Category: Family (Page 20 of 24)

Celebrating Birthdays By Singing Terribly

November 22, 2010 / Katie L. Carroll

I’ve had birthdays on the mind lately (not my b-day…I’m a summer baby). My grandma celebrated her 75th b-day two weekends ago and the hubby’s b-day is today. My family, like most others, has our own particular traditions. The hubby was born on Turkey Day, so always gets the Carvel turkey cake.

Another tradition is that we sing in an unique way, which means we sing very poorly. My family takes a similar approach as the students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry do when they sing their school song, i.e. we each sing to our own tune. I like to sing slowly in an ear-piercing pitch and an off-key falsetto.

A few years ago for my niece’s b-day, our singing was so terrible that she actually started to cry. Yup, we are that bad. I guess we take the approach that if you’re going to be bad at something, you may as well embrace it and be the absolute worst you can be.

The Personal Heartbreak in Reading THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE by Jandy Nelson

September 4, 2010 / Katie L. Carroll

Book trailers are great. I can’t wait to make one for my own book someday. I’ve decided to share trailers and some thoughts (not a review, just some thoughts) of books I’ve read recently. The first one I’ve selected is Jandy Nelson’s The Sky is Everywhere.

My older sister (my not-really-twin twin sister) gave me this book for my birthday. As I started to read it, I knew exactly why she selected The Sky is Everywhere: It was like Jandy Nelson had been in my brain when my younger sister, Kylene, had died and took my deepest thoughts and feelings and put them on a page. It’s about what happens after, how to refind your life, and how to learn how to live it again. This book is heartbreaking, beautiful, and ultimately joyful.

The Little Things That Bring Me Joy

June 20, 2010 / Katie L. Carroll

Sometimes it’s nice just to think about the little things in life that bring you joy. Here are some of mine:

My favorite tea has a kick-ass name: Black Dragon Pearl (I always want to add “Coming to theaters this summer” after I say it and then do a perfect round-house kick). Plus the tea leaves come packed as balls, which only adds to my amusement.

Thunderstorms never stop being scary/exciting.

When it comes to my indoor co-ed soccer team, the “that’s what she said” joke never gets old…ever!

The spin-cycle on my Scandinavian dryer (maybe we’re somehow related!) sounds like a plane taking off. This one’s a double-edged sword because it can also be annoying…like when I’m trying to watch TV or listen to music, or you know, have a conversation or something…but it’s still pretty cool to have it sound like an airplane is taking off in your laundry room.

When my little niece and nephew say the word “rude,” it sounds like they’re saying “wooed.” And they’re still young enough to always be happy to see me.

My older nephew still likes hanging out with me!

I buy Land O’ Lakes American cheese from the deli and the package is labeled LOL cheese. How could you not smile about that?

I’m always wonderfully surprised at how tasty food is when you grow/pick it yourself.

And this is only a sampling of the little things in my life. It’s interesting how many of them are about food…maybe I’m just hungry. Oh, and in case you were curious, my soccer team won again yesterday (we crushed Danbury 6-1), so we’re in the finals next Saturday.

Remembering Kylene With A Poem She Wrote

April 16, 2010 / Katie L. Carroll

Today marks the eighth anniversary of my sister Kylene’s death. This was the day the world stopped spinning and turned in a whole new direction. It was also the day I became a writer (even though I wouldn’t realize this for two more years). I may be able to hack it at writing stories, but Kylene was the true poet of the family. Here is one of her poems.

Today I learned about the Math
about the Science
Today I missed out on the life lesson
24 hrs. slipped by
I got an A
I passed the Test
I lied

Days go by, I work, I play
Months go by I give I take
Years go by I live I die
Life’s a circle
Life’s a cycle
Life’s a motion

What’s tomorrow
But another day
A new life?
A Fresh Start?
New Hope?
Clean Slate?
Tomorrow’s but today
Just another day
~Kylene Laraine Carroll

Magnetic Poetry: “Precious Bald Dictionary” Edition

April 5, 2010 / Katie L. Carroll

The party-goers have been expressing their creativity again with the magnetic poetry kit. This is how my guests showed their joy at celebrating my mom’s birthday (as always imaginative use of tiles has been preserved as much as possible).

imagine beauty which always sucks (the last “s” in sucks was actually part of the word “is,” but this clever–and possibly depressed–person covered the “i” with the word “suck”)
my perfect genius monkey boy will make me drown in his sweet brain music (yeah, well my perfect genius monkey boy will kick your perfect genius monkey boy’s butt…ha!)
never investigate our skeleton in the attic (what, you keep yours in the closet?)
spur cold tree old do nut this but we did an obedient whisper (doesn’t make much sense, but good use of internal rhyme)
they expose d my precious bald dictionary to release another inspiration spurt (it’s just all too shocking!)
give him the sex y ache ing ghost bosom (maybe this guy should hook up with the skeleton in the attic)
use manacle s for transgress ion s by a mean electric spider puppet (that’s sound advice if I’ve ever hear any)
ity see lime free off as out right est er un & ness & and i work and mouth black do so ly at at (I think my four-year-old niece put this one up…at least I hope it wasn’t written by someone who actually knows how to read all those words)
a girl has the voice too break every man (too 😉 true)
must explore pleasure curse (I’ll get on that right away)
bleed translucent famous dog bone love (hopefully not all over my kitchen floor)
drink down tremendous dead desire spark s then come holy silent night (I’ve heard that is the original title to “Silent Night” but over time the beginning got cut off)
devil wine manipulate vision (oh, so that’s why I was seeing double the whole night)
her shadow soul howl e d as it was compel ed to pour from he r body like a naked chicken rhythm dance ing (I don’t know about you, but my soul always howls when it pours from my body like a naked chicken rhythm dancing)
experience elaborate prostitute between vacuum (the elaborate prostitute rears her ugly head again)
e y r l fire of she I are why yes (maybe another one from my niece, but profound in its own way)