Never Say Never

So you're either a dog person or a cat person right. If your honest enough to admit your not an animal person then there is that too. I say honest because any time you tell someone " I'm not really an animal lover" they give this look of astonishment and immediately think you must be cold hearted. I've been on the receiving end of that look before you feel the the need to delve into detail that you mean you love them just not enough to own one. :) Anyway, I used to be a dog person. Then, I lost my baby and I became a not an animal person perhaps thats based on the fact I know I don't have the time a pet deserves or I'm merely lazy and don't want to have to train a puppy or come home to messes. I do know I've NEVER been a cat person. UNTIL three weeks ago .


meet the new loves of my life.












Here's the situation , this story is much like the hangover and is in snippets of known events with the rest a mere mystery that we stopped trying to figure out.
snippet one :
One day out of no where we found a cat living in our back yard. well more correctly our white shepard found a stray cat living in our yard. Apparently she had made it home pretty quickly. Initially all we knew was this cat was MEAN! SHe wasn't scared of my shepards at all she just let them walk up to her without so much as a hiss. within DAYS! I catch this cat chasing our newest addition and I have two shepards popping their heads out the doggy door to look around for this cat before going outside! WTF!


enter blacked out moment :
I dont recall why we were on the side yard but my brother heard meowing. (weird hadn't seem MEAN cat in a little while guess the bush wasn't as homey as she thought) .... little snooping and YEP there was MEAN cat and THREE KITTENS snuggled up behind our air compressor- I got the text " cat has kittens. SHIT" I arrive home and the side yard is now barricaded off with random items.
I giggled. my mother said " SHUT UP"
your wondering why . I know my mother well...she knows herself well. you're about to know her.


enter black out moment 2 :
A night and a day day goes by. We cant decide what to do. WE"RE NOT CAT PEOPLE. we know nothing about cats. and my mother DOES NOT want one. - I had been sharing this story with Hayley and I should have bet on how much i knew my mother. I arrive home the next night and there is cat food on the counter


I giggled. -my mother said " SHUT UP"


so we fed a mama cat. Immediately she LOVES my mother. goes in and out of my moms legs purring.- my mom cringes every time. I giggle. :)


enter black out moment 3
the kittens got moved the night we found them and I'm not entirely sure how long we fed mama cat before we saw them again. BUT i do know mama cat waited for us at 6 am and 6 pm to get fed like clock work and when my mom would coo " wheres your babies" this cat would meow and out they came. UNTIL they saw us and then THERE THE WENT.

enter black out moment 4.
I think we played this call your babies they would come out to scurry away game a while before i got the bright idea of naming them. my mom " NO" -
"mama cat has beautiful eyes. one blue and one green and she was mean. " two faced" "
"NO"
"two face where your babies. two face call them " i coo
" twoey"
" what?"
" two faced is two long ad she's a girl."
I giggle. my mother says " SHUT UP"


3 kittens.
Mimosa - he was the brave one that would come out hesitantly while we were there. he was the first one i got to pet. - figured liquid courage and mimosas happen to be my favorite drink - he was my initial favorite.
Stowaway - she is mimosas twin. she was always hunched behind the two by four waiting for us to disappear so she could come out. and being a stray i figured yep knowingly free loading.
Ebony - well she is black and the spit fire. edgy which what this stone makes me feel so good job on that name ma. ( yep my mom named this one - I giggled she said SHUT UP )


needless to say ill wrap this story up . we fed them for a week or so. my mom researched their approximate age. called around to shelters. and I BEGGED people to want a kitten. no hope anywhere. my mom was really starting to get stressed between the cats and the baby humming birds and our almost bee infestation. ( those two entirely different stories)
well sat. daisy and my mom were hunting for the missing fledgling my mother had been saving for two days when the stumbled across the kittens new hide out. well better then never so sat afternoon started the fiasco !
enter black out moment 5
I was at work so i missed the enjoyment of this and got to merely partake in the enjoyment of cuddling the new captured kittens. HOWEVER i was there to experience the second fiasco of catching ebony. so we held them while they alternated between hissing and sleeping. my mother and father built a cardboard fort to put them in and we were going to call it a night till we could figure out what to do with them. well.. thats the thing about plans.. you always need plan B.
i was washing my hands looking out the kitchen window watching towey try to get back in the fort and watching the fort shakily move all over the side yard. ok executive decision time ( my mom was flustered, exhausted and stressed) so out went our shepards kennel to the side yard.
well kittens were more angry now so they were spitting. my fellow non cat people let me give you a visual. Jerassic Park


