Hi all!

Well, after (once again) it seems like I have completely fallen off the radar...I'm BACK! :)

We have had such a fun and exciting start to our fall this year...new house, new grass, new, new, new!! So much exciting stuff going on...we are truly blessed.

Stay tuned for more on what's coming up in our lives!

Loves,

Me.

Cat.

We have somehow managed to get somewhat of a pet cat. I have no idea how this has happened. All I know is one night, we were watching TV with front and back doors open when out of nowhere...a cat came strolling though our living room. Literally walked in the back door, strolled leisurely through the house, and out the front door.

This now happens almost every night.

Two nights ago, I heard it MEOW-ING loud as can be outside our bedroom window.

CAT? Seriously? A CAT???

Anyway, I'll keep you posted. I will say that a certain someone has taken to Cat, and I may have caught this certain someone feeding Cat a time or two...wonder why Cat keeps coming back...

Loves!

Me.

Nails and Happy New Year!!!

1. Doing your own nails blows.

2. HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!!!

Loves!

Me.

Yoga and other things...

Well, I have to say....not working is pretty much awesome. I DO miss the productivity of working in an office, and my lil' office buddies, but there are so many things that one can do with their time when they HAVE IT!

I have started practicing yoga, for one thing, and I have to say....IT'S HARD!!! How ignorantly did I judge all those yoga matt bearing hippies before I actually tried it. I love it. Love LoVe LOVE!

I have started cooking more again. I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE to cook. If there was a way that I could go to cooking school and open a little restaurant that was only open from 10 - 4 so I could still have a life... I'd do it... IN A SECOND. Alas, until that time, I will just enjoy cooking for myself and my wonderful husband. Tonight...Game Hen!

Laughing. I love love love laughing. AND smiling at people. I love that, too.

Okay, that's it for now! Time for lunch...I think maybe some fried eggs with sauteed spinach and onions!

Loves!

Me.

PS...Once again I say, I'm going to be better at blogging. ;)

NEW LITTLE NIECE!!!

Well, everyone...it's official! I have a NEW NEICE!! Lil' baby girl Chloe Grace! WOO HOO!!!

She really is the most beautiful thing you have ever seen! Big big week for the Kratz family...KKJS (Kris, Kristi, Jami, Sydney Belle) moved back to the Valley of the Sun, Mamma Bear had a big birthday, and a new little one! Life really IS good.

That's the update for now...back to work!

Loves,

Me.

Working like a DAWG....

Hey everyone...

Lots of love to you all! I am so sorry that I have not posted in FOREVER. I have been working a TON, which is great in that I am earning money, but hard because I love keeping in touch with everyone!

Nicholas and I just had our FOUR year anniversary last night. Honest to goodness...I don't think there is a more amazing man in all the world...God really outdid Himself with that one!

Well, as I said, working working working. Gotta get back to it, but I'm going to try to get little bits in here and there for the blog readers of the world!

Love,

Me.

Pics of Shanda, Nicholas, Martin and Me on Race Day!!!

Martin

Martin is a man from Mexico City who loves running so much that he flies to Tijuana and then takes the Greyhound bus to Los Angeles (those of you who have been to the Greyhound station in downtown LA know how much love this takes) so that he can run the LA Marathon. 

He has done this 10 times and every time...it's the biggest event of his year.

Martin is blind. 

I had the honor of guiding Martin for the first 1/2 of the LA Marathon yesterday, and it was one of the most humbling and joyous experiences I have ever had. What an amazing person he is! 

Thank you, Martin, for teaching me some much deserved serious life lessons in a mere 14 miles!! I am eternally thankful and cannot wait to have the opportunity to guide again!!!

Loves.

Me. :)

Eh?

Why is Lionel Richie singing "All Night Long" on American Idol? 

Eh?

Loves! 

Me. 

Saw a show...

I went and saw a show last night with my girl Lisa (a.k.a. sister golden hair) and it was so so so refreshing. I feel like music in culture goes though these hiccups where it feels like there is just NOTHING new. No one is pushing the envelope. Even the people that are praised for pushing the envelope's music sounds like the other people that are praised for pushing the envelope's music. 

The band is Black Joe Lewis (http://www.myspace.com/blackjoelewis). Hot hot hot. To me, this is what music should sound like, or at least it feels like what it should sound like for me right now. 

Full brass.

Loves!

Me. 

Wine & Cheese 4-EVA

Ummmmm....it's really quite amazing just how much wine, cheese, and bread I can eat. 

I mean, every meal. EVERY MEAL I COULD HAVE WINE AND CHEESE AND BREAD. I'm trying to be healthy, but then I start to think about those darned Frenchies and THEY eat wine and cheese and bread every meal, and they're skinny and healthy! I mean, they even get to drink when they're pregnant and on top of all that they get tons of vacations!!! 

Just thinking out loud here...think I'm going to head to Bay Cities and get me some (you guessed it)...wine, cheese, and bread. :)

Loves! 

