The Best Cheese of My Life

Last night I had the best cheese experience of my life. I know, it's so serious I'm blogging about it. I was on a (fantastic) date and it happened. It took me back to the first time I had the 5-way Grilled Cheese sammie from Mimi's (see: the 5-ways-to-get-Katie-to-love-you-sandwich). I was blown away. Trying to be a lady and not just DIVE into the fondue pot was very difficult for me and if the pot wasn't like 12 million degrees, I probably would've licked the remainder that was stuck to the sides. Question, ready? Do you have a Melting Pot near you? If so, this is very important. You need to go there, like, TONIGHT and order the spinach artichoke dip but substitute the cheese for cheddar and add roasted garlic. It was recommended to me by LoBo and trust me, you won't regret it.

Then, today at work, I WON TICKETS TO THE BASEBALL GAME TONIGHT. I never win anything. Coincidence? I think not.

A Circus of a Weekend

No need to adjust your computer screens HSCOOC readers, that is a shot of Miss Britney Spears that I took on Saturday night. I know, I know....it's pretty much US Weekly quality. Let me just tell you that Mr. Chin, PY's Dad, is MY HERO (next to Jamie Spears for bringing Brit Brit back from Crazytown). Eener and I were seated IN THE CENTER OF THE RING, it was an actual PART OF THE STAGE, second row. The price tag on our tickets? $595 a piece.

I know, insane.

I was so excited I thought I was going to wet my pants when they kept telling us to "keep going, keep going, you're going to need the yellow wristbands." I had no idea what "yellow wristbands" meant but I knew I wanted one. The people passing by us to go stand in GA by the stage, I referred to as "minions" which almost made Eener fall out of her seat. But it's true! I felt like a million bucks sitting just 15 feet away from the front of the stage.

At one point, I got a little teary eyed....go ahead, say what you must but to think of Eener and I seeing her HBO Special Live from Las Vegas in 2001, to watch the demise of her career (and herself) over the past two years then to see her, so close, on stage in front of a sold out crowd at the MGM...you know, made me really happy for her. She performed for almost two hours. And yes, she was lip-syncing the entire time. I expected that though, there was no disappointment. Trust me, I did not go to see Britney Spears SING LIVE. First, that would never happen because she can't really sing (I love the girl, but that's just a fact) and second, we go to see the performance. Which includes a whole lot more than just Brit Brit. Her back-up dancers were amazing, the circus acts were a nice touch, fire, sex, video...you name it, we saw it.

Justin didn't end up showing up to profess his love for me but I sure did scream like a 15-year-old girl the whole time.

And as an added bonus....

Friday night came in as a close second as Double L and I spent the night downtown at our favorite spot, Don't Tell Mama. Which also happened to be the last night with my long hair. I rocked it with my now infamous fedora.
Long night short, let's just say that I met a boy. I don't know much yet so let's not get our hopes up but what I do know is that he resides permanently on the beach (in Vegas temporarily) and he melts cheese for a living :) Wish me luck. I think I'm going to need it.

First $1 Beer Night of the Season

Yeah, I know you recognize those ladies. The three of us were not at the club last night though, we were at Cashman Field. You see last night was the first $1 beer night of the 2009 baseball season for the Las Vegas 51s. (Yeah, our local baseball team is awesome like that and our mascot looks like Jar Jar Binks from Star Wars.) And I know the background of the pic above is awesome. If you've been to Cashman, you know we were in line for beer and pretzels when this photo took place. This is an evening we have been counting down to since last September when the 2008 season ended. The weather was perfect, the beers cost a dollar and the 51s lost...but they usually do, so it's OK.

This weekend brings lots of excitement. Tonight Double L and I are heading to Don't Tell Mama, our favorite new piano bar down in Freemont East. Tomorrow is April 25th, 2009 and do you know what that means?? It means THE CIRCUS. Yes, I'm going to see Britney Spears in 28 short hours from now. There are a few things that could happen...

1. Her weave gets pulled out
2. She blurts out 'Merry Christmas!' in the middle of April
3. Her ex, Justin Timberlake, shows up to support her and instead falls in love with me (fingers crossed for this one!)
4. I scream like a 15-year-old girl for three hours straight

If I were you, I'd put my money on #4. And maybe #2. Full coverage to come!