REMEMBER we are NOT CAT PEOPLE. so my brother and I jumped every time. alright... so plan C. we cut a 'flap ' to just scoot them into the cage well DAMN IT EBONY she slips past spits and gets away.. now visualize 3 grown ups and one mother cat searching a tiny yet junk filled side yard for a black cat at 630 pm.


black out number 6 - I agreed to watch the Franke loves of my life micha and sky so I rush out and say a loud prayer on the way both for me not to be late and her to be found.
three hours later I get " got her"
thank you god ! - I post on FB i have three kittens praying someone will want them and want them ASAP


God is good. 630 am sunday morning i have an email from my best friend Heather. she going to surprise her mom and she doesn't want stowaway. i reply my honest warning of how they hiss and thank her! one down two to go!


flash to 5 30 pm. my ma picks me up from work and there is stowaway in her lap.
" she's not doing well. she's been lethargic all day and I caught twoey nudging her in the cage so vie had her in your room and been using a medicine syringe to get water down her. what do i do! "
" heather mom will know. after they surprise her we will ask her. it will be ok. "


heather comes with the family. She sees stowaway and decides she will take her to her mom. sees the other two and says maybe she take all three.
for those of you who don't know heather. I knew all three were getting a home. She doesn't not get what she wants. she likes to call her self a motivator. I call her good!


the next 4 hours we lots of family visiting. ( the knapps our my other family and I like to think we are their's ) kitten cuddling. vet visits and me saying
" please don't hate me bob " lol
Happy endings do happen.
so here we are. Monday night. my kittens are in two happy homes where I still get to see them!
they got the clean bill of health today and I believe Heather you were entirely correct .


" Cats are an omen from God. They are for healing"



I'm NOW a cat person





Twoey lives on our side yard still
I giggle. my mother says " SHUT UP" :)

GOD GRACE SHINES THROUGH IN ACTIONS .

I LOVE MY OTHER FAMILY FOR MORE REASONS THEN ONE and ONCE AGAIN YOUR MY HEROS!

Doggy Paddle

Jane loves water ! normally...

So this isn't really my story to tell but it's to freaking funny to not share.

lil background... First, my mother doesn't love to swim.

second, my brother recently moved back into the casa. WIth him came Jane.

a one year old shepard mutt. who is literally a SPAZ! i should really blog all the insane things she does but ok..

I arrived home today after a full day of work on 4 hrs of sleep ( i thought happy hr saki and free poker was a good idea for a monday night when i worked at 7 am. ) bright! i know..

anyway I came in after a fab play catch up chat with my bf lauren. my intended goal was to immediately lay down and take a nap . the house was eerily quite for this time of day so i ventured to see where everyone was. I pass my mom coming down the hall

the story starts here..

me :

" wow rough day" lol - you should have seen her facial expression to me.

( all of you that know my mother knew she wears her emotions on her face

" I had to tell your brother the dog can't swim. "

" wait what- this I have to hear"

i follow her to the back where my nephew is having the time of his life singing and playing in the shower. hop up onto the sink counter and listen to my mom relive her day.

as mentioned earlier the dog is a spaz. my mom now enjoys spraying off the pool deck because the entire time she leaps back and forth pouncing the water and biting at it. the dog that is. .. occasionally she stands directly in front of the spray until she can't breath then freaks out. well they were playing this game as normal. whole patio was cleaned. hose hut off and put away .. my mom ventures to grab her phone off the table and yep you guessed it

SPLASH!

she flung herself around to see the SPAZ drowning.

thinking in mid run SHIT my mom leaps in thinking g" why didn't I jumped closer!"

in this moment the dog is still trying to gip her paws on the side of the pool and refusing to try any other thing to escape.

my mom had to pry her from that wall and carry her to the waterfall.

she gets to the water fall and my mom shoves her up . Jane instantly has a death grip and wont budge. -

" How the hell does a dog get a death grip on anything! "

so my mom screaming for my nephew or dad to come help. My dad finally hears her as she's holding janes butt trying get her to move off the waterfall .

