Dear October

Hello and Happy Sweetest Day! I appreciate you taking the time out of your day to meet with me here as if we are having coffee. Thanks to fall harvest Gabe and I won’t be doing anything all that sweet until tomorrow, but the more the farm does now, the more likely I’ll have my husband back by this time next month, right? I’m still getting some Gabe-fixes in the meantime– just the other day I rode along with him while they harvested soy beans.

Following our time in the field we were off to the school for parent/teacher conferences where we, unsurprisingly, heard that Logan’s teacher has no concerns about his academic performance. Logan, by the way, still says that Ms. Rousseau is the nicest teacher he has ever met, though whenever I ask him what his favorite part about school was his answer is always recess and never about her class, haha.

Oh! Earlier this month Logan had yet another Spirit Week and also went to the Homecoming game with his grandparents. Though I don’t have any pictures from the latter, what I can show you is what Logan and Bridget wore in honor of Viking/ Green and White Day:

Like I told you the last time we “met for coffee,”  when the boys aren’t around I have been doing transcription work, reading, and watching some TV. Though the Wizard of Oz novels I’ve been reading this month haven’t lived up to my expectations, most of the shows I’ve been waiting for all summer long have not had me waiting in vain. The shows I’m loving the most right now are Ink Master, Hell’s Kitchen, American Horror Story: Apocalypse, You, and Superstore.

The book You is based off, by the way, is next on my to-read list along with its sequel, Hidden Bodies. My mom just ordered them for me since we figure I’ll be lounging a lot following my cholecystectomy and tubal ligation this Thursday. If you’re the praying sort or will at least sent good vibes my way, I’d appreciate the well wishes. Sure, I’m excited now, but I’m sure as the 25th gets closer, the more nervous I will get.

With any luck, I’ll be better by the 31st since Halloween’s getting pretty close, too! Logan is planning to put his firefighter uniform to use again, both at his class party and via trick-or-treating. I’m not sure if we’ll do anything else in honor of the occasion (for the same reason we’re not really celebrating Sweetest Day today), but either way I think our Halloween will still be a pretty happy one. I’ll fill you in on that as well as my surgery when we meet for coffee next, okay? Okay!

Take care and enjoy the rest of your day!
Sincerely, Kate ~!~

Dear September

Thanks for meeting me as if we were having coffee– my apologies for needing a raincheck until now. Not only did Logan have minor (and successful!) dental surgery done the day we were supposed to meet, I had not one but two consultation appointments regarding my own upcoming surgery that week, too.

Allow me to elaborate. For over a year now there has been many a night where I’d get this horrible pain in my right side that would wake me up and then keep me up for several hours until it began to subside. When I went to the ER in August for what turned out to be a ruptured ovarian cyst, there were multiple tests done, and at my follow-up appointment I found out thanks to one of those tests I had gallstones. I have since been referred to a surgeon (consultation #1) who will in fact be removing my gallbladder, but she then referred me to a gynecologist (consultation #2). Why a gynecologist? Because of the recent ruptured cyst I mentioned, the surgeon thought it’d be in my best interest to get my ovaries and tubes checked out while they were exposed. But wait; there’s more! Between the gynecologist already being there and him being able to use the same incisions, I’ll be getting my tubes tied at the same time as it’s something I have wanted done for years now. This will all happen on October 25th.

But back to September! We had quite a few fun weekends starting with the Labor Day one. Certain traditions were continued like getting an elephant ear and winning a stuffed animal at the Michigan Bean Festival, and eating at Marilyn and Jennifer’s daily, hehe. The following weekend Logan and I went to my mom’s for the night before we saw his cousin Jack (who just turned 3!) but after we saw my grandpa (who also was a birthday boy). Then the weekend after that the boys and I went to the Firemen’s Memorial Festival in Roscommon. Logan said his favorite part was the swing ride, Gabe said the parade, and I liked all the vendors the best. Our weekends since then have not been as exciting, but they’ve still been good. Between Logan being in school and Gabe being busy with fall harvest, I’m grateful for whatever time with them I can get.

Pre-Parade Selfie

On the flip side of that, though, I’m also grateful to get a bunch of time home alone. I have been doing transcription work fairly regularly again and have time leftover to watch my shows that have been returning now that fall is here. Also, I have finished reading The Gallery of Unfinished Girls and the To All the Boys I Loved Before series since we last met for coffee.