Babysitter's Club

Week before last, I rejoined the babysitting world (the first time since the '90s) as I spent two evenings with Miss Jordyn Love Hamilton. Jordyn is the daughter of my boss (and dear friend) Stacy and is honestly, one of the cutest babies EVER. My own mother once said, "She's even cuter than you were!" Ouch. But true so touche.

I sat for her once before, a few months back, before she was walking. Let me tell you something, walking makes it a whole new experience. You know what else makes it a new experience? That also in those three months, this little one learned how to SIGN. The girl was signing stuff to me that I had no clue about. I could figure out 'eat' and 'more' and picked up a few others from watching 'Baby Signing Time' with her but there were a few that flew right over my head.

Speaking of eating...now I know why I am the way I am. Feeding babies is HELL. Anytime I put any kind of real food in front of her (i.e. green beans, chicken, etc.), I would get this face...

And no, you're not imagining things, she really is looking at me like I'm crazy. But I tried on, did the airplane noise, pretended to eat some myself and also pretended to enjoy it, etc. Anytime that spoon would get near her mouth, she would throw up her hands, causing food to go EVERY WHERE. Eventually, I went for the fruit cup and fig newtons and she was much happier. See?
A girl after my own heart, who can blame her? Most nights I'd much rather have a fruit cup and cookie than green beans and mystery meat. After dinner, we hung out, gossiped, I told her all about what was going on with the Jonas Brothers (I have to keep on them for Gordon's sake) and asked her if she'd seen the new Miley Cyrus video. Then I got a text and she looked at me like, "say wha???" So I introduced her to the iPhone.
She was FASCINATED. The moment she laid her eyes on it, you could see the spark in her eye. It was the same one that I got when I purchased the phone two years ago. Before I knew it, she was ready to text.
She hung like that for awhile and then proceeded to try to eat the phone (to be expected, watching a kid is very similar to having a puppy). I let her get a taste for a few and then had to take the phone back in to my possession. Well, that didn't go over well. So I simply explained to her that she could have one all to herself, just ask her mommy for one for Christmas or 4th of July (sorry, Stacy!). After all that excitement, it was about time for bed. I have to give props to Stacy here, she dresses that girl in the CUTEST CLOTHES EVER. I fell in love with her penguin pajamas. I just eat that stuff up. She picked out a few books and off to reading/sleepy land we went.
I like being a part of the Babysitter's Club. It was good to be back. And certainly nice to go shopping (guilt-free) the next day :)

It Was a Mustashe Kind of Day

This past Sunday we celebrated my dear friend Austin's birthday. He had decided on a "fiesta" theme this year which was complete with sombreros and a delicious concoction of Tecate and Limeade. When I texted him to ask if we needed to bring anything, he replied "Just a smile and some fake mustaches!" If you do not know Austin, you might think he was joking but I knew he was for real. I started calling around (where the hell was I going to find fake mustaches in the middle of April?) Oh, why, Party City, of course! The stinker is that these things were like $8 a 'stache and stuck to your upper-lip for like 3 minutes before slipping off from the sweat (yeah, it's in the 90s here, folks). We had a great afternoon filled with stories from the past decade, shots of Patron and plenty of sunshine. I hope you enjoy 29, Austin...I know all the rest of the years are going to be hard to top!

Club Monster Katie : A Thursday Night Escapade

Your eyes do not deceive you, my reader. That is indeed PY, myself and Lobo spelling out C-L-U-B with our hands. You see, this past Thursday, was a rare occasion. The occasion was a bachelorette party for Jillian, a girl that went to The Meadows with PY and Lobo. There are two reasons you would ever find Lobo in a club.

1. Someone is getting married.

2. It is my birthday and I have guilted her into coming.

Now, also it is also a rare occasion for me to be leaving my house to go to a club at 10 p.m. on a week night. But this, this I could not miss. It was worth every second of my lack-0f-sleep, hungover work day last Friday. We had a BLAST. PY, had THREE drinks. That is as many as Lauren and I had and probably the most she has had since college. She was making me laugh so hard I almost spit out my drink like four different times. And wait for it, wait for it...Lobo was on the dance floor and MOVING and SMILING. It was a proud moment for Club Monster Katie. When we finally took a break out on Blush's patio, I checked my phone. 1:56 a.m. My jaw dropped. Lobo said, "Ha! I was wondering when you were going to notice." How the tables have turned, my friends, have the tables have turned. However, I know that if I were to ever try to convince the two of them to come out to a club (in another three months when I'm ready to go again), they would turn me down. "But remember that night at Blush....remember how much fun we had?!?" "Yes but um no, I'm going to pass." So, please, please call me if you're a long lost friend of ours who is getting married so I have an excuse to drag these ladies back under the lights, the steam and the sounds of a DJ.

