Can you believe it?

It's been ten whole years since I met the Real Katie's family! Yep, on a day in November, 1999 (a darn cold day too, as I remember) we met at Wolfe Park (the awesomest wooden playground ever built, period). We can't remember the exact date, though.

Back in June, a few days before my birthday, I wrote this, essay, I suppose you could call it, about the whole ten years thing. We met in November but I turned 16 in June, and it was the number that made me really realize just how long it had been and that triggered all the nostalgia. So I wrote this lovely piece on non-literature about it. Katie cried about it and put it on her blog so some of you wonderful people may have alreay read it.
Anyways....here 'tis.

Ten Years

This week I'll turn sixteen. Apparently that's a big milestone. In most states, you can start driving when you're sixteen; you can get a job; you start looking at colleges and planning for the future. For some reason, it's more of a big deal for girls than it is for boys. I guess it's like a modern-day coming-out....our new version of "You're a lady now".

That's all well and good. But what I'm thinking about as I begin my seventeenth year in this world and tack a different number onto myself is "ten years". Ten years since I was six. That's a great age to be. Some fairly momentous things happened to me when I was six.

I moved to another state, leaving behind my church, school, friends and beloved kindergarten teacher.

I started homeschooling.

I started a new life in a new place, and made new friends.

Friends. The first ones I met were Katie and Sarah. Our moms met online, and found out that they each had a daughter aged six, named Katie, and both homeschooled. It was then discovered that that other Katie had a little sister named Sarah. My middle name was Sara! These remarkable coincidences led to a friendship that's still going today. Ten years later. Katie and Sarah were always my best friends. They were family to me, and I'm pretty sure I was family to them. Their house was my second home. Often over the years my mom would be on the phone with their mom. Then she'd turn to me and say,"Katie, do you want to go sleep over at Katie's house?" You can imagine my answer. "OK, get your stuff together. Stacey is gonna pick you up in a few minutes."

Boy, did we have fun. We've almost never argued, that I can remember. Of course, it wasn't constantly happiness and light. Sarah and I had a funny little "enmity" (take note of the quotation marks) for a year or two. We made up eventually. Katie and I almost never fought. We insulted each other at times and did or said things the other didn't like and gotten on each other's nerves...but within my memory we've never had an out-and-out fight. Just because our names were the same didn't mean we weren't different in some ways. For example, I was never allowed to read the Harry Potter books or watch the movies, although as I got older the restrictions on the movies were somewhat relaxed. Katie and Sarah were crazy about them. I tolerated their ravings, and they in turn put up with my Nancy Drew obsession. One thing we have always had in common, however, is our love of reading. We're all book-eaters...let us out of your sight and you can expect at least one of us to have our nose in a good book. Over the years we've lent each other books, recommended books, and obsessed over books. I remember once when I lent one to Katie and she didn't return it for a year.

Ah, remembrance.....I'm quickly turning sentimental. Please bear with me while I take a leisurely stroll down memory lane...

The Katie Sarah Katie Sara Detective Agency: Timeless. We never did solve any mysteries, but the theme song with dance sure was fun!

Henchman Bob! Need I say more?

Remember when Benny was born? He's 5 and a half now!

Penny Lane Players.... Katie and I were the cutest water fairies ever!

"Katie, Sarah....I think you guys are sleeping over.

"HOLY SMOKEY THE CAT!"

Sarah's big line in Cymbeline: "Aye."

The Sarah-Jack joke....still bouncing around.

The list goes on....

On my wall is a picture of Katie dipping me when we were eight or nine. The jumper that I'm wearing in that picture now belongs to my eight year old sister. Crazy how time goes by, isn't it? More than three years ago my family moved again; all the way to Texas. It hurt to leave when I had been there for six years- the longest my family had stayed anyplace.* Now, looking back, I'm glad we moved. The Lone Star State is a great place to live, and I've made great friends here and had some crazy fun experiences that would never have happened had my family remained in CT. Of course, our friendship continued. Sometime this fall it will have been ten years since the chilly, blustery day when we met. I've always been closest to Katie since we're much closer in age (BFF, girly!) but today I'm thinking of the crazy, laughing, carefree trio that would be called to dinner with "Katie-Sarah-Katie-Sara! Get down here!" and have at least two sleepovers a week during the summer.

So here's to ten years: may the next decade be even better.

Love, KK

*No, we're not military. My dad's in the grocery business, and let me tell you, it's almost as bad.

