10-24-00. hey guys how is everyone doing? its hard to believe ive been at school for 2 months. this monday is haileigh's (my niece) birthday, thats even harder to believe. i miss her so much....i made my brother promise that he would tape her birthday party and send it to me. her latest school saga has continued at the pumkin patch field trip last week. i talked to her on the phone and my brother had told me that she had gotten time out on the field trip....the reason being: she called her classmate a "peanuthead". honestly i thought it was funny, cause i can just picture it....shes a bully already at 3 yrs. old! i better watch out when i go home for thanksgiving. anyway, things at school are going well, i have two exams this week and i should do well cause i've studies a lot. Practice is also going well, we had an intrasquad last saturday and i felt pretty good about it....and more importantly the team is doing awesome. everyone works really hard, and works really hard Together. Our first meet is a big one, and were all excited. Speaking for the freshman, i think we'll be introduced to the college competition scene on a big scale as far as competiton and crowds.....what other way to do it than all out...right? as far as the social world at UF, we have been really busy, but we've done alot of fun stuff. One of the freshman highlights thus far was the Matchbox 20 concert that we got free tickets too. They played at the O'Dome ( where we train and compete) at the end of september. we were in the training room after practice and we were going to give security some gymnastics tshirts to give to the band. so as we were leaving the shirts with the lady the lead singer (rob thomas) came out of his dressing room and started talking to us about gym and we all introduced ourselves...then he asked if we were coming to the show, and we said no because we hadnt gotten tickets, so he gave us free tickets right there on the spot, it was awesome.....we got in a little trouble after the fact cause we werent really supposed to be that close to the dressing room, but honestly i gotta tell ya, it was worth it......we had so much fun and all of us will remember that forever. that was the first time id ever met a celebrity outside of gymnastics. anyway, this weekend most of the team is going to jacksonville for the Florida/georgia game, and the girls that went last year said it was a lot of fun so im looking forward to it. as far as everything else goes, my brother and his family seem to be great in their new house, i can't wait to see it when i go home. i think thats it fo rright now, thanks for reading and visiting the site. love, katie

9-11-00. hey everyone...here i am behind schedule on my note again! everything has been pretty hectic for the last month. I'm at school and loving it!!! today we started official practice, and it went pretty well:) everything is so new, i think it's just now starting to sink in that this is home for the next four or five years, and my team is my family in florida. which is great, because this team is awesome, it's so good to be here:) so far, i haven't really gotten homesick due to lack of time, we have been so busy with school and gym, it doesn't leave much time for homesickness, which is a good thing, but i can't wait to see my family for thanksgiving. my family just moved into a new house the week after i got to florida, and my brother said there was a snake on the front porch last week, that's enough to make me not wanna go home:)!!!! i'm petrified of snakes! anyway, as far as life in gainesville goes, classes are good, i'm taking one class towards my major already, which is exciting, because i didn't think i would get to do that yet, but i really like it, it's a princ. of criminology class. well, speaking of class, i still have some reading to do, so i'm gonna go, but i'll write again soon--take care everyone. Love, katie

7-11-00. what's up guys? i hope everyone is doing well.....can u believe its already july, wow! one more month and im off to UF!!! first i want to start by giving my old teammate ( and close bud) cory fritzinger, a huge congratulations on her meet this weekend!! she did awesome:) anyway, gym for me is going well, tammy biggs is in town again and she has just about sucked every ounce of energy out of me, not to mention every muscle in my body hurts--but its good for me so i'll stop complaining now:) hmmm. what else can i babble about--oh, my niece broke her arm two weeks ago and has a neon pink cast for 6 weeks. she was trying to carry a pillow down the stairs and tripped, and broke two bones in her arm--poor thing:( shes coping just fine though. lets see what else is new?...oh erin and i went shopping for dorm stuff last week, and we were able to come up with a soap dispenser with gators floatin in it that we liked:) it was hilarious we walked thru the store and immediately went for the knick knacks forget the neccessities...ie: sheets, towels etc. you had to be there but she was hilarious:) well i gotta get to bed to rest up fpr tammy tomorrow, but i;ll write soon! love, katie