( keep in mind that my mom is fully dressed and was wearing glasses when she took the leap)

my father " christian come here and look at mima"

my mom " you have to be kidding me. little help here"

i later asked what his thoughts were

first - " WHat the hell!

then "thought maybe she trying to teach the dog to swim "

my replay. in only half understandable english from crying laughing.

"in full clothes she decided teach the dog to swim... "

ok so my dads out there. my nephew is now watching. Jane still freaking.

the manage to maneuver the dog to the rolled edge by the love seat and literally SHOVE her out of the water.

my mom then had to turn around and swim to the steps to get out

my nephew " does this mean we can go swimming mima"

my moms internal dialog... shit. if i say no he think he has to fall into the pool to get to go swimming.

" yeah but mima doesn't want to swim in her clothes. "

" why are you in your clothes"

"because apparenty the dog can't swim.... "

my mom then spent an additional 3 hrs outside in the pool.

man it kills me. I ithought doggy paddling would come natural. GUess I was way off. so whats my bro's weekend consist of - teaching his dog to swim! I wish i didn't have to work.

my mother now lays next to me in my bed looking for a moment of peace. in charges jane. leaps on the bed and lays down as i scream at her to get off , my mom only reply

" she loves me. I saved her life. "

yep still cry laughing even the second time around. Maybe Jane's not so bad...

The enternal scrapbook of an entire life fades...

I don't believe in coincidence...

I don't really know where to start on this blog.... I'm not entirely sure how I feel. I didn't cry at first. My family hasn't mentioned it much- only enough to acknowledge that they are aware its happening. But, I feel like not talking about it somehow portrays I don't care and yet I can't get myself to discuss it with anyone so here I am.

I hopped on the computer yesterday after work to browse FB for a moment and chill out. Listen to some music and get control of my anger when I noticed the window open was on dementia. ( internal thought went something like this ) "Weird, I didn't open that page I haven't started studying yet. Why is someone else interested in dementia... "
a little bit later I went to have dinner with my parents and there was the online page printed and sitting by my dads seat.
NO . no.

" she ( my grandmother - the one referred to in a previous blog about running in the rain) was diagnosed with vascular dementia."

that was it- all that's really been said.

- so why did I state I don't believe in coincidence...
well the last two lectures for school have been on phyc. patients. and dementia was a topic two Mondays ago. Then, this past Monday we watched a 1 or so video on dementia. It was a lady for Texas who was on the mission to make people better aware of whats happening with this disease to hopefully teach them more patients.
her favorite phrase " who has the big brain" - whenever someone started to loose their patience

you would never ask a patient with lung cancer to run for you. because that disease takes of the lungs and they don't function as they should so why then
do you ask a patient who brain is shrinking. whose disease attacks everything center of the brain that controls everything we know to stop asking so many questions. why do we get frustrated with those whose brains have a disease they have no control over to ' work with me'- try to remember. " stay there! "

the video hit home on Monday. little did i know it would have an even bigger impact come Friday.
My entire family is guilty of loosing patience with my grandmother. I'll be honest. my grandmother is one of the most difficult people you could encounter - always has been. but i have a million good memories with her. She has so many Cork's that drive you crazy but make you love her too.




she had 11 brothers and sisters - was a total daddy;s girl. I could recap her childhood Ive heard the stories so many times. She's an amazing story teller. She loves red. hates cats. walks bare foot any chance she gets.Used to embarrass the crap out of me when we would go on walks and she would be a peeping tom as we walked by loving to look at how people decorated their house. - she said if they left the blinds wide open they wanted you to see their home. she has an obsession with trees like I do with the sky. And i think she is the only person who watched Guiding Light for its 40 + years it was on. she makes killer fried salmon and uses phrases like " ill be darn" and " for heavens sakes."



so ... " I be darn" I learned about vascular dementia just in time to know I'm loosing my grandma before she's literally gone. That I think is the hardest part about it. Its a long goodbye.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD.

my dad is a quiet man but when you get him on a subject he passionate about or around children he lights up.
( especially my nephew )



so here's to you dad


You're a man who is good to everyone he meets.

