So right now we’re on our way home for a few days. WHOOHOO! We haven’t been in 9 months(since my graduation) and I am SO excited to be going back home. We’ve got some fun stuff planned, starting with dinner at the Johnson’s house tonight before heading to our Pastor’s family’s house where we will be staying. Tomorrow I am joining my friends for a game of Ultimate Frisbee. I haven’t played in forever but Sky helped me practice a bit yesterday. I’m so excited to see everyone!

In fact, everyone is pretty excited!

So yep! That’s what’s up. I’ve got a lonnnnng trip ahead of me.
…
Okay not really. Its only 5 hours. But it seems like a lot longer than that on our way.

Sadly enough.

“Surprise! Happy birthday, Kait!”

February:

“Ohmygosh! It’s a girl!”

March:

“No Mom, not that far away.”

“Okay, just do a bunch of funny poses now.”

April:

“Are we at Disney World yet?”
“No Mark.”
“Oh. What about now?”

May:

“Can you believe it? We’re finally graduating.”

“…congratulate this year’s graduating class.”

June:

“Hey boys, I need the floor cleaned.”

July:

“Kids, we have some news: We’re moving onto base.”
“Yay!”

August:

“Kait, that doesn’t look anything like a platypus print. ”
“Yeah…it kinda looks like a chicken. Give it a beak.”
“And legs.”
“Why the heck are it’s legs coming out like that? Now it’s going to have balance issues.”
“Okay. Here are some wings.”
“Skylar. Those are flies wings. And where on earth did the mohawk come from?”
“That wasn’t supposed to be a mohawk.”
“Well it is now.”

September:

“Did you guys see the turtle?”

“Can I sign your cast?”

October:
“Yay! I can’t wait to meet Jack and stay in South Carolina for a week!”

“Ohmegosh ohmegosh ohmegosh NANI!”

“Hey lets be kids and play tic-tac-toe…hey how do you spell that anyway?”
“…What?”

“What are you telling Taylor?”
“Nothing…”
“I thought you said texting was bad.”
“No. You just won’t ever catch me doing it.”
“Umm. Savanah just took a picture.”
“Oh. Darn.”

November:

“Ohmygosh. These peppermint milkshakes are to die for.”

“Alright, it’s time for those braces to come off.”

“The Johnsons for Thanksgiving? A second visit this month? Heck yeah!”

“My stomach is going to explode.”

“Wes, urit.”
“No you’re- darnit! Kait no, urit!”

December:

“Wanna come over and help us build a trebuchet?”

“I’m so excited for our family reunion!”

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

WOW. What an awesome Thanksgiving we had this year! Our amazing friends came over once again and we celebrated together in our own crazy fashion. After a depressing mishap that changed our original plans for this year’s turkey day, everything became happy again when Taylor and I managed to scheme and get our two families together. Yay!

So Wednesday night at around 10 o’clock, the Johnsons showed up on our front porch. We hung out until close to one before hitting the sack. Taylor and I woke up early around six the next morning and hung out on the back porch for a while before the kids started getting up around seven thirty. The moms were already up and at’em, preparing food in the kitchen. After that, things just went uphill.

Mom and Mrs. Johnson were in the kitchen constantly, while Mr. Johnson and my dad sat at the table discussing helicoptery things and such, the boys played games, and Taylor and I played card games.

It wasn’t too long until it was time to feast. The food was AMAZING…an outrageously awesome meal of turkey, mashed potatoes, mac n’ cheese, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, cranberry salad, stuffing, homemade rolls, and gravy to top it all off…literally. YUM.

After stuffing ourselves as full as we could, we all relaxed and waited a few hours before digging into the pie. Taylor and I purposefully waited until hours after everyone else had had some, hoping to make as much room as possible for the deliciousness.

Sadly enough, I wasn’t able to eat more than a few bites of mom’s amazing pecan pie, but oh well. What I did eat was scrumptious.

