Kat 101

I am participating in Writing 101 and the first assignment is to just write. For 20 minutes. Yikes! Well, I have written for 20 minutes and even longer at times but of course, now that it’s an assignment, I blanked out. I don’t even have to publish this, if it’s really awful or if I just don’t want to. I’m hoping that won’t be the case.

For awhile I have been planning on writing a “Who’s Who” post for people who are new to my blog. I feel like I get repetitive if I keep mentioning this detail or that as clarification. How this will work in relation to letting people know about it, I don’t know. Maybe it will evolve into my About page. Who knows?

Me- I’m Kat. It’s my pen name but it’s all me all the time. It’s so much me that I’m pretty sure I would turn and answer if someone called out Kat on the street! Honest! I am the mom of 3 boys- ages 18-23. I love to read and write. I’m into vampires, witches, ghosts and spirits and everything in between. I also love Jane Austen. How’s that for a mix? 🙂 I’m sort of freaking out because my baby just graduated from high school and I haven’t figured out what I want to do with my life. I live in the Midwest, near Chicago. The weather isn’t the greatest but my kids are here so I’m here. I’m married to a patient man who puts up with all of us wacky people.

Michael- He’s my oldest son. Since the day he was born, he was just very typical. First tooth at 6 months, walk at 12 months, liked Toy Story, Star Wars, skateboarding and punk rock music growing up. He recently got married to a fantastic girl and he gained a son in the deal, making me a grandma- with little warning! 🙂 He works in EMS and he’s the most solid, caring, funny person I know. He’s an awesome dad and takes this responsibility very seriously.

Kris- My middle son is the reason I started the blog and the reason we go by different names. Kris started his life as a girl. From an early age he tried to tell us he was a boy but we didn’t understand what he meant. He gave up after awhile and we had some rollercoaster years. When he graduated from high school, he told us that he is transgender- a boy born in a girl’s body. He began transitioning 2 years ago, changing his name and appearance to match what he knows to be true. It hasn’t been easy but we are doing the best we can. He is 21 now- he’s the bravest person I know. He is so talented and is really good at anything he decides to do. He is incredible with kids and animals. He’s a kind, gentle soul. He is a gifted writer and I’m hoping he will make a guest appearance on my blog!

Andrew- My baby is Andrew. He’s nearly a foot taller than me but I still see my baby boy when I look at him. He was the fussiest baby I have ever known and I was convinced that he was going to have a miserable life. It turns out he just really wanted to talk. 🙂 Being the youngest, he was always trying to keep up with his older siblings and he did a good job of it. He is our musician. He was born with a natural talent and combined with the right teachers and years of practice, he has already done incredible things! He will be leaving for college in the fall but I don’t want to talk about that! He is so funny and smart. He is also an amazing writer and who knows, he might write something for the blog, too. But I doubt it. I can already see him politely smiling and nodding with no intention of doing it. That’s okay. I still love him just the same.

Jasmine- This incredible girl married my son, Michael. I had a daughter for 18 years and then I didn’t. Jasmine came along and became a daughter when I really needed one. Not only does she make my son so very happy, she shares her son, CJ, with us. She is gentle, kind and loving. And thank goodness she’s around because I need another girl around here!!!

CJ- I don’t know what I did before 4-1/2 year old CJ came into our lives. I wasn’t thinking grandparent stuff. Not really. (After all, I’m not nearly old enough for that!) He is the sweetest little guy in the world. I cannot imagine life without him!

I’m almost to the end of my 20 minutes of writing but I want to mention my husband again. While this blog is about our family’s journey with Kris, my writing comes from my point of view. Although my husband is along for the ride, I can’t really speak for him. His experience has been different than mine. He’s been here all along. Good or bad. Happy or sad. Fun or well…. not fun.

And now you know a little bit about me and my family. It might seem a bit organized for free writing but if you knew me, you would know that it’s how I think. 🙂