Need a new pet for the holidays??

Long story very short, my fiance has 5 kittens that we are desperately in need of adopting out! We are moving him to my place this weekend and if we can't find a home for these kittens, we will have 10 cats in our house! (We already have 5, so if you want an older, adult cat we might be willing to part with them too! Just kidding.... but give us a few weeks and I'm sure we'll think about it!)

Here are the pictures of the cuties! They are 7 weeks old and have the best dispositions! They are all black, although a few have white on their bellies and one has white toes, so we call her Socks. :)

I so wish we could keep them all, but with 5 kids and 5 cats, we are full!
Email me if you are interested!

Warning.... It's been a baaaad day....

Typical day in my life...

I told someone today that I felt like one of those guys who was trying to manage a dozen spinning plates on poles... just waiting to forget about one of them and them to drop and smash.

Current projects (tip of the iceberg):

• finish girls' bedroom by putting up wall in basement and door (finally bought supplies today at Lowe's)
• still need to find a time to go to my uncle's to pick up miter saw and other tools to build said wall
  
• wrap-up 5k by updating webpage, finish paying invoices, take all stuff back to storage area
• prepare for Abby's birthday party Friday evening -- make cupcakes, clean house
• help Jim prepare to move by putting furniture on Craig's List and trying to get rid of 6 kittens
  
• Organize "mock" GOTR lesson for tomorrow for Fox 4 new story to air this week (just found out about this on Monday!)
• Finish web project for client but managed to somehow break the login and get all kinds of unknown server errors today.... hours wasted and still not finished.
• Need to start on same client's next project and get it finished by end of year so they can fire me probably.... ugh
• Which leads into.... really need to find more work/clients
  
• touch base with all schools for spring session to check status and schedule PTA meeting appearances and parent informational meetings.
• Prepare season-ending items for Dec. 2 coach dinner and board meeting -- think I need to get some coach gifts
• waaaaay too much wedding stuff -- Fill out contract and deposit for DJ for the wedding and schedule meeting, figure out appropriate music, order cake/decorations, finish writing ceremony and vows, rent/find 40 chairs, get rest of decorations for tables, find someone to do my hair for less than the $60 my stylist wanted
• start and finish and submit my season-ending spreadsheet of participants, coaches, and board members to national office of GOTR
• write up job description for new position in GOTR so that I can get some relief with all of the work
• book wedding night room at local hotel
• and then of course, all the usual stuff I try to fit in -- grocery shopping, cooking dinner, laundry, running/exercise (what's that?), sleeping (huh?)

Thanks for letting me vent.... it's late and I really should be in bed, but figured I would sleep better if I got it all off my chest. Don't know if that helped at all but it was worth a shot....

Let's hope for a big pencil tomorrow to start crossing some of these items off of the list.

Stats from KC girls

I was contacted recently by Fox 4 news to be interview for a story they are doing on self-esteem in girls. (More to come later when I know when the story will air!) Dove, as part of their Real Beauty campaign, as been conducting workshops with girls all over the country and held one in the KC area in the past month.

According to Dove, these are some of the statistics they uncovered about girls in KC.

*8 in 10 girls in Kansas City believe they are not good enough or do not measure up in some way, including their looks, performance in school and relationships with friends and family members.

*In Kansas City, the majority of teen girls (60%) report engaging in negative activities, such as disordered eating, cutting, bullying, smoking or drinking, when feeling badly about themselves.

*Dove claims that a majority of girls in Kansas City cite "not being able to talk to their parents" as reasons they have low self-esteem. In fact, only 65% of girls ages 13-17 turn to their mothers a resource when feeling badly about themselves compared to 87% of girls ages 8-12. And, only 30% of KC girls ages 13-17 will turn to their father for help when feeling badly about themselves, compared to 55% of girls ages 8-12.

*One of the top wishes among girls in KC is for their parents to communicate better with them, which includes more frequent and more open conversations as well as discussions about what is happening in their own lives.

I am often questioned as to if girls in this area could benefit from this program and my answer is always an astounding "YES!". Kansas City is ranked in the top 5 cities for the worst self-esteem levels for girls. And this is not just "inner city" girls -- this is a metro-wide issue that exists even in the most affluent sections of town.

THIS is why Girls on the Run is so valuable!!!

If you don't know much about Girls on the Run yet and what we do, please visit our local website at www.girlsontherunkc.com or the national website at www.girlsontherun.org. Consider donating your time and/or money to this much needed cause.

A Bittersweet Finish

Saturday was it.



The last and final day of Girls on the Run for Fall 2008. We held our second annual Wondergirl 5K at Heritage Park in Olathe. To make a long story, very short.... I don't think the 5K Gods were on our side that day.

Weather - hovering around freezing and blustery winds with windchill in the 20s
Course - shortened to 2 miles because of the weather
Personally - I took a major fall over a picnic table about 30 minutes before racetime that put me out of commission the rest of the day. (I am alright now, just a slight sprain in my wrist I think and a nasty bruise all over my right knee.)

Here are some pics from the day.... if only they would capture the weather :(

http://www.flickr.com/photos/32487421@N04/

A big, huge thanks go out to all of the volunteers who braved the cold at 8am until noon, the families of the girls who came out, and to the girls and coaches who have worked for 12 weeks for that day!

Spring registration starts Jan. 1 and we have new things in store for next season! Reduced prices and more locations!! Keep an eye out at www.girlsontherunkc.com!

Back from (almost) sunny Florida

Just a quick post to let everyone know we are back from Florida. Jim and I took all 6 of our kids and, all things considering, we had a great time. The kids seemed to get along well and we really had no major meltdowns or incidents. We took the kids to Disney (see the pic below -- I'm behind the camera) and to two different beaches. We would have loved to do more, but time and money prohibited us from making the rounds of all the parks. (With 8 people, Disney alone was over $600!!! Yikes!!!)

Just a few pics of our journey...

the kids and Jim at the beach
Jim and I on the tram to Magic Kingdom
Ben, Riley, Danielle
Abby, Ryan, Caitlyn
The gang at the Magic Kingdom

Too funny.... had to post this!

I came across this today while I was avoiding work... I mean, taking a break.

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Happy News!

Dear friends and family,

As many of you know, Jim and I have been dating for the last year and a half and are in the process of forming a business together. Tuesday evening Jim asked me to marry him and I wholeheartedly said yes!

No date has been set yet, but it will probably be in the next few months, if we can find a date that will accomodate kids, work, holidays, etc. (this should be interesting!) :)

Thank you to all of you who have supported our relationship and given me so much advice over the last few years. Jim came into my life when I felt like I never wanted a relationship again and that I was just destined to be single. I thought maybe I just didn't deserve the kind of love I wanted. I truly believe that I have finally found my best friend and someone who loves me and my children unconditionally. God knows it's been a bumpy ride but it all seems worth it now.

Love to you all,
Kristine