I think that catches you up on last month– I’ll save talking about this month until we meet on the 20th. Cheers, bleaders!

Sincerely, Kate ~!~

Dear August

As I think about all of the things I have to share since the last time “we had coffee,” I’m reminded of a certain moment from Alice in Wonderland where the March Hare and Mad Hatter say the following to Alice:

So let’s pick up where we left off— my dad’s visit. Like many visits that came before this one, festivities included meals at Tony’s and Big Boy, some clothes shopping at JCPenney, and grabbing some Faygo beverages at the gas station with the best selection. On our last day together, dad and I also had a bit of a Mad Tea Party, putting to use the Egglettes we found and wearing these Wonderland-friendly hats:

The next day dad started his trek for Alberta, Canada, and soon after the boys and I started ours for the U.P.! We mainly went up north because Logan had his heart set on seeing waterfalls, and the Tahquamenon Falls wound up being everything he hoped they would be. Going to the Falls, though, was hardly the only thing we did that he/we loved! Other things that made our trip worthwhile include, in order, the Soo Locks Boat Tour, The Antlers restaurant, Lake Superior (or rather the tide pool beside it), pizza delivery, the hotel pool, mini golf, and Fort Mackinac. We had a great time up in the U.P., so much so it may become something we do annually with a few modifications such as fewer museums. Here are a few pictures in case they got too buried among all of our Facebook updates:

We weren’t home for long before Logan left on another trip– his grandparents wanted to take him camping one more time before he went back to school. It’s because of this camping trip he missed seeing a handful of people on my side of the family, but the silver lining is Gabe and I still got to! Gabe and my brother Doug kept each other incredibly entertained while I got a lot of one-on-one time with my brother Tom’s son, Jack, since I didn’t have to share him with Logan, hehe.

Oh! Something else happened while Logan was gone that was rather exciting. The lease for the Equinox we had was going to be up come November, so we went to the dealership in the hopes of there being something in our price range we could eventually buy. It turns out there was, and we actually wound up leaving with our new-to-us Silverado that very day. We couldn’t wait to pick Logan up because we knew he was going to be one ecstatic kid. We wound up going on not one, but two joy rides the afternoon we got him 😀

Naturally since life was going pretty damn well, we then had a few wrenches thrown at us. Gabe went to the ER on the 5th, and then I went on the 12th. The good news is Gabe was and is fine; he had heat exhaustion/ dehydration after being on a fire scene which, thankfully, is an easy fix. My worse-than-labor abdominal pain, on the other hand, was much more complicated. It took multiple tests and a consultation with an OB/GYN before they were able to determine I had a cyst on my ovary that had ruptured, causing fluid to go where it shouldn’t have been. Between the antibiotics I was given at the hospital and the prescription for pain pills I have, each day gets better than the last. I have a follow-up appointment this Wednesday (along with my annual exam) so we’ll see if any further treatment is needed then.

Anyway, it was this past Wednesday that the Loganator started second grade. So far Logan seems to really like it, and he has told me on more than one occasion that his teacher is the nicest one he has ever met. Hopefully they’ll continue to have a great year together! Since this is his first full week of school, my plans are to go back to transcribing files regularly again once we part ways here, and reading at least one chapter each day, too. For the record, my dent in The Gallery of Unfinished Girls remains  rather small, but in my defense I took a break from it to devour Lies You Never Told Me by Jennifer Donaldson.

This brings us to this past weekend, but it wasn’t just any weekend because it was spent in Troy, MI with Mother Dearest! In the past we have just done our overnights there closer to my March 1st birthday, but since it’s something we enjoy doing so much, we decided not to limit ourselves to a once-a-year trip. At this point it goes without saying stops at Mad Hatter Bistro (times two) and Build-a-Bear Workshop are musts for me, and they’ll continue to be. I enjoyed all of my food at Mad Hatter’s as much as Bridget enjoys her new stuffy and bunny slippers, as shown below, hehe:

Other stops we made included Barnes and Noble, the fabric store mom loved last time, and our first-ever visit to a Books-a-Million. I found some Alice in Wonderland merchandise at the latter, so that was like a chocolate-covered cherry on a sundae of a trip, hehe.