Latest from the greatest

I've been listening to new music from two of my favorite artists; Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood.
Taylor released her second album, Fearless, almost a year ago, and just recently released a platinum version of the same. I'm not gonna buy the whole thing because it's about $16.00 on iTunes and has a bunch of music videos on it, which take too long to download and that I'd probably only watch once or twice anyways. But it also has several new songs, and a piano version of a song from the original album, "Forever and Always" (yes, the song she wrote about Joe Jonas). It's beautiful; the original version is upbeat, and Taylor's singing is angry and accusing. This is slow, with entirely different instrumentals, and Taylor fills her voice with sadness and regret. Amazing what different emotions can be put into a song when sung and played differently. I bought that, and two new songs: "The Other Side of the Door" and "Come In With The Rain," both great songs.

Carrie has just recently come out with her third album, Play On. Again, I haven't bought the whole album...I tend to just buy the songs that I think I'll like. And I really, really like what I did buy. Previous to the album release, I got two singles, "Cowboy Casanova" and "Mama's Song".
"Cowboy Casanova" is great fun, fast-paced with great music and vocals. "Mama's Song" is much more simple and sweet, a reassuring song to the mother of the bride- "He is good, so good, and he treats your little girl like a real man should." I should probably consider playing this at my wedding, to counter the song "Slipping Through My Fingers" that Mom might want to play. :-P
The other day I bought four songs from the new CD. "Change", "Temporary Home" (a rare song reminding us that our real home is in heaven), "What Can I Say" (featuring Sons of Sylvia), and the title track, "Play On". Every song is great and worth listening to and buying. My favorite right now is "What Can I Say". I've never heard of Sons of Sylvia but the guy's voice is pretty good and the song is so pretty. :)

Such are my current adventures in musicland. Next up, adventures in reading!

OK, so...

I seem to have trouble dividing my computer time between FB, Blogger, TGO and other. Basically I either spend a ton of time on FB and TGO, or Blogger and TGO. :-P Plus YouTube and gazing longingly at medieval dresses and such.

So, what has happened since my last fantabulous post? Let's see...oh yes! Ellie and I took the PSAT. It was strangely non-stressful. Except for the part about getting up in the wee hours o' the morning, it was almost....fun. A much better experience than last time, which some of you may recall reading about last year in this post. Very odd. Anyways, I'm pretty confident about my scores, even for the math sections. The reading sections weren't very hard, the math was OK and I know I did far better than the last time I took this thing (and easier than the math in the practice tests), and the writing skills section at the end was so ridiculously easy! Honestly, is this test for highschoolers or 7th graders?

Mom and Dad went on a fantastic trip to Salzburg, AUSTRIA (without me. *sad face*). While they were gone my cousin Sara came to help hold things down at the ranch. We only had four kids to take care of and things went remarkably well. When the parents came back from their marvelous vacation, they seemed almost surprised and definitely quite pleased that the house was so nice and clean. Cleaner than usual, as a matter of fact. They passed out everybody's souvenirs soon after arrival and my wonderful new Austrian belongings ARE: A gorgeous shawl! A beautiful antique holy card, and a postcard with a picture of the very gazebo that was used for the "Sixteen Going On Seventeen" scene from Sound of Music. *jumps up and down like an obsessed fangirl*

Grandma came here last Wednesday and shall be leaving tomorrow. Hence, she was here for Halloween (which, in our little corner of the world, is very very very different from how it is in her neighborhood up in NJ). It was fun; I was gypsy! Daddy called me Stevie Nicks...explanation? Jack wore his Scream mask, Ian wore BDUs, a bulletproof vest and carried a huge Nerf gun (a realistic-ish looking one), Gracie was an Olympic medalist (my idea!) Emma was a ballerina, Ben was Darth Vader and Lucy was a very cute bumblebee. Tristan wore no costume, because why would he need one? He's The Cutest Baby In The Whole Wide World, 24/7. So you see, no costume needed. He takes his cuteness with him everywhere.

Last night Jacky recieved a long-awaited award at CAP, the Billy Mitchell award. It's more or less the CAP equivalent of Eagle Scout, except better because CAP totally owns Boy Scouts. :-P
There were speeches and then they pinned the thingy on his shoulders and then we all ate pizza and cake while standing around socializing. Today was tae kwon do, which Grandma also attended and found quite interesting and, hopefully, impressive.

And guess what? I'm finally starting the 11th grade!!! The reasons why I haven't started until November are a long and somewhat humiliating story, so let's not go there. But yes, I'm excited, and resolute that this year will not be like the last two. Wish me luck. Next summer we begin applying to colleges. *gulp* UD, here I really hope I come!




P.S.
I forgot to mention that Grandma bought me all the books on my "want to read list" there on the sidebar. All except the Princess Bride because we already have that and Grace just won't let me have it. Anywho, I've finished all of them except Out of the Silent Planet, which I am working on now. Inkdeath= Awesome! Mr. Darcy's Diary= AMAZING!! Till We Have Faces= Very very good, of course! You can't really go wrong with C.S. Lewis. <3