error of my ways.  Well actually thank you Brandon for that and thank you Humble Pie for providing us some fab food.

PS.  A goal for this year is going to be to learn to spell the word restaurant.  Every single time I get it wrong.  

Permission to be super annoyed by overtly attention seeing behavior.
Look at me! Look at me!  It's all about me all the time.  <---That's annoyballs.  Excuse me while I post this blog that is...all...about...me.  Ok, so I'm annoyballs too.

I can't wait to tell you this story.  I'm not sure why I get excited to tell you about what a lame I am but I do.

Forever I have joked that my brother tells the most detailed stories in life.  "So, then there was this ant and he was walking across the street.  I wondered where he was going..." 
"Tom can we get back to the story about you surfing please?!"

In this instance, because of his detail-oriented story telling, I feel that he may do my story better justice than ,I but he doesn't have a blog because he's thinks they're super lame he's too busy so I'll go ahead.

"What should we do with the kids today?  The trampoline place or The Children's Museum."
"Let's let Philip decide."
Philip, much like his father, really ponders this decision.  "Well, I weawwy wove the Children's Museum but I WOVE Jumpstreet.  Wet's go to Jumpstreet!" <---I wish he would say those l's as w's forever but I know that someday his l's are going to come in...and on that day, I'll be sad.

Off we went to Flip Dunk (another trampoline place like Jumpstreet).


If you've never been to one of these places, it's a kid's dream come true.  The whole place is covered in trampoline's and you just bounce all over the place.  There an area for bouncy basketball.  There's an area for bouncy dodge ball.  There's an area to just bounce.  


For adults, you can't help but think of how dirty it must be with all those shoe and sockless feet bouncing all over the place.  But if you can get past that, it's SO fun and a good way to get your heart rate up. 

So, we get our wrist bands and get to jumping.  We're all having a blast.  Philip is trying to run up the side of the wall.   Tom is showing all of the 7 year-old kids what a cool "old guy" he is by doing back flips and nailing them with dodge balls.  I'm illegally sneaking Lily into the very clearly marked CLOSED gymnastics area. 

Later into our jump session Tom and the kids are off jumping.  I think it would be a fun idea to jump across the whole place.  Now, there are trampolines but every few feet they are seperated by wood or metal covered by mats.  So, I had done it before.  I just get a big spring and jump from one trampoline to the next.

Off I go.  BIG jump from one, on to the next.  BIG jump from that one onto...the mat.  I don't even know which way my ankle twisted but I was immediately screaming in agony.  I'm looking at Tom through the mesh wall and he's asking a little girl he just knocked over if she was all right.

A pimple faced 14 year-old runs over to see if I'm all right.  I tell him to get my brother.

Tom comes back and immediately moves in to big brother mode, "Katie, don't move.  Just stay right there.  I'm going to pick you up."
"Tom you are insane.  You're not going to pick me up...on a trampoline...and carry me off.  No."
Tom picks me up.
I almost jump out of his arms.
"Seriously Tom?"

Over walk the owner of Flip Dunk to assess the situation.  I didn't take a gander around but I'd assume that everyone in the place was staring at us.

Tom's trying to help me and wrangle the kids.
"Philip, take your sister's hand and do not let go over it.  Follow Daddy.  Aunt Katie got hurt." <--Awe, how sweet.  Yeah, hang on to that thought...for a few more minutes.

2 different mid-voice change teenagers come over and are holding my arms over them.  The owner is behind her saying, "Now really support her.  Don't let her go."

The 2 boys are rolling their eyes at their boss as they are guiding me down from the death traps trampolines.

At this time I catch Tom's eye, he's trying not to laugh at me and he says, "You're being put on everyone in this place's team right now."

We sit down, "Katie, you are so embarrassing.  I know you're embarrassed but think about how I feel.  I'm the cool guy who can do EVERYTHING here.  I can back flip, dominate at dodge ball and my sister is the lame who breaks her ankle."

The final result...ANOTHER badly sprained ankle.  So far I'm at 1 or 2 sprains on my right and I think this is the 5th to my left.  Yes, I'm a bit accident prone but that's what makes me so lame endearing.

