Cousins

40 hours from now I will be boarding a plane to Denver, CO for a family reunion. We are spending a week in Dillon which is at the base of Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, etc. This will be the first time that my father's side of my family has ALL been together since I was in high school. We are a small unit, although we've grown since my cousins started growing up and getting married. It will be my dad and stepmom, Aunt Karen (party people!) and her Doug, Uncle Joe and Aunt Betty, Cousin Tracy and Devin and their daughter Hailey, cousin Andrea and her Seth and then there is me and Andy.
It's always been me and Andy. As you can see from the posted photo, we are as close as cousins can be. His birthday is just 3 months before mine and people used to mistake us for twins when we were little thanks to our matching bowl cuts. Our eldest cousins used to make us walk ten feet behind them down the boardwalk at the beach. I remember watching in amazement as Andy stuffed as many dollar sized pancakes in his mouth at Uncle Bob's Pancake House. How I wish I could remember the final count but I want to say something insane like 30. One word, so many possibilities: Wawa. Camp Cannedian (I'm sure I butchered the spelling on that one) with Horseback Riding Camp and Adventures in the Dark, a camp that was so twisted now that I think back on it. We would stay up late, get up late and eat breakfast when the other kids were eating lunch, eat lunch at dinner and have our dinner at like 10 p.m. and then stay up telling scary stories in the woods. I got pink eye that year, along with the rest of the camp. But I digress, teenage summers spent back east with my dad were mostly spent at Aunt Karen's house with Andy and his friends that adopted me into their little group. And as we've grown older, we've stayed just as tight. He is the closest thing I have to a brother.
I was on the phone with him last night, talking about the crazy storm Colorado is having right now, in preparation of our arrival, of course. Well Andy lives there but anyway, again...off track. He was telling me he did all sorts of research for the place we are staying. He said he google mapped "bars" around the area. Nothing. Restaurants? Nothing. So he decided to bring the bar to us. "Oh yeah, I've got three cases of beer. One bottle of Gin. A few bottles of wine..." Yeah, cousin, I think we're going to be just fine.
I'm really looking forward to spending this week with my family. Not only is it THE FIRST TIME I'VE EVER TAKEN A WHOLE WEEK OFF WORK IN MY LIFE and not only do I not have any responsibilities for the whole week (sorry Gordo, you know I will miss you soooo much!) but this is really the first time we've all been together as adults. And as an ADDED BONUS, my little Giz Wiz and her hubbie Joshua are coming up to snowboard and crash with us for a few nights the latter part of the trip.
The only issue I DO have is the fact that the forecast is basically 28 and snowing upon my arrival. Wiz called me today because they had a SNOW DAY. It was 75 here yesterday and I am horrible at layering.

Where the Wild Things Are

I can. not. wait. for this movie. This was one of my favorite books growing up (that and Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day) and am so excited that Spike Jonze took on this project. I swear I will name my future son Max and have him wear those same pjs every night. In fact, I might just dress up as Max to go see the movie. Ok, not really but you catch my drift. Watch the trailer here and let me know if you're available October 16th to catch this one with me.

Eener's Annual B-Day Bash

My darling Eener turned 27 over this past weekend. We celebrated, as we always have, in THEME. 2 years ago it was a Toga Party, last year was Totally 80's and this year brought the Thrift Store Swap Party. Here is how it works, each of us went to a thrift store and purchased $15-$20 worth of goods, washed it (hopefully), put it in a bag and brought it to the party. After a few drinks had been consumed, Eener went around with a hat as we all pulled a number. We picked bags in order of the numbers. The result=awesome. If the item didn't fit, you had to get creative and yes, Scott (Lauren's college friend visiting from NYC) got a dress. I, personally, felt a little ripped off but we added to my ensemble throughout the evening. PY got my outfit so, of course, I think she took the cake. Effie made out with a transformers mask which we all tried out, actually..photo coverage is below. This story is best told through pictures.

The Graduate

Announcement: Sir Gordon Snacks A Lot graduated at the top of his class on the evening of March 19, 2009.

Now I know what you are thinking. You're thinking "That's great! But who is that dog to the left??" Um, folks...that's Gordon. Our little guy got a much-needed haircut yesterday. And yes, I know what you're thinking now, too. "Katie, that's not a haircut. That's not even the same dog." Ok, ok...he had some mattes and we were forced to take action. He's probably a lot cooler now, guys, and as I've been telling Gordon (with his head hanging low for the past 24 hours) hair grows back.