Me. 

the electric car

I have a question. 

Is there a REASON that electric cars have to have a MILLION of those little yellow stickers on them that let everyone know from any direction that they are electric?  I mean, okay, have one sticker if it makes you feel that you are letting everyone know that you allegedly care more about the environment than Tahoe-guy, but, really, is all of that over the top sticker production absolutely necessary? 

Seems a little wasteful to me...perhaps someone should check on what the environment thinks about all those stickers.

Just a thought...

Loves!

Me. 

Way too long...

Okay, so it's been way too long since my last post...and I'm back in!

I have had an amazing few weeks since I am no longer in the ranks of the working world! Visited my bestie Bobo in Denver (it snowed...pushing further to the back of my mind any thoughts of ever moving there! Love you, Bo...but SNOW in MAY???). We had the most amazing time doing absolutely nothing. Honestly...NOTHING. It was absolute heaven.

Then I went to see my parents for a few days which was also perfect. Saw sister and hubbies new house, and of course, it's PERFECT. 

Saw Nicholas last night for the first time in over two weeks. That was the longest we had gone without seeing each other since we got married, and it was totally unsettling. There is something about my partner, my co-pilot, my confidant and soul mate that is very centering to me.  I think it's not only because we laugh so much my stomach hurts, but because he is God's best representation of his love to and for me, and that's tough to go without for longer than a day.

Now he's back at work...bless him. I'm humbled by his resolve. 

I think that's it for the day to day catch up business. Now hopefully I will get back to the "stuff" which makes a blog worth reading. ;)

Loves!

Me. 

On my way...

back to feeling like me...

Loves, 

ME!

California

I honestly think that the state of California may be one of the most beautiful places in the world. 

Nicholas and I drove up Highway 1 on Saturday through Big Sur to Monterey. All I could think of the whole time was how AMAZINGLY and WONDERFULLY creative our God is! Just the feeling of being SO small, and SO awestruck by the grander of those cliffs, and then to look out and see the vastness of the ocean. It was one of my favorite moments to date. Nicholas and I traded DJ duty, and right as we were passing over the famous bridge, "our" song was on...of COURSE I started BAWLING...and I think he teared up a bit too! We are SO blessed!!

Then on Sunday we woke up and took the drive through Pebble Beach to Carmel...just about as Holy as it gets. Surely as Holy as any Church service I have been to! I think sometimes that just being with each other, really feeling the weight of our unconditional love is the best Church there is! We then drove through Salinas, went to the Steinbeck Museum, and then headed home. 

It was truly an amazing weekend...I have said it before and I'll say it again...I have the BEST husband in the WORLD!!

Love to you all!

Me. 

Gimp

Oh, and I have a fractured pelvis.

Awesome.

Loves! 

Me. 

Besties and Whatnot...

What an awesome weekend! My bestie Bobo was in town and I got to have her on Saturday night (yes, there is a long line of people waiting for time with her she is THAT in demand). It was soooo good to get to talk and talk...and talk...and talk. Here Dad, Rodger, was at dinner with us, as well, which is especially cool because he married Nicholas and I!

I know I have said this before about best friends, but there's just something that feels like home. I think it's because Bobo really truly is just about the closest thing to what I imagine God's love feels like here on earth. I  mean, Nicholas is up there too, for sure...but there is something about your best GIRLfriend. The one that makes you tell her your deepest darkest JUST so that she can say "no big deal". Absolutely wonderfully brilliantly best friendly.

Then on Sunday Rodger came back and we all had lunch together. Bo said something about how that is TRULY what the Sabbath is about and it really made me think...we need to get back to that as a culture. ENJOYING each other. Just talking, communing, laughing, questioning...

SO tack that on to my goals for 2009..."remember the Sabbath and keep it holy".

Loves!

Me. 

Bee's Babies!!!

I just read the posting for my bestie Bee's new little babies! Everyone go and check it out!

www.byrnebabies.blogspot.com

Pay specific attention to where she asks for prayer for each precious little one!! It KILLS me that I can't go and see them, but I'm there in spirit!!!

OH, and get ready...Ash Wednesday is THIS WEDNESDAY!! Anyone giving up anything for Lent? I think I'm going to this year. I haven't for a while, but I think that it truly is a valuable exercise both spiritually and physically (depending on what you "give up" or "commit to").

Back to work, I go!

Love you all,

Kirby 

Love.

I love my husband. He's the best. Really truly honestly real deal the best. 

That's it.

Loves! 

Me.

They're HERE!

Bee gave birth to her three little blessings this morning! They're all doing good (as far as I can tell from the text updates that Brooke is getting from David! Thanks, Brooke!!!), and will be in NICU for a little while just to make sure that they are getting all the nutrients their little bodies need!

Thank you to all of you who have been praying the last few days for Bee!

Love you all,

Me.