An Open Letter to My Crush at Starbucks

Dear SBC (Starbucks Crush),

It started with 10 little words at the corner of Ft. Apache and Tropicana through that speaker at the drive-thru..."Welcome to Starbucks. What can I get for you today?" and my heart was yours.

A man with a voice like that (you know what I'm talking about, ladies), offering to make me a delicious drink that will not only fill me up but keep me peppy for the day to come...what more could a girl ask for?

Every Tuesday and Thursday (and lately, daily) that I come to your drive-thru and order my Mocha Frappuccino Light add Vanilla Bean and Carmel Sauce, I hope to see your smiling face when I "pull up to the next window."

I feel that over the past few months, we've created a special kind of relationship. I look forward to our morning chats and will not list here all the things I've learned about you to avoid looking like a stalker. But I will mention that earlier this week, you really did look concerned when asking me how my arm was doing. You looked even more concerned when I was there this morning and some amateur took my order and got my drink wrong...placing mocha where the caramel sauce goodness should have been. You promptly took it back and proceeded to make me the correct drink (with love, I'm sure).

If I'm on the phone while approaching the drive-thru with Lauren for our morning call and I hear your husky voice over the intercom, I practically hang up on her to make sure you have my full attention for the 2.5 minutes I'm yours (and don't worry, she understands).

Usually, by the time I leave the window, I am practically breaking out in a sweat from all the heat built between us. My favorite days are those when you don't take my order but magically appear at the window to give it to me when I arrive. My co-worker said "He totally likes you, he practically jumps out of the window to hand you your drink every day." Yeah, Erin...you're right. Is she, SBC, is she?

And you have a job. And ANOTHER job. Which is like twice the amount of any of my exes ever did.

All I'm asking for is a few dinners and a little make-out time. And maybe, just maybe, a drink on the house with a wink.

Until then...

All my love,

Katie

Knochers for Knockers III

It's that time of year again...time to Race for the Cure. This is my third year participating in the Race for the Cure. This event in early May has become a day I look forward to all year round. Being surrounded by so many inspiring people and stories, moves me every year. And let me tell you, this year I am going to move faster than I ever have before. I even started training. On Monday (remember my running story...yeah, there was a point!). So please, support me in racing for the cure. Or join the race yourself. I promise you should be able to keep up with me :)

You can view my page here and join the SK+G for SGK Team here.

One in every 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. The money raised through the Race will fund vital education, screening and treatment programs for underserved women and men in our own community affected by this disease and will also support the national search for a cure. Please join me in Knochers for Knockers either by racing or pledging in support of my participation.

I Love you all. And we all love boobies.

P.S...Special shout-out to Alex (Chloe's loving husband and now a dear friend of mine) for helping me reach my goal with his pledge, now I've got to raise the bar!

In High Spirits

I am in a really good mood. I think there are a few reasons for this.

First, Lauren and I booked our flights for Florida today. $211 round trip means we heart Hotwire. We are going for Bookie's wedding which is June 13. We have a beach cottage booked for the whole week. A whole week. On the beach. With some of my closest friends. Could I be more excited right now??

Second, I went running yesterday and I did better than I expected. And yes, this totally has everything to do with thinking about being in a bikini for a week straight in two short months from now. At first, it was a little rough but after the fifth or sixth sprint I did, I was starting to get the feel of it. I took Gordon with me and I think it was a bit confused but he kept up pretty well. He's just got to quit cutting in front of me.

Third, I finished Twilight last night and am now a total vampire dork. Seriously, I want one.

Fourth, I have decided to cut my hair off. I'm over this longness. It gets tangled and it's annoying. I am ready for cute hair again. With product. I love hair products. Just over the weekend, I purchased TWO feather headbands to wear with my new short hair. That I don't even have yet. But I will. April 25th.

Fifth, speaking of April 25, Eener and I are going to the circus, BRITNEY SPEARS' CIRCUS that is, on that very date. This makes me as giddy as it did when I was 17.