Moving on, I'm very proud of him. Although he will still jump up on you to greet you and chew on your hand whenever it is presented, he CAN sit, stay, lay down, drop it, take it, leave it, shake, rollover and (wait for it, wait for it...) JUMP THROUGH A HULA HOOP. Which yes, is very appropriate for his new fooofooo look. Since "my dog has class" (Petsmart's quote, not mine), I've taken it upon myself to share the following with you. For today only, in the honor of my boy growing up, the name of my blog is Heart Shaped Cut-Outs of Gordon. And yes, he does look like he is wearing doggie legwarmers :)

My Signature Scent: Crayola

I drive a 2001 Volkswagon Beetle that smells like crayons. For the first few years that I owned my car, I just assumed that the previous owner (a mother) had left a box of crayons in the car one day when it was 115 degrees outside (because that happens here in Vegas, quite often) and then that box of crayons must have melted, leaving a waxy crayon-esque scent behind. Every time someone gets in my car they say "It smells like....what is that? Crayons?" Seriously, remember the first time you got in my car? Remember how you said it JUST LIKE THAT? It never fails.
The other night, I was talking to Eener about it on our drive to Golden Spoon and I was like "I don't even notice it anymore." And she said, "Sometimes when I hug you, right after you get out of your car, your hair smells like crayons."
Great. My signature scent is Crayola.
You should know that a few years ago, I was talking with some guy and I was telling him that my car smells like crayons (yes, these are the exact hot and steamy conversations I have with potential future husbands) and his friend jumped in and said "Do you drive a 2001 Volkswagon??" "Um, yes, yes I do in fact, why?" "I drive a 2001 Jetta and my car smells like crayons, I think it is the glue VW used that year." AhHA.
So next time you borrow a shirt from me and it smells like crayons or when you go to give me a warm embrace and get a whiff of carnation pink, now you know why.

Sticky Party

Double L recently got her braces off. In order to celebrate, we had a Sticky Party on Saturday night. Lindsay, the good teacher that she is, knows how to follow directions very well. Therefore, she did not eat anything that wasn't on the "OK'd" list from her orthodontist. She did not chew gum, she did not eat popcorn, she drank out of a straw and didn't bite into any of her food for TWO YEARS. So the removal of these brackets were a cause for celebration. And by celebration, I mean a whole lot of eating.
I took her to the candy aisle where some very difficult decisions had to be made. I mean we couldn't possible get EVERYTHING.

We settled upon Milk Duds, Gummy Bears, Peach-os, Cadbury Mini Eggs ('tis the season!), Starburst Jellybeans and COOKIE BROWNIE BAR MIX. What? What is that you say? Oh, only just about the best thing ever. Seriously, that is how I've spent my last two Saturday evenings...making cookie brownie bars with my girlfriends and glasses of wine. They are indeed brownies with chocolate chip cookies baked on top. Look how happy I am mixing here: So we snacked and had a few glasses of wine while we anxiously awaited the cookie brownie bars. I made Lindsay smile a lot that night, I had to...she's got to show it off!
After stuffing our faces and those few glasses of wine, we were pretty sleepy and the rest of the evening pretty much went like this, which is what we like to refer to as a "Food Coma"
So next time you see Double L on the streets, be sure to make her SMILE!

Happy Birthday Hike, Pung You

Yesterday was pung you's birthday. For those of you who are not fluent in Chinese (don't worry, neither am I) pung you, pronounced pung-yo, means friend in Chinese, a.k.a. Audrey Chin. Audrey and I have been friends since middle school and she is one of my favorite people ever. Unfortunately for me, most of the time, she isn't actually in Las Vegas. She went to school in Philadelphia which was awesome because when I went to visit, she took me on my inaugural trip to NYC (where I was giddy as a schoolgirl visiting the MTV studios at age 19.) She introduced me to gelato and then moved to China for a year and a half. Then, just when we thought we had her back for good, she ran for The Hills...well, LA at least which is where she currently resides.

She is visiting us now though and yesterday, PY turned 26. We celebrated by meeting LoBo for lunch at Rachel's Kitchen and then headed to Red Rock for a nice Happy Birthday Hike. I, of course, brought along Sir Gordon and she brought her dog, Mousse. Audrey and Mousse are truly kindred spirits. I have never met a dog and owner who have more of a connection than those two. Mousse originally belonged to her brother Tola in China, but while she lived out there, they developed such a strong bond that she actually moved him from China back to the States in order to be with him full time. And it's so cute when she says his name like "Mooouuuuuusssseeeee."

So the four of us hiked around Ice Box Canyon which was perfect and just slightly cooler than the 82 degree desert trail. We took the pups down by the river and after some hesitation, I let Gordon run free off his leash. Let me tell you, he had a friggin' ball. Running in and out of the water and up and down the rocks with his new B.F.F. Mousse. Let me tell you something about my little guy's hair, it is like VELCRO. Everything sticks in it so it took me 37 minutes to bathe him when we got home last night and I'm still pulling leaves and thorns out from his fur. This morning, 12 hours after we got back, he still was not interested in standing up for any longer than two minutes. But totally worth it since I'm pretty sure it was the best day of his life so far.

I hope PY (and her Mousse) enjoyed the day as much as Gordon and I did and I hope that her 26th year is the best yet. Trust me, she deserves it.

我爱你! Wo ai ni :)

Snuggie!!!