A man who is honest, humble and would give the shirt off his back to a person who needed it more. A man kids adore. I pray I can give to my kids, family, friends everything you have given to me.

I look up to you more than you know. More than I tell you. I cherish a thousand memories.

I l<3 u. Happy Birthday!

Rolling Credits

I believe you are born with a personality. Then life happens : School starts, friends come and go, bad decisions and good decisions are made .. you get the point so this person you started off just being now has to re" find" themselves. Key is loving who you are and keeping those in your life who love you for being who you are.

that said.. the first sneak peek into the life of Kristin is giving credit where credit is due.
I consider myself truely blessed . I have two handfuls of people i would consider exremely close and who know me very well ( which as you can tell from the title isnt something that comes easy)

my mother : is the most thoughtful person you will ever meet. Be a safe bet if you asked he what she was doing that she would reply "reading" When you get her laughing hard enough she squeals -as we like to call it . shes one my best friends and i get all my good traits from her. even ones we dont love all the time huh mom ;)

My father - i was a daddies girl growing up - now a days..... we have a little more trouble communicating. he shows his love via acts of service ( future blog) . He most genuine, thoughtful , worry wart , quite man. He taught me enough to fill a book
My BRO HAM! - he hated this nick name however i think he has come to love it. when i think of my bro a million memorries flash into my head at once. hahah He hated me as a child. I adored him. we couldn't have survived adolence without one another. - He's smart and one most loyal people I know. I swear he should be a stand up comedian. He's got whit and sarcasm like you wouldn't believe and can be quite the ranter.

J- Would be my brothers best friend who lived with us for years. the two of them are quite the pair to be around. I swore he was more protective then jon but i later learned jon just the passive aggressive protector. who knew. - J come a long way the family is proud.

Christian- my 4 yr old smart ass lil nephew. let me share a story so you get the full affect.
i knew he made cookies at school - so when he came home our convo went something like this.


Me: did you have fun decorating cookies.
C : ya
Me: did you bring me one ?
C: No
Me Oh.. how come?
C: I didn't know you wanted one.
Me: well figured you make more then one so thought you would bring me one.
C: you have to tell me you want one.
then scampered off. as i stood stunned. its got to be in the y chromosome. . .

He is witty and lives to make you laugh . Plus he has this sixth sense when your upset. he make you pictures or bring you flowers. Lethal combo - going to break girls hearts - if only i could warn them.

My Auntie- SPOILS us rotten to this day. A red head with a firey spirit. Like my father has a soft spot for those less fortunate. and a faith in God that is inspirational. not to mention she makes fab. rice crispy treats and makes us play ridiculous games every birthday and Christmas we tease her about yet secretly love.

Heather - is my Soul sister - we been friends for over 16 yrs. shes family and may know me as well as i know myself. actually her entire family i consider family. Lauren and her have the most random things occur in their lives topped with a great story telling abilty most the time im in tears laughing. - she BEAUTIFUL. opinionated and humble. - my couch potatoe buddy . we love. ( clint is funny and a charmer. - he been real helpful! and carson is a doll. this kids got more personality then you know what to do with. - i cant wait to meet the newest addition )



speaking of... Lauren - a.k.a bia - geeze we have been friends for... 9 yrs. shes my sanity. currently she lives to far away but shes one of the most intelligent/driven, humble, outgoing, stylish and lack of better word emotional people i know. by emotional i mean - shes a physc. major so she gets why people react how they do, her and i love to debate and creative! one day she will publish a book - my dancing buddy.

the frankes - hmm ok well Nicole used to be an ayala. pretty sure we became instant friends 13 years ago. good memories. Stephen her husband. enter the two kids and you have the Franke's. the other extension to my family. Stephen is outgoing. mildly inappropriate, smart, funny. I live for his voicmails in which he sings his messages. lol. Nicole is honest, creative, thoughtful, a amazing mom . she will kick your ass in friends scene it! you couldn't find two more loyal friends. they have a faith and a marriage that is to be admired. Micha boo is his fathers son. and he adores me which i wont lie warms my heart because i adore him. sky is just like his mommy - what we love most. game nights and hiking!