Just like with Alice after her adventures, it’s now time for me to return to reality. Hope the rest of August treats you well, and that you’ll meet with me here again next month. Cheers!

Sincerely, Kate ~!~

 

 

Dear July

Thank you for joining me as if we were having coffee. My dad has been visiting us this week so what’s another “visit” at the moment? 😉 As always, the boys and I are enjoying our time (and our random adventures) with my dad. Heck, Logan even enjoys getting in and out of his Papa Halvorson’s van since it has a “magical button,” haha. If I had to choose a favorite outing, it would be seeing Lake Huron on a whim after having ice cream in Sebewaing and therefore being pointed in its direction. We still have a few more outings on deck before dad leaves on Monday, like dinner at the aunt-in-laws’ tonight– nom nom.

Though it will be sad to see my dad off next week, the boys and I are actually taking off that day, too. A few months back, Logan told us he wanted to see a real waterfall and Gabe was determined to make that happen this summer. With wheat harvest behind us and our 8th wedding anniversary just 10 days away, what better time for us to go up north and see the Tahquamenon Falls? The next time we meet for coffee, I’m sure I’ll have some fun stories and/or pictures to share.

As you may recall, the last time we met for coffee, my maternal grandmother had just passed. If you have ever lost a loved one, I’m sure you know how bittersweet funerals can be. For example, you can be relieved that they are no longer suffering, but on the other hand, your heart is breaking for those who are left behind. Then in spite of that heartache, you’re happy to see your aunts, uncles, and cousins in the same place at the same time since that’s a rare occasion anymore. Basically the emotions are all a bit of a whirlwind.

The Loganator did not go to the funeral. I used school as a bit of an excuse, but even if he would have been out already he wouldn’t have gone. I knew he would have kept whispering things like “when will this be over?” so we decided we’d do other things with him in his great-grandma’s memory instead. Thing One was going to the Children’s Zoo with Uncle Erik while he was up from Florida. Not only did my grandparents give us the zoo membership we have the past two Christmases, we could visit this brick of theirs there:

Thing Two was not only in grandma’s honor, but was also to celebrate Logan’s last day of first grade. The boys and I went to Midland where we had lunch at Logan’s Roadhouse, visited my grandpa, and went to Plymouth Park. In addition to Plymouth Park being my favorite part G&G ever took me to, there are personalized fence posts there for their great-grandkids as well as my youngest two cousins. Here’s Logan with his:

It goes without saying that Logan is so glad to be done with school for a while. Between that day in Midland and my dad’s current visit, Logan’s been to the movies, the beach, the farm to help with wheat harvest, to VBS at his grandparents’ church– I feel like I’m forgetting something, but maybe that’s just his grandparents’ in general, haha. His summers may be shorter, but all the more reason to make each moment count, I guess!

Though I haven’t been as busy as the Loganator, I have been slacking when it comes to reading and transcribing. I did manage to finish reading Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin, but my dent in The Gallery of Unfinished Girls by Lauren Karcz is rather small. Once Logan goes back to school, it will be much easier to get back on track as we’ll have regularly scheduled lives again then. Maybe then Amanda and I can also resume what we’re now calling our Marvel Misadventure, lol. We still haven’t watched anything since Iron Man, unfortunately. By the way, there are a few shows I’ve been watching this summer like Pose and Food Network Star, and though I like both series very much, I’d trade them for my fall line-up, haha.

Well, I think it’s about time to end this “visit” and resume the one with my dad. Until we meet again!

Sincerely, Kate ~!~

 

 

Hail the Snail #12

June 16th: Not only did I get “reading material” from Jody, the book I ordered for the boys per Father’s Day arrived, too:

June 17th: Pablo, the P.O. box, had a batch of Little Cards as well as a postcard.

June 19th: Pablo had another postcard for me.

June 22nd: While Pablo had yet another postcard, Manolo had a condolence card and my latest stamp order.

June 23rd: My latest order of address labels arrived next.

June 25th: Like this mail call, this week started with a letter from Jody.

June 27th: Manolo had another condolence card, and Pablo had two more postcards.

June 29th: Along with a letter from the school was a letter from Kayla.