I, Katie Knoch, am now a proud owner of a Snuggie. For those of you who have been living under a rock or perhaps have better things to do than watch infomercials into the wee hours of the morning, a Snuggie is a blanket WITH SLEEVES. Many a times, I found myself sucked in to thinking "You know what, I DO need a blanket with sleeves. This way I could still be warm when I have to throw the ball for Gordon while laying on the couch or I could eat my cheese while still staying toasty." I just never got around to picking up the phone to order mine (and if I order now, I get another TWO Snuggies all for the low price of $19.99 plus shipping and handling!)

Then it happened. Last week I went over to my landlord's house to drop off rent and visit for awhile. (For those of you who don't know, they are a couple out of Long Island, NY...JoAnn and Corky and have pretty much become my adopted Grandparents on the West coast.) After visiting for a few hours, I hear JoAnn tell Corky, "Corky, go up and get her one of thems blankets!" So Corky went to fetch me a blanket as JoAnn explains to me that the mysterious blanket is actually a Snuggie, "you know, the blanket with sleeves?" Um, HELL YES I know what a Snuggie is! I got so excited, they probably are a bit concerned for my 25-year-old self. This is what brings the girl this much happiness? A blanket with sleeves??

She goes on to tell me how they have FIFTEEN Snuggies in the upstairs closet because the Silverton was giving them away to their slot players last month.

I realize that there may be some Snuggie haters out there. For instance, my own mother asked me, "Why don't you just put on a bathrobe backwards??" How ridiculous is that?? How about "Because I don't have to!"

So lesson here...don't knock it until you try it. Let me know, I may be able to squeeze another Snuggie or two out of my wonderful landlords. They may be putting a roof over my head but now they have also put a blanket in my heart. I give you two thumbs up JoAnn and Corky...and yes, the thumbs up is from under a blanket since my HANDS ARE FREE!

Two Degrees of Lauer

If I could re-do the Top 3 Pop Culture Moments of My Life, I would have to rank this one at number 2 1/2. I was on The Today Show this morning!!!! Unfortunately, it was during the fourth hour, which is waaayyyy lesser due to the lack of Matt Lauer but still it's the Today Show. On a Monday. I can't seem to post the video here and certainly do not need NBC coming after me but you can click here and check me out in Lauren's sharp suit all lookin' all business-like at the Spa during the Trump LV clip. Thanks to Erin for sending this B-roll in. At this rate, my 15 minutes of fame is going to be up by the time I hit 63.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game...

...We all sang along with Jim Belushi at the Cubs vs. White Sox game last night during the Seventh Inning Stretch. At this point in time, I was well into my forth beer and had a tummy full of peanuts and hot dogs. Renee and I had a BLAST with her Dad and Aunt Darla. The weather was a beautiful 63 and sunny out and the 83-year-old man sitting in front of us was a SPITFIRE. It was a great way to kick off the celebration of EEner's upcoming 27th birthday. Sure, the Cubbies lost but the day did not and now when people ask me, "What is your favorite season?" I can happily reply with "Baseball."

Springtime

Ahhh, Spring. Technically, Spring Equionox is not until March 20th but Sir Gordon and I decided it would be OK to celebrate a little early this year. Afterall, we've been enjoying long walks in the park in 70 degree weather for the past two weeks, I'm going to my first baseball game of the season tomorrow and I just got some tulips for my little back porch.

Welcome, Spring, it's nice to feel you again.

Thanks, Ma.

A special thanks to my mudda who not only picked me up some latte bowls from Anthropologie this weekend but then also made me my Grandmother's famous applesauce. I love you.

Are you there, DJ? It's me, Katie.

So there we are on Girl's Night Out. I'm happy to tell you that it was a total SUCCESS. We started at my place for a few drinks and then headed to Sammy's for a delicious meal. After reviewing our choices, we decided to start at our classic spot...Body English. We knew we would be able to walk in and I knew that they offered free Champagne for the ladies on Friday nights. Bubbly at Body English? I'd never turn that down. We arrived, like when the doors opened, like a couple of old ladies and the place was empty. And stayed that way until midnight when we decided it was time to "move on". But we did get some great shots since we had so much room to work with on the dance floor:

We then decided to head to Tao, which was the polar opposite of Body English. We were like a bunch of sardines on the dance floor there. I'm sure at one point or another in the beginning we were all thinking, "This. Is. Miserable. Who ARE all these people??"

Once we established some room, we had a grand old time and before we knew it, it was 2:15 in the morning and we had been dancing for a solid two hours. Then it was time for some fresh air out on the balcony. Here I captured a great shot of Lile.

I suffered from quite the hangover on Saturday but bounced back after a delicious brunch and movie with Chloe and Alex. Saturday night was spent with LoBo drinking Sangria at Firefly. Although I had a BLAST on Friday night, I think we all felt we got it out of our system and won't need to visit the scene again for another 6-12 months.

I love 22-year-old me. I won't deny the fact that I certainly felt 22 again, especially when we were at Tao. Driving down Flamingo towards the Hard Rock brought back some fond memories. But, more importantly this weekend, I learned sitting at Firefly on Saturday with Lauren, that I also love 25-year-old me. The one who enjoys some good conversation, good Sangria and is in bed by midnight and up at 7 for a walk in the park with her dog.

Turns out, growing up isn't too shabby after all.