Sixth, I have happy hour tonight with my PR girls at Agave. No further explanation needed.

The Hunt

Every year for as long as I can remember, I've had an egg hunt on Easter Sunday. This is not your typical egg hunt though, kids. This is a Pep style egg hunt, complete with clues. The past few years, she has tried to get out of it and I've thrown a fit. "But Kate, we've lived in the same house for 19 years now. I ran out of hiding spots YEARS ago." 'But Ma, it's TRADITION!" And sure enough, she comes through, each Easter better than the past. Here is how it works: I come over a few days before Easter for the dyeing process.

Then, on Easter morning, I rise and shine, put on my Easter dress, (and this year) loaded up my own Little Bunny Foo-Foo and hopped over to Pep's house. She wasn't ready for me this year, "You're always late!" Um, not when there is candy involved. She gives me one clue at a time, I find 11 eggs and then my final clue leads me to my basket of GLORY! Let the hunt begin.



(And these are my mom's new teacups...a gift from Sam, aren't they beautiful??)
And my personal favorite of this year...

My final clue this year was a sentimental one. It read Mom + Katie and it led me to a ceramic plate I had painted a few Mother's Days ago that she keeps up in the guest room. My basket was everything I dreamed of, Cadbury Mini Eggs, Peanut M&M's, York Peppermint Patties, alongside a cute wind chime, gardening gloves and a gift card to Old Navy. I am one happy bunny.
Thanks, Ma. As always. And don't worry, someday there will be grand kids and then you can start recycling some of those clues :) Love you.

Knoch Family Reunion

From March 28-April 4, 2009, the Knochs all gathered in Dillon, Colorado for a week of family bonding time. What we were expecting: Spring skiing. What we got: snow storms, which actually made for some of the best snowboarding days I've ever experienced. Most of us spent every day at Keystone. We got into quite the little routine of waking up around 8, having some coffee and breakfast and hitting the slopes around 9 a.m. We would ride for a few hours, meet for lunch/beer and do a few more runs in the afternoon. My favorite part of the day? THE HOT TUB with a few beers after a long day of snowboarding. Nothing is as glorious as sitting in 104 degree water with snow surrounding the outside of the tub. We then would head to the parents house for dinner where everyone (minus me and Andy) took turns cooking a meal. Then we'd play games and hit the sack around 11 p.m. or so.

I got to hang with Hailey, my second cousin who turns 5 this June. She is just too cute and full of total 'tude and I was just eating it up. It was great to see Tracy and Devin, too (Hailey's parents, my cousins) especially since Devin and I have a very similar sense of humor. Andy brought his GF, Angela, up for the first few days and she is just as pure as they get. This girl has fostered like 3,000 animals over the past 10 years or so. She is a total animal activist and although I gave Andy a hard time about switching to the vegetarian side, I couldn't be happier for them. Seth and Andrea just got married this past August and are a perfect fit. They made us the most delicious garlic chicken dinner one night...yum yum yum! I always enjoy my time with my dad and Anne and was glad we finally got to watch an episode of American Idol together (it's the little stuff). Aunt Betty and Uncle Joe, I certainly hope you bring your RV to Vegas again soon because I just adore you. Aunt Karen and Doug...I'll see you in June!

We had another set of newlyweds up at the cabin for the latter part, The Wicklers. There are four girls in my life that my family considers their own and The Wiz is one of them. It was Linzi's second time ever on a snowboard and I was amazed. That little thing has got an inner-balance that just worked. I am so proud of her and hopes she sticks with it. And the more time I get to spend with Josh, the more I love him. In fact, at one point during the trip, I think I even told him that I like him better than Giz Wiz now. But since they are one in the same, I guess it all works out :)

It was so nice to be around so many people I love for a whole week. There were nights I laughed so hard my stomach hurt (especially during the games of Cranium) and nights where I drank so much the room was spinning. And it certainly didn't hurt that there were cheese and crackers for days (BONUS!).

On a separate note...my arm is feeling much better, I'm only in my sling about 50% of the time now and go see the doctor today to get a referral to go to the Ortho sometime next week (gotta love HMO!).

And on a final note...family, if you're reading this, I love you very very much and hope that we can continue a tradition of getting all of us together as often as possible. You all make me proud to be a Knoch. XOXO.