June 30th: Kayla sent me a condolence card as well.

Although I didn’t post as much on this blog as I meant to in June, I have been staying caught up on regular mail post, lol. Now that we’re halfway through 2018, I think it’s time to adjust the blog again so it’s a bit better suited for me as we move into the second half of the year. What does that mean, really? Find out on the 5th 😛

Take care!
Sincerely, Kate ~!~

Dear June

If we would have “met for coffee” five days ago, I would have told you that June had been pretty uneventful. Sure, Logan had a field trip to the Detroit Zoo and we went on a couple outings ourselves, but in the grand scheme of things, there wasn’t a whole lot to report.

This past Sunday, though, my maternal grandmother passed away. From when it was decided that they would make her comfortable to when she died, things happened swiftly, but in a lot of ways it did not come as too much of a surprise. My grandma has had more than her share of health problems over the years, and this past year it became evident that she had Alzheimer’s on top of everything else. The silver lining to this situation is that because my mom has coordinated many a funeral, my grandma was able to entrust that with her. That will be happening tomorrow, for the record. If you’re the praying sort, by all means say one for my family. We might have been mentally prepared for this, but that doesn’t make this situation an easy one, and we certainly won’t miss my grandma any less either.

Despite how this past Sunday ended, for the most part Father’s Day was a pretty good day. As per usual, we went to my in-laws’ for a get together, and then the boys spent most of the duration of day connected at the hip. But that’s not the only time they (or we) have spent together! Logan’s gone to work with his dad on several occasions, we went back to the Children’s Zoo, and we went putt putting one Saturday, too. Next Tuesday is Logan’s last day of first grade, so I’m sure more fun outings are around the corner.

Speaking of school, Logan’s definitely ready for summer vacation, but at least they do a good job at keeping the kids engaged. Last week, for example, was Relay Recess so there were spirit days, a picnic– there was even a tank where a lot of the faculty got dunked. Still to come is a water activities day, and there will be a movie and some popcorn on their last day, too.

A movie I recently watched? Iron Man. For a while now I have been wanting to watch all of the Marvel movies in somewhat or a chronological order, and my friend Amanda has been more than happy to indulge me. Originally I was hoping we could get together this week to watch the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, but for obvious reasons I’m going to be in need of a raincheck. Maybe come “Dear July” we will have made a much better dent in Mission Marvel.

In the meantime, TV shows I’ve been watching as of late include Pose, American Woman, and The 100. I’ve read a few books since Dear May, too. When we “last met for coffee,” I wrote that I was reading Alice by Christina Henry, and since then I finished that and its sequel, and then I also read Shout Down the Moon by Lisa Tucker. I am now reading Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin.

I don’t think I have much else to report besides that– like I said, up until recently June had a bit of a “no news is good news” thing going on. While Logan finishes the school year, his dad and I continue to do work in our respective fields. It may not be exciting, but that’s hardly a complaint, you know? For the record, the transcription stuff is still going pretty smoothly for me. It’s hardly a dream job, but I do love being able to help financially a bit.

On that note, I think it’s time to look into a file to transcribe today. Take care, and be sure to tell your loved ones that you love them.

Sincerely, Kate ~!~

 

Dear April

First of all, happy 420 if you’re into that sort of thing, lol. I’m not, though this could be a good segue into Wonderland-friendly things if we take controlled substances such as growth-altering mushrooms into consideration 😉 To talk about things pertaining to Alice in Wonderland, though, we need to also talk about the trip to Troy that happened since the last time I wrote as if we were having coffee…

On the morning of March 23rd, my mom picked me up and after stopping for breakfast, we were off on our overnight adventure near the Detroit area. Before checking into our room for the evening we went to Barnes & Noble, Trader Joe’s, a fabric store, and a place called Catfe Lounge where many a kitty hang out until they find their forever homes. Here are a few cute pictures from the latter:

After (finally) finding our hotel and recharging a bit, we went to dinner followed by the Somerset Collection. You may be wondering what any of this has to do with Alice in Wonderland, so allow me to break it down…

• I got Alice and Red Queen, both by Christina Henry, at B&N.
• The fabric store had fabric suited for a Mad Tea Party.
• I found a mug with Wonderland characters on it at the Disney Store.
• Dinner was at Mad Hatter Bistro!