On Friday afternoon, we all went to the beach and enjoyed a nice walk in the cool weather. It was really nice, though a bit windy. We had a lot of fun.
Then, after staying up forever late Friday night, Taylor, Wesley and I hung out with all the boys Saturday morning while the parent’s went out to breakfast and did a bit of shopping..

After that, we went to the Gator Park and messed around there for an hour or so. Taylor and Wesley climbed a tree.

Gabe and Taylor kicked a soccer ball around and chased each other around the park while Wesley and I sat down and played a simple game of tag.

And following that, we went to the beach again to get pictures of the family and such.

Wesley and I continued our game of tag while we waited. And for the record, y’all, I’m winning.

Sadly, this morning came the time for them to leave. But we had so much fun these past four days…it was a blast.

Overall, it was an amazing Thanksgiving that will not be forgotten. We all had SO much fun! Time went by way too fast, and already we are looking forward to the next time the Johnsons visit, or vice versa. Thanks so much for coming, Johnson clan! That was an amazing holiday!

I just finished video chatting with two of my awesome friends, Chaise and Savanah. It’s was pretty awesome. I even got to hear Chaise introduce us to Japanese flavored coffee. Oh yes people. It was pretty awesome.

Like a boss.

I also was likened to Brittany Spears. I found this to be interesting. I did have this headset on because my laptop has decided to be dumb and have it’s mic not work, but I personally thought I more resembled the drive-through lady at McDonalds.

Hmm. I’m trying to decide which is more insulting.

Either way, it was awesome.

Before that, Savanah was sharing awesome videos. And when I say awesome, I mean “OHMYGOSH I ALMOST DIED LAUGHING.”

That kind of awesome.

Right now I’m on the back porch. I’m recalling last week when the Johnsons were visiting and we would sit out here in the freezing wind, discussing everything from The Office to Apple products to movies(yep we’re all kinda geeks). And now I’m sitting here psyched because they’re coming AGAIN next Wednesday for Thanksgiving! Woohoo! We haven’t told the boys yet so the only one I can get excited with is my mom. And oh yes. We got excited.

It’s supposed to be in the 80s while they’re here, which is a guarantee that it will be 20 degrees and raining. Err…snowing.

And probably a tornado.

Yes.

Because that’s just how we do things down here in Florid-ia.

Also, Lucy is already doing a great job at getting into my stuff. She is EVERYWHERE. And if I put her down in my room to play piano or read or anything really, she’s getting into my stuff or eating my carpet or trying to tear up my Spanish notes…that little monster.

Cute as a button.

Wait. That wasn’t very nice. Buttons aren’t cute. So really, that’s insulting.

Cute as a chinchilla. In Spain.

Yes.

And she is already beginning her job as a little sister.

Joy.

Dang she is cute…

So anyway. It’s like 10 o’clock. I Am Number Four is waiting upstairs, along with Inheritance. I’ll probably have to submit to the book’s call and go read them here pretty soon.

‘Sides. There’s nothing much more for me to say.

So.

Bye.

First off, I’m going through old seasons of The Office lately, so laughter can be heard coming from the spare bedroom, my hang out place, throughout the day.

And then something even more awesome happened.

Johnsons got here! Whoo, what a fun weekend we had with our amazing friends, the Johnsons. It had been way too long since we’d last visited, and all of us were so excited to see them again.

We had so much fun! Taylor and I, sometimes joined by Wesley, had epic conversations on the back porch in the freezing wind. Since we don’t have wi-fi ourselves, we spent a lot of time on the porch picking up the base’s local hotel’s internets. It was frigid outside most of the time, but when in good company it’s easy to forget about. Well, almost. Sometimes we just had to go inside.

On Saturday, I made pancakes and bacon for breakfast, and after stuffing ourselves with deliciousness, we watched a movie and relaxed. Mom, Mrs. J, and I went to the thrift store, and after returning we chilled for a while before Taylor, Wesley, Joe, and I went to the bookstore, dollar tree, Wal-Mart, and Chic-fil-a. It was awesome. The peppermint milkshakes we got at Chic-fil-a were AMAZING.