6-2-00. Hey guys, i hope everyone is doing great. the school year is almost over, AMEN! These next couple weeks are gonna be big. Graduation is the 18th and my birthday the 21st, I'll be an "adult". Yea, I barely pass for 13:) I don't know what to do for a b-day/grad party, so if anyone has any good ideas, let me know! Practice is good:) I love it when that happens! The move to UF is fast approaching, and I'm really excited. This probably sounds silly, but the thing I am most worried about is being homesick. But everyone says that I'll be so busy, that I won't have time to be too stressed about missing home, I hope they're right:) Well, the elite season/ Olympic season is coming up fast. For a long time ( about 8 years) that was definitely one of my long term goals, at least to get to trials. But obviously goals change according to alot of things; especially circumstance. On my way through the years though I think I accomplished a lot of things that some people didn't think I would. I went from level 7comp. to jr. national elite in one year, that's something that I am proud of. I competed in USA Championships as an International Elite for four consecutive years, the last being the most successful ( I made the National Team in 1998). Making the National Team in 98, I would say, was probably my happiest moment yet in my career. It meant so much because it was a goal I had been trying to accomplish or four years, and after a LOT of hardwork and perservearance i finally did it. That team jacket means a heck of a lot to me. And now I get to pursue something else that I'm REALLY excited about...... (drumroll)......NCAA gymnastics @ Florida:) yea, I know the drumroll thing was corny:)hehe. Anyway, I pretty much babbled sporatically the whole way through this note, sorry about that, I got a little off task. I hope everyone is starting off to a good summer, I know I am! Love, Katie

4-21-00. i hope everybody is ready to have a nice Easter, haileigh ( my niece) is all about some Easter bunny candy:) its already april 21st, can you believe it! prom is may 13th and graduation is june 18th, three days before my 18th birthday:) this week we're on spring break, and it rained almost the whole time:( its all good though, cause it was a relaxing week, and practice went really good. we have tomorrow off so i think im going shopping for a prom dress cause im running out of time! the guy i'm going with is in hawaii all week on a cruise for spring break, what a lucky dawg! ans the best thing about him is he's not too tall:) last year i went to ring dance with a guy that's 6'3" and i felt so bad becasue his knees hurt from bending down so much to dance! anyway, i'm getting psyched about summer time, i think i'm gonna hostess at a sushi bar at the beach so i can save some cash to take with me to school. ncaa's were last weekend, and chrissy van fleet ( a senior at UF) competed individually and recieved two all -american awards...go van fleet! her whole season was phenomenal. i have only met her once, but it only takes one time to see that she's a great person, not to mention her gymnastic ability. well, i guess thats it for right about now, but ill write again soon. -love, Katie

4/1/00. hey everybody, i hope everybody is doing well, and looking forward to the good weather we will see soon. everytime i write the date on my paper at school i cant believe how close i am to leaving for college! since the last time i wrote i have changed my home away from home (gyms). i am training at ocean tumblers with my future teammate/roomate (erin pendleton). i am really happy where i am and i'm doing well at practice. i want everyone to know that jim and dena walker ( my previous coaches of 10 years) have done so much for me i cant thank them enough. i was just a good idea for me to make this move, and i hope they understand. i miss all my old teammates, but i am still close with a lot of them, which i am sooooo thankful for! as far as home life goes; it's good. my brother and sister-in-law are my official guardians as of monday:) and my niece is talking so much and growing up so fast i cant believe it. today she says to me, " kk you're making me mad!" shes 2 1/2 and already has the attitude of a teenager!:) it hilarious to hear her say it though, cause she is totally serious about it. im so glad we live together because its like having a little sister, i always wanted one. school is going good, and all the senior events are coming up...ie: prom ( and I dont have a date yet; im starting to stress!) my grades are good and im hoping ill get the word on my national honor society application soon, i really hope i made it. the only thing else i can think of is that i miss my dad more than i can ever tell express to you; i think about him everyday, and i love him with every ounce of my heart and soul. i hope everybody has a good week and thank you for reading; and thanks also to everyone who signed the guestbook, i enjoy reading your messages! -love, Katie

2/10/00. Hey guys, i hope all of you have had a great new year so far. its moving fast; were already into february! that means only 6 months to college! anyway, i wasnt sure if i was going to write this in here, but i decided i should. i wrote earlier about my dad having a hard time with his cancer, and i told you a little bit about all the stuff he had to go through. my dad passed away jan. 23rd, and the only thing i can say is that hes not suffering anymore, and hes with God up in Heaven and that I miss him more than i can tell you. some days are harder than others but i know that he would want me to be strong so thats what im trying my best to do. i am thankful that i got to say goodbye to him, my brother and i were with him , holding his hand, talking to him, and trying to make him as comfortable as possible. i knew this was the inevitable, but when it happens that doesnt really make you feel any better. the thing i admire most about my dad, is his perservearance, he never quit at anything. he held on till the very end with every ounce of strength and courage that he had. honestly i think hes reamarkable, he didnt eat for two months and he was still able to hang on that long, thats a strong will. i hope that during my life i can have the kind of heart and courage that my dad does. im also thankful that he was here to see me get a scholarship to UF, because that was what he wanted for me more than anything else, and he is really proud of that. when judi markell( the head coach) came to visit this summer, the first thing my dad wanted to know was when would he be able to get some football tickets for the gator games:) the way i see it, since hes in heaven he'll see every gymnastics meet and every football game. so, as far as im concerned, im trying to concentrate as hard as i can on my gymnastics, because thats what makes me happy. sometimes its hard to concentrate on anything, but i have to take one day at a time, and do my best. well, thank you all for putting up with my non- punctuality on these letters. i'm off to practice, talk to you soon. -love, Katie