Although the birthday party happening near us at Mad Hatter’s was positively obnoxious, mom and I still enjoyed ourselves and all of the yummy things we consumed. While we waited for our fish and chips we had a bit of a tea party, and after our entrees we shared a homemade cream puff. Each item solidified that we wanted to return for brunch the following morning.

It’s because of this we didn’t check out at 4am in the morning. We stayed at a Red Roof Inn and have since decided we’d never stay in one again. We could have dealt with the abrasive air freshener and overactive furnace, but some intoxicated idiot banging on our door at 3am was the last straw. You would have thought the building was on fire the way she carried on. It wasn’t until I opened the door that she finally realized she was knocking on the wrong damn door.

Anyway! Brunch at Mad Hatter Bistro was worth sticking around for. I had the Mad Hatter Breakfast Burger and loved the maple bourbon sauce on it so much I have already decided that I’d have the chicken and waffles the next time we go. From Mad Hatter’s this time around though, we just took a scenic route home since we were too full and too tired to want to make any unnecessary stops.

One last Alice in Wonderland related thing quick before we move on from that. I finished reading Untamed by A.G. Howard and am now working on a book Sarah sent me for Christmas called Bet On My Heart.

The weekend following the Troy Trip was Easter, and though it wasn’t nearly as action-packed for me, Logan sure was one “hoppy” boy. His paternal grandparents got him this go-kart while his parents got him the helmet to use with it:

It’s too bad this April has been more like winter than spring, eh? Just this past weekend  we dealt with an ice storm– yuck. We were prepared to lose power but fortunately we never did. I even got to finish season 2 of A Series of Unfortunate Events when I got the house to myself.

Speaking of TV shows, I’m both anxiously anticipating and dreading the season finale of Jane the Virgin tonight. The anxious anticipation’s due to their finales always being so well-executed; the dread is due to me just not being ready for it to be over until the fall. This season of Ink Master is also about to come to an end, and with my favorite gone I’m rooting for Juan/ Team Anthony. iZombie and Rise will have some big shoes to fill with some of my favorite shows ending for the season!

However, I actually haven’t been watching as much television as of late. Sure, some of that was due to the Loganator having a bit of a stomach bug this past week, but the main reason things like Shadowhunters and Jessica Jones are going unwatched is because I started doing some transcription work via the website Rev.

A few weeks back my mom told me about the site since she knows of people who are either working for Rev themselves, or at least applied to do so. Mom was like “I hear the test is hard, but you’re not out anything if it doesn’t work out.” Well, not only did I ace said test, I was doing so well during the training, that instead of being promoted from rookie after transcribing 60 minutes worth of audio, I became a revver after just 30 minutes worth. It hasn’t been easy work by any means, and it has only amounted to around $230 so far, but that’s $230 more than I have contributed to our expenses before so ultimately it feels worth it.

On that note, I really must be going since I have a file waiting for me, but know that the boys and I are doing well. All the best from our screen to yours.

Sincerely, Kate ~!~

 

Dear March

Since the last time I wrote as if we were meeting for coffee, I completed my 31st trip around the sun. We did a few things to celebrate the occasion over a few days, and though nothing on its own was much of a production, when everything was said and done it certainly felt like one. I appreciate everything our families did for me/us, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel relieved when things went back to normal on the 5th. Heck, I even told a couple pen pals that since my 32nd birthday will be on a Friday, it would be tempting to just get a motel room for myself and have pizza delivered, lol.

Right now, however, I’m thinking less about my birthday(s) and more about this upcoming weekend. Since my mom and I both had such an amazing time on our overnight adventure in Troy, MI last year, we decided to go back. Our itinerary includes seeing some kitties at a cat café, doing some light shopping at the Somerset Collection (home to Build-a-Bear Workshop), and going back down the rabbit hole that is Mad Hatter’s Bistro. Twice. It should be a lot of fun, and in my mom’s case it’s well-deserved. P.S. I’ll tell you how many Change Cards we leave next Wednesday.