And the balloon guy there made us an Iron Man balloon. It was awesome.

Of course, the bookstore was fun. Books always equal awesomeness.

They are gone now. *sniffle* Life has returned to status: boring. We eagerly await the day they return. Or we go there. Either one.

Hopefully it will be very, very soon.

Very.

Because the Johnsons are awesome.

Taylor, me, Skylar, and Wesley over at Skylar's playing the Wii

And that sums up just about all the excitement that happened in the past two weeks or so. The next two weeks are going to be awesome…but information on that will just have to wait. Until next time.

• We moved. Yes. It’s true. We moved a whole 15 miles away. Onto base. Can I just say that this place is totally AWESOME!? I absolutely love it here! The beach is one street away and I walk there daily. It is SO totally epic.
• Umm…oh! We has friends! There will be pictures below but trust me they are awesome and you should be jealous.
• Some old friends of ours from P’cola are coming to visit in a few weeks and it’s going to be four days of PURE AWESOMENESS. Just saying. There will be s’mores, dutch blitz, movies, and fun involved. And also NASCAR.
• Apparently I need to eat more cotton candy and play with more baby animals.
• I smell fish. And it doesn’t smell good. But it’s from the really cool shells that we brought home from yesterday’s exploration at the beach with our friends down the street so it’s all good.
• We’re going camping next month! YEAH! Our church and another church get together every other year and go camping for Thanksgiving. It is SO much fun and I am uber excited. Sarah, one of my bestest friends, is going and I can’t wait to spend a whole weekend with her. We’re both very outdoorsy and are sure to be found hanging from trees or climbing rocks or throwing dirt at each other or something.

I’m sure there is a lot more going on, but I can’t think of it all right now. So too bad for you.

Something I absolutely must point out right now is that WWZ could be right around the corner and y’all need to be prepared. Make to to visit Taylor’s blog and read about preparing and strategizeing.

Also, I learned yesterday that Skylar, my friend down the street, has some pirate in him. This simply makes him all the more epic.

Annd….Oh! Two weeks ago my bestie, Savanah, stayed here for a whole WEEK with me! It was so much fun! We went exploring around the base and found stuff I never knew was even here, hung out with Skylar and his family, and chilled out at home, being our normal crazy selves. I miss having her here. She did our dishes. Twice. Dang I really miss her. ;P

Nani, Gabe, and Skylar

Nani, me, and Skylar

Nani, Skylar, and Matthew fighting over our “rainbow”

It was pretty darn awesome. Since then, me padre has left for two weeks on the ship, going to fly in formation and blow stuff up to practice for something or other when he goes out to sea next year. You can see how much I know about my Dad’s job. It’s awesome. He gets back on Monday, so perhaps I shall be able to ask more about what exactly it was he was doing then.

Lately Gabe and I have been going to the beach to watch the sunrise with Skylar and sometimes his sister, who is Gabe’s age, Harleigh. There is something indescribably awing about a sunrise as it peaks over the horizon. Gabe and Harleigh will be messing around with shells while Skylar and I doodle in the sand, but we all stop to watch the golden orb rise from the waters. Breathtaking.

Plus, I got this cool picture of Skylar’s shoe next to a bullet shell we found.

Also, look at all these sunglasses and goggles we’ve found on the beach in the last week. Seems crazy huh? Well get this: I took this picture 4 days ago. Since then, 22 more have been added to our collection. That’s a total of 37 sunglasses in the dunes. It’s so awesome.

I just gotta say that I love living here.

I get to walk to the beach and watch the sunrise every morning.

We have friends down the street who we hang out with every day after school. If one of us is missing, we’re probably at the other’s house.

There is an awesome park down the street and we have to go on this path through the woods and it’s pretty much totally awesome.

