Our Introduction

Mandy: With all this newfound time on my hands, I decided what better way to invest my time than create a blog? A blog -some tangible piece of evidence for err, myself so that this stint of time spent in the middle-of-nowhere, TX need not be in vain, and not only to myself will I be accountable, but to the wide expanse of cyberspace and the plethora of people who will undoubtedly marvel at my currently humdrum life. Accountable for what you could ask? Well, for pushing my thoughts to the outermost edges of my mind in hope that I will create new boundaries to challenge, of course.



I was always afraid to blog, even after a roommate encouraged me to do so and praised my writing skills (thanks Lindsey), because though I am contemplative much of the time and enjoy personal journaling, I felt having any direction in my writing would elude me. With that being said, I realized that embarking on this journey called for a companion. With that, let me introduce you to the oh-so-talented, Katherine Mary.


Katie is my cousin and best friend, my sister. Even though Katie and I grew up in two markedly different geographical locations (she in Ohio and I on the West Coast), we were always close. We spent summers together in Ohio watching fireworks on the 4TH of July at Firestone Park, cherry-bombing on the teeter-totter in her backyard, and catching fireflies on dusky warm nights. Sure, when we put on circuses in the backyard she made me the clown, complete with face paint and a pink leotard, but I forgave her. In 2004, Katie graduated high school and started college at Lee University in Tennessee. Graduating a year later, as much as I wanted to stay in my Golden State, I knew that I would join her there in the South, the land of sweet tea and everything fried. Even though we are now both graduates (how time flies!) and living in different states, we are forever close at heart. Katie is my role model and confidant, my shoulder to cry on. She is currently finishing up basic law enforcement training to become a special agent and lives out in North Carolina. However, this training is a piece-of-cake in comparison to the previous 12-week boot camp she endured. Katie is the perfect mixture of feminine and fierce. She is my encourager and sounding board, my fellow lover of poetry.


I’d introduce myself, but I’ll leave that to Katie.


So, if you can’t appreciate or understand sarcasm, I would recommend you forego Katie’s posts, and if you enjoy coherent thoughts, I’m sorry, but I can’t promise any form of continuity in mine. I hope our words evoke in you, the reader, emotion or thought, which is, I believe, the point of all correspondence.



Katie: Oh, Lord. I am now officially a blogger. When Mandy texted me and asked me to start this up with her, she was too excited for me to say no. It would have been the equivalent of stealing a kid’s candy or microwaving a kitten. The unthinkable.


To start, I have to clarify a few points. Number one: Mandy is prone to puffery. Thank you Mandy for the flattering introduction, but I am not a perfect combination of anything and certainly have never been described as fierce. Number two: she was completely on point with the fact that you should avoid me at all costs if you dislike sarcasm. Number three: Yes, I admit that I tortured Mandy as a child, but in all fairness, my older sister tortured me. Mandy then turned on her younger brother Steven. This cycle of persecution would have just kept going, except for the fact that Steven really had no one old enough around to pick on. Thus, Steven is the nicest guy you’ll ever meet, though I think he may have a bit of a twitch. He flinches easily. I will have to find an old circus picture to post at some point. The pink leotard was hilarious. My only regret is that we never forced Steven to wear it.

Moving on… Mandy, or Amanda Hope, is my little cousin/sister/head-in-the-clouds other half. She is difficult to describe, but I would say she is the ditziest smart person I’ve ever met. When she walks into a room she meets and becomes friends with every person there within 5 minutes. She is genuine, though, and has a huge heart. She currently substitute teaches kids of all ages and used to work with a teenage boy with autism during college. She is patient. Ha-ha, I am not.


That said, we balance each other out. We enjoy a lot of the same things, like little-known coffee shops and understanding foreign cultures and discovering new bands. Wow- I just re-read that and please allow me to clarify: I am not emo. Not that Mandy is, either, but she’s a little closer to that side of the spectrum. She enjoys being herself, and if that includes headbands bedazzled with feathers and drinking bubble tea then I say more power to her. She turned me on to the writing of Stephanie Meyer, and for that I am eternally grateful… Yes, I like vampires.

So the downside of the balance is that we sometimes fight like siblings because we rarely see eye-to-eye. You’ll see. Or at least the one reader that I know we have will see. (Hi, Scottie.) And I guess you’re officially introduced.