Oh, that reminds me. I need to tell you that Logan’s class unfortunately won neither the Box Top contest nor the Penny War, but the latter was really close! The good news, however, is that following the Penny War, Logan’s name was chosen in a drawing so he got to throw a pie at the teacher of his choice, haha! Logan’s newest mission on the school’s behalf has been raising money for Jump Rope for Heart/Hoops for Heart per the American Heart Association. Originally we set out to just raise $50 so Logan could earn a t-shirt as well as a couple keychains, but he easily acquired double that so we tackled the requested $250 goal and met that, too.

In other school-related news, March is National Reading Month so Logan’s school has been indulging in some fun novelty days. Yesterday, for example, the kids were encouraged to wear their pajamas and bring in their favorite bedtime story– check out Logan and Bridget:

Murder on the Orient Express, just so you know, is not my favorite bedtime story but the latest book I’ve read. If I wouldn’t have been reading it with my pen pal Kristy, however, I’m not sure I would have finished it. More often than not the novel felt as if it was written in a foreign language then poorly translated into English; to say I was put off by that would be putting it mildly. I found myself wanting to skip ahead to find out whodunit and just watch the movie, but I hung in there because of Kristy. I still don’t think the book was anything special, but that just makes it more rewarding to have it done with. I’ll be reading Untamed by A.G. Howard next; it’s the companion book to the Splintered series I read in January so I’m going to tackle it before moving on to more retellings of Alice in Wonderland.

For the record, I do still plan on watching the newer version of Murder on the Orient Express one of these days. It may be a nice break from Coco and Ferdinand, the latest additions to our Blu-Ray collection, lol. Something that’s not a nice break? Top Chef, This is Us, and How to Get Away with Murder being done until next season 😛 At least A) they all wrapped up nicely–though I still wish Carrie won TC, and B) spring premieres are underway like Rise, The 100, and several other shows that will keep me from being too bored when the boys aren’t around.

The boys, by the way, have been good, though I think Gabe would be better if he didn’t still have fish fries to tend to. The end of Lent is coming, though! I’m not sure what exactly we’ll be doing for Easter quite yet, but I do know my in-laws have some big gifts in store for two little boys. It should be a good day; it certainly will be more celebratory than our St. Patrick’s Day was, lol.

I think that’s everything that has been going on around here, but come April 20th I’m sure I’ll have plenty more to tell you over coffee. Until we meet again!

Sincerely, Kate ~!~

Dear February

Hey! Thanks for meeting with me as if we are meeting for coffee. Right now I’m mainly just awaiting my 31st birthday in a little over a week. Thanks to the fire department’s upcoming fish fries, my Gabe-fixes have been a bit few and far between lately, but we’re making sure to set aside some time to celebrate the anniversary of my birth properly. The evening before, for example, his aunts will be having us over for steak and potatoes, per my request.

Speaking of birthdays, I’m pleased to report Logan’s was a happy one. On the day of he not only got things like monster trucks and the Pull My Finger game, but his Papa brought in pizza for his class treat, and two of his friends from school got to come to our family get together that evening. The main highlight for our 7-year-old, though, was going to Monster Jam at Ford Field a week and a half later. Before the main event we attended the Pit Party. Meeting Ryan Anderson of Son Uva Digger was a must for Logan, as was building his own wooden Grave Digger. Come the actual show, Son Uva Digger and Grave Digger did NOT disappoint! The latter even won the overall event after crushing Two-Wheel and Freestyle. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from our adventure:

After coming home from Detroit, Logan had fun via Coming Home at his school, haha. Sure, the first day of Spirit Week, Pajama Day, was thwarted by a snow day (oh darn 😉 ), but Logan– as well as my Build a Bear buddy Bridget– still enjoyed dressing up the duration of the week, as you can see:

Several other things happened at Logan’s school this month, starting with the annual Box Top contest and Penny War– we should know who won what sometime next week. Come Valentine’s Day Logan and I attended “Muffins with Mom” in the morning, and that afternoon he had his class party where he, unsurprisingly, gave out Monster Jam valentines to his classmates, haha. I know it’s not school related, but it seems worth noting that the boys and I went out to eat at the little restaurant here in town that evening; not only is Logan a big fan, Gabe and I didn’t want to go anywhere too crowded. But back to the little viking! Thanks to the balanced calendar, he has this week off and–dentist appointment this afternoon aside–he is a very happy kid.