The neighborhood is awesome. Everything is on base. I can just go down to the mini-mart and get a soda if I want, or walk with Joe down to the Subway to treat him to lunch.

And I just gotta say, I have never felt like I could breathe this good. The air is amazing here. And yesterday Sam and I managed to squeeze in our, most likely, last play-in-the-rain of the year.

I stepped outside about 20 minutes ago and I thought I’d stepped into Antarctica. Okay not really. But it was COOL. Like Dang-I-need-a-jacket-right-now cool. And all of the sudden, too. Today it was in the high 70s or so and then all the sudden BAM it’s cool. I don’t think that we’re going to have anymore days of warmth and rain. The Cold…it’s bound to hit any day. And then there’s no going back.  That’s seriously how it works here in Florida. It goes from broiling hot to perfection, which lasts for about 2 or 3 weeks before you wake up one morning and it’s freezing. There’s no warning. No nothing. Just COLD.

It’s sad.

I’m going to miss the warmth.

BUT.

There is nothing better than curling up on the front porch with a blanket, a good book, and a mug of hot tea. Oh yes. Perfection.

And I won’t be missing this.

Because this has been my life for the past 5 months.

So as you can see, I am both dreading and awaiting the cold weather.

I just remembered something. I turn 17 in 3 months. 15 didn’t seem anything. 16 was a fun birthday but I didn’t feel like it was any huge age leap thing. 17 though? 17 just seems WOW. I don’t know why. It just does. That means I’m only 15 months from being 18. And then 3 years and 3 months from being 20. That’s nuts!

Sorry. I digress.

In fact, this may be the ultimate digression because this post is already like a mile long so I should probably stop now.

But.

Just one more picture. I drew it. For you.

All that followed was pure fun. Awesomeness in the raw. We played volleyball.

We played cards.

We ate pizza and cake(no pics. )

We played some more.

We took pictures.

Then we did a bunch of other insane, goofy, wacky, crazy, looney, ridiculous, and bizarre stuff that I will not be mentioning.

But it was fun. I had a blast. I can’t thank my family and friends enough! I couldn’t have had a better party, unless of course it lasted forever.

What about this? Have you ever seen two girls who are way overly obsessed with books…and writing….and texting…and chatting…and blogging….and talking…and laughing…and teasing…? Have you seen how they talk about just every subject under the sun, and how they never go more than a day without talking to one another? Did you see how they are so much alike, it’s creepy? Or how often they come up with the same idea at the EXACT same time — and nearly daily…so much that it’s eerie?  Or, perhaps, how they both have a ridiculous fascination with books and reviewing them…who could write together for hours into the night – and enjoy every moment of it? Who make ideas on a whim and hours later it’s taking flight?
…Two girls who laugh so often and can not believe how similar they are?
Those to girls are without a doubt Katy and me. No doubt.

What about two girls who are different as night and day, but still manage to be great friends? Two girls who confide in each other about problems in life? Two girls who can laugh at themselves and each other when in the middle of an argument? Or how they could be silly for hours without end?
That has got to be Lizzy and me.

Or how about those two girls who nearly never talk to each other in person; but realize that there is a lot similar about them when they text? Those two girls who are both the ones who enjoy being in the kitchen or taking care of one of the kids? Two girls who stayed close friends after the one girl moved?
Well that couldn’t be anyone but Jessica and me.

Have you ever seen a group of teens — all of them complete goofballs — always doing crazy stuff together? Who you usually find playing volleyball, or ultimate frisbee, or playing cards, or campaigning somewhere, or gathered around a fire? Have you seen how everyone of them is always smiling, teasing, laughing when together? Have you seen how they are always making senseless jokes that no one in their right mind unsterstands…explaining why they all do?
That is most definitely my group. Definitely.

Just in case you’ve seen any of the above and wonder what on earth was the world coming to.

Nah.

That’s just friends and me.

No worries.

Umm…

Never mind. You might want to worry.

Just a bit.

Happy Thanksgiving