Hayley - i can give you a great personality descriptor in one word. IRISH! firey temper. a alcohol tolerance that's amazing. ( stomach of iron i tell ya ) I have never had a friend be as defensive, loyal and supportive as you hay. The Andersons equal my mother in thoughfulness. she probably one of few who sees me cry yet i never laugh as much as when with her . add lauren in there and we very rarely can breath laughing so hard. - i love love love you!

Easton - a.k.a the fav. - we been friends for 14 yrs! hay o sirrine! lol one of the few guys i completely trust. He artistic, phenom. dancer. honest. trustworthy. genuine. charming! you could call him any time and it wouldn't matter. day / nigh/ rain .shine/ superbowl sunday/ saturday night... - We understand one another. - he going to make an amazing nurse. - how i miss working with you .. at least then i saw you all the time.

the other hay - she claims she doesn't have a personality but ill be here to beg to differ. - i adore you. you have talent! your sarcastic sense of humor matches mine. she a lil couch potatoe now because baby sucking the life out of her but man the last 3 yrs have been fun with the carters. - both of you are reliable. honest. fun !

Rach - is part of hay family. 3 yrs ago against all advice i dated their cousin/bro in law. in 3 yrs i have about as many memories with her as i do with people gone to school with all my life. cowgirl to the bone! shes got the sarcastic humor to match hayley's, always down for a good time. we had many heart to hearts. its a rare thing to find a friend who you can tell them their faults and them tell you yours and still be friends. -


Erin and mikey - here funny story. I was dating a guy - Erin was this random girl to me who was hanging out at his apartment when i came over. we all ended up sharing a bed that night after drinking and the next day we decided to take a cruise. her and i since no one else wanted to go- instant friends.
mikey - i worked with at A&F when i broke my arm. he let me simply open the dressing room doors and he folded everything! apparently they grew up together so he came over randomly one night and it was a hey i know you- I don't want to go to this party for a co worker but i promised. your going. i went. we left quickly. ...
how i miss my partner in crimes !

V- I never see but is a friend that we pick up right where we left off.
Meylinda- you're me in another body

my co workers- I LOVE my job because of the people i work with. They see more sides of me then i think most my friends do. They considerate. and witty smart asses! yet supportive. its like a family. sometimes you love them sometimes you want to kill them! but i wouldn't trade them.. hence why I'm still there

there are others. but these are the base.
So you're wondering why when i see or talk to each other these people on a regular basis why write about them... well tri fold reason
1. i believe you should tell people often how much they mean to you. - once in a while put in writing why you adore them. it makes people feel good and always nice to re- read on a bad day
2. I decided to write the blog because recently i have been told more then one that I dont really let people know me. - now I'm aware that I'm guarded to a fault - enter the whole life happens. but i decided to make it a new years resolution to bring my wall down to more of a fence.
3. which brings me to the last reason - baby steps.. its getting to know me without having to talk directly about me... but Lauren made me promise put a mini paragraph about me so...

• I'm trying to accept that being strong doesn't mean you never loose self control
• I currently attending nursing school at PC- though it wasnt my first choice of schools it where i was suppose to end up . 9 new friends - 6 girls who i already adore and 2 years to survive. - passed my first exam! thank you god and the bamboo the boys bought me.
• I recently realized that when i feel disrespected/ offended or that someone is merely disrespectful in general i can't make eye contact with them . - being analytical i think this is because people HATE not receiving eye contact. so it's a simple way to show my disgust. Lauren says its playing dirty. . i think its you reap what you sow .
• > I LOVE being outdoors. doing activities outside. I HATE the gym. so the only time i exercise is when it involves doing something fun and not realizing im bring calories and toning muscle.
• snowboarding, wake-boarding, hiking. - although ct is in t minus 65 days so looks like I'm going to have to get over the hate the gym thing.
• I don't sing in the shower. only in the car when its a road trip. however at work . I sing like its part of the job requirement. random right...
• I have a deep faith - always have though you wont hear me preach often.
• I have learned a lot of lessons the hard way the last few years.
• I didn't hate high school. Never counted down till it was over.

baby steps. so this is all you get.
Thinking this was a good idea to give into. makes me miss my yearbook days.