With any luck I’ll be able to keep making a dent reading Spellbook of the Lost and Found by Moira Fowley-Doyle even though I don’t have the house to myself as much right now. For the record, I finished the Splintered series by the end of January, and I read Queen of Babble by Meg Cabot since then. As for my own writing, my resolution withered and died like many that came before it. I still intend to work on my book idea as motivation strikes, but the schedule thing just didn’t work well for me.

Also not working very well for me? Most of my shows being on a brief hiatus due to the Winter Olympics 😛 The three episodes of Jane the Virgin between Dear January and now were NOT enough, especially now that “Jafael” is rekindling. But at least I still have Ink Master and Top Chef, right? In case you’re wondering, I’m rooting for Deanna on the former and Carrie on the latter. As for the Olympics, I don’t follow them all that much to root for anyone. #SorryNotSorry.

Much like television in the evenings, I don’t have anything entertaining to offer you anymore, lol. I will leave you with a little request though if you’re the praying type. Gabe’s great aunt passed away suddenly over the weekend, so his dad’s side of the family could use whatever thoughts and prayers you’re willing to send their way. We appreciate them, and I appreciate you reading this monthly update of mine.

Until next time!
Sincerely, Kate ~!~

 

Dear January

It’s a “Birthday Month Smorgasbord!”

Though this month has had quite a few things I would change (like Logan’s recent eye junk), compared to how the boys and I rang in 2017? I think so far the new year has been a happy one for us! Before the Loganator came along, January was just a cold-ass month we had to get through, but this month has become something the boys and I look forward to. I mean, we celebrated Logan’s 5th birthday at Disney World! This time around the three of us have plans to go to Monster Jam in a couple of weeks, and our wannabe monster truck driver could not be more psyched!

Originally Gabe and I were hoping that by Logan’s birthday we’d have the basement all set to be his new playroom, but it turns out we were a bit too optimistic. Maybe by Logan’s half birthday in July? 😛 At least with some help from some family members, Gabe got the drywall up and the mudding process underway. Though it was no mild heart attack like what he experienced on NYE last year, Gabe had some dental issues come up over the past few weeks and taking care of that became the top priority.

My maternal grandparents, unfortunately, have also had some health issues as of late. Their business is not mine to share, but I will tell you that my grandma is now getting the care that’s best for her, and my grandpa is working towards gaining his strength back. As much of a relief it is to have these updates, I wouldn’t wish either of their experiences on anyone, and hate that they had to go through them. My mother deserves many a kudos for going through this ordeal with them no matter how physically and emotionally straining it became.

But back to happier topics! In addition to already reading the first three Captain Underpants books with the Loganator this year, I have read the first two books in A.G. Howard’s Splintered series. Howard has created such a twisted version of Wonderland as well as a worthy suitor for each side of Alyssa, and I’m in a cocoon I don’t want to find my way out of once the books come to an end. As for shows, I’m anxiously anticipating the return of Jane the Virgin in about a week, and am grateful This is Us and How to Get Away With Murder are already back to help tide me over, hehe. Other shows I’m watching this month include the sophomore season of American Crime Story and competition shows like Ink Master, Top Chef, and Hell’s Kitchen. I promise I sound like more of a couch potato than I really am.

For the record, things are going pretty well with my resolutions. Sure, there are things I mentioned before that I haven’t gotten around to for one reason or another, but a year is a marathon not a sprint, right? Anyway, I not only have been reading every day I have the house to myself for a few hours, but have been writing some fiction of my own on those days, too. For the most part I have been using prompts from the book Write the Story to familiarize myself with my characters a bit and have as source material should I need it. The very first short story I wrote, for example, may very well wind up being reworked into the second chapter of my book so I hardly feel like I’ve been doing this in vain. Thankfully!

While we’re on the subject of writing/hobbies, I want you to know I won’t be talking about my incoming mail nor the ATCs I affectionately call Little Cards and Change Cards in this “Dear…” series. Those things are already prominently featured on Sincerely Kate so I want to focus on other aspects of my life when I talk as if we have met up for coffee. Thanks, by the way, for indulging me! Please let me know what you thought of this post, and I’ll touch base with you again– same time, same place– in February!

Sincerely, Kate ~!~