At least I have the most sympathetic brother in the world,  "And then you were just laying on the floor of the trampoline place..."  

The 2012 London Olympics are upon us!!  I'm so excited!



9.  Our entire Nation is celebrating fitness and health (Sidenote:  Something I DON'T understand are all of the McDonald's commercials...do you really think these athletes eat Big Macs on a regular basis?)


8.  So many different sports are involved!  Curling?  Handball?  Speed Walking?  Who knew?



7.  The commentators give the background stories that pull at your heartstrings.  I'm definitely Team USA and can't help but get excited for them but, mostly, I'm rooting for the person with the best story. <---That's the Blue side of me coming through :)

6.  Camaraderie between athletes.  Being an athlete takes SO much time and dedication and nobody understands that better than fellow athletes.  I love how they hug each other and congratulate one another.


5.  Opening Ceremonies!  Always amazing!

4.  They make it look so easy!  Anyone who has played/done a sport in the past knows what goes in to them and they are NOT easy.


3.  Ryan Lochte...oh did I already say him?  I don't care.  He's so hot.  And he swims.  And he's so hot.


2.  Good Great moments...Remember the Men's 4 x 100 Free Relay in 2008?  No? I didn't see it until I just Googled it either but it's worth watch.


1.  The entire World, putting aside their differences, and coming together for some fun.  I love it.  

                                  

In the most completely unnarcissistic (made up word, go ahead and use it.  Trust me, I used to be a teacher) way possible we're going to place a game.  A game that's all about me.


See how well you know me.  Sidenote: (Sidenote to the sidenote: If you can think of a word that's better than sidenote, please share cause I hate sidenote...but now I just wanna keep typing it because I've typed is so many times that it's making me laugh...sidenote, sidenote, sidenote).  Back to the original...say it with me-sidenote: During my now sister-in-law's wedding shower we played, "How well do you know the bride," and since I'm always thinking about myself I loved the game I thought, I like this and I'd like to play it at my own wedding shower...but here we are today...I'm just going to go ahead and play...with my blog friends...via a computer...and my dog.  Awesome.

1. If you really knew me you would know that the place I workout is called Crossfit.  How are you doing so far?  I just wanted to boost everyone's confidence on #1 :)  You really know me well...so far.

2.  If you really knew me you would know that when I was 9 I kicked my brother.  He slid across the floor into our brand new pantry door and it broke off the hinges so I paid him $40 to help me put it back on and not tell Mom and Dad...and it worked...for 1 year, until my dad saw the giant gouge in it.

3.  If you really knew me you would know that even though I share a TON (Umm, you mean OVERshare a ton) on here, I still don't post my deepest, darkest secrets, fears and desires.

4.  If you really knew me you would know I HATE it when people repeat themselves over and over...and over...and over.  Example:  "I have this black flip-flop.  You know it's not white it's dark, it's black.  It's not a tennis shoe or a sandal.  Sometimes people call them thongs.  I call them flip-flips."  OH MY GOSHHHHHHHHHHHHH!  STOPPPP.  Why oh who do people do that?  I want to shake them and say, "I have a college degree!! And even if I didn't that rock over there probably understands you.  Just say it once.  Say it well and let us all move on with our lives!"

Wow, it feels good to get that off my chest.  

5.  If you really knew me you would know I have a VERY sensitive nose.  I LOVE smelling good things and I hate smelling bad things.  Wow, Katie.  Riveting information.  Thank you for describing the general public.  You're so different from the rest of us. 

6.  If you really knew me you would know that my mom forced me to drink a glass of orange juice every Sunday after church because it would help with my "cold" but wouldn't admit that perhaps I should get an allergy test because she didn't want me to be the weird kid who (and I quote her here and I need you to say this in the nasally making fun of other children voice she used), "couldn't ever go anywhere because of their allergies."  Mother of the year.  Thank you for the orange juice and the Kix Mom.

7.  If you really knew me you would know that I grew up on a cul-de-sac, in a neighborhood with tons of kids and we used to play Kick the Can until the streetlights came on or my my whistled for us.  It was like a 50s movie.

8.  If you really knew me you would know that most of my furniture is from Costco.  Maybe you shouldn't tell us that Kathryn.  

9.  If you really knew me you would know that I usually think people are either, awesome or very annoying.  Chances are if I talk to you I think you're awesome and if I stare at you in a super obvious way because I have a staring problem (we KNOW) I think you're annoyballs (me and my brother end everything with balls these days--I blame Giulana Rancic.  And my brother just thinks I'm so cool that he copies me) Cool?  Your definition of cool is ending things with balls?  Hmmm

10.  If you really knew me you would know that I have a friend who loudly tries to set me up with any male, doing anything, in any place we see.  "Katie (as she stands 1/2 a foot in front of him and faces me), what about him?  He's cute."  And when I roll my eyes at her, she says, "This is your problem.  You need to just go after these guys."  "Meredith, he's walking towards the bathroom."

So...how did you do?  How well did you know those fun facts about me?
Thank you for participating in my wedding shower game game I'm playing while I sit on my couch.

What do you hear all the time?
You're so pretty.
You're so funny.
You're so smart.
Anything?  I mean if they don't say it to your face, perhaps, they're saying it behind your back ;)

There are a few things I hear all the time...
- Do you have a sister?
- Were you just at ________________ (fill in the blank with somewhere I was not)
- I feel like I just saw your twin

It happens a LOT.  I don't know why.  Here are the only two things I can come up with:
1.  There is a Katie imposter out there
2.  I have a very familiar face

I can assure you I am the 1 and only.  And that's enough of you Kathryn.  I don't think the world could handle anymore. 
Side note: Have all of you figured out that those italics are "your voice" back to me.  I'm anticipating your responses.

Anyway, I think it's kind of a weird thing that I hear that I look like other people all the time.  I used to be a little offended, "So, really, my face is so common that it's walking around everywhere?  I'm more unique than that!"

Sidenote:  This reminds me of a joke my friend used to tell me.  Stop me if you've heard this one.  Ha! Ha!  You can't stop me!  How do you catch a unique rabbit?  Unique up on it!  HILAR!


But then I changed my tune, "At least people don't see me for the first time, gasp and take a step back because I'm so odd looking that there's SURE they've never seen anyone like me."

Now...it just is what it is.

My standard response has become, "No, I just have a brother not a sister but I hear that often.  I think I must have a familiar face."

So, what do YOU hear all the time?

  Starting tomorrow I'm doing another Whole 30.


I made a goal this summer that I wouldn't gain my annual Summer 10 lbs and you know what?   I did pretty good.  I didn't gain any weight.  In fact, I lost a few (very few but still, a few) lbs, worked out a lot and had a fabulous summer in the process!



But...
In the past 1 2 3 weeks I have fallen a bit off the wagon.  Drinking, eating, sweeting and I don't feel great.  Bloated, dark circles, and my nails are breaking :(

So, I'm starting another Whole 30 and you know what inspired me to do so?  My blog! This post!  I told you I write for me.  It re-read my blog about Whole 30 and was reminded just how amazing I felt when I did it.

I'm ready to do it again.
Anyone wanna jump on board with me?  30 days isn't a long commitment.  It's always easier to do things when you have other people on board with you.

Want more info before making a commitment?

Here's an old post of mine about it.

The Whole 9 Life Link-Download the FREE (not to be confused with the $49) Success Guide.  That's all you need.

Whole 30 Facebook Page-I love these 2, Melissa and Dallas (I feel like they're my friends since I've done a few Whole 30s)  They're no nonsense and awesome.

The Whole Family-This is a great Facebook page to Like because they are clean eaters!


So...who's with me?

Let me put you at ease about a few of your fears.

What am I going to eat if I can't eat _________________?

Steak with Avocado Sauce

You're going to eat delicious, nutritious food!

Spaghetti Squash with Scallops

Breakfast Egg Muffins

Strawberries that have been dehydrated

Banana Ice Cream

And what will I drink?

Flavored Water

Coffee, Coffee, Coffee

I don't know if I can do it.