October 10, 1999. hey guys, it's been a long time! And i just made one of the biggest decisions of my life....and boy is it a good one!!! I'm going to the University of Florida on a full scholarship next year:) I can't wait it's gonna be so exciting! I took four recruiting trips in a row( Florida, Denver, Utah, and Nebraska) Florida was my first trip and I fell in love with it immediately. The best thing about it is the people there, everyone is so cool:) I can't wait to be a gator next year and contribute to winning an NCAA championship! All the people at home were so happy for me, it's really cool! Last night my teammates threw me a surprise congratulations party, they are too sweet!:) Thankyou to all of them! My best friend, Katie, asked me to come stay at her house because her parents went out of town for the weekend. all of the girls were there when i got there and had decorated the house with balloons and streamers, there was blue and orange everywhere!:) anyway, training and school are both going really well! I'm healthy as a horse and prepared to stay that way:) I'm doing all the skills I was before , now it's just time to get my confidence up for competition season, and prove anyone who doubted me... wrong! thanks for stickin around to read this stuff, I'll write again soon.

August 14, 1999. Hey guys, the summer is going by way too fast! But the sooner I start my senior year the sooner I get to go to college:) anyway, I have my 5 trips scheduled: Florida, Nebraska, LSU, Denver, and Utah. I think making the trips will make it a whole lot easier to make the right decision. Anyway, I have been training for about 3 1/2 weeks now and this week was my first week going the whole 37 hours. Man am I beat!!! This week was pretty successful as far as doing my skills. I caught my reverse hect, started inverts again, did yurchenko 1/2 front layout in the pit, and round off layout mounts on beam, so I知 glad about that. And I知 getting stronger everyday, so everything is coming back to me pretty fast. It really stinks that I知 going to miss championships this year, but I知 shooting for American Classic 2000 as my next big meet. Well, I guess that's about all for now, but I値l be sure to keep in touch! Love- Kat :)

July 17, 1999. Hey everyone, how have you guys been lately? Things have really been looking up for me lately:) I started training again, and man am I sore!!! But, it feels good to be able to do stuff again. Anyway, the college prospects are looking good... I have committed to 4 visits so far (Florida, Utah, Penn. State, and Denver). I'm really excited, I think college will be a good atmosphere for me because I am self- motivated and I love competing as a team. This year is going to feel weird around championships time because this will be the first one I haven't been to in 5 years :( but I wish Cory and Kristin and all the rest of the girls competing the best of luck! Anyway, I gotta go because I have gym in the morning, but I'll write again soon, thanks for listening :)

June 28, 1999. Hey guys it's Katie, it been forever and then some and I値l say it again, I知 so sorry! But this time it's legitimate. Anyway I guess I should probably tell everyone what's transpired in the last 9 months, so you don't hear the wrong story. Back in September my dad was diagnosed with colon cancer and he had 3 major!!! Operations, I知 not sure if I told you that, anyway he was in the hospital for about 4 months and he's been back and forth a little since then. He is doing a lot better . I thank god everyday that he is with us. It's taken a lot out of him, but he is a strong guy. When that happened I came to live with my brother, sister- in -law and niece(haileigh). This is the best place for me because it is very stable and family oriented( I love it here)! My mom on the other hand was having some severe problems of her own. I'm not sure if I wrote this either but she is a very serious alcoholic. She lost a lot because of it and she had to go into the hospital @ the same time my dad was in so they could try to help her, but she didn't want help so they released her. When she got out of the hospital she came to live with us( me and my brother), and she was doing pretty good. But it wasn稚 too long before she had a relapse and then another and another until we had to force her to get help. She went to a treatment center and they decided she needed to spend some time @ eastern state hospital. She is there right now and supposedly she is coming home this week, I知 not sure how I feel about that. She's been there about a month, and she's not better yet , but they are supposed to guide her in the right direction when she comes home. Now onto my next excuse:) I have had a lot of health problems with my stomach and I think I have done every test they can perform plus a few:) and believe me, none were pleasant! Anyway I had surgery in may and they think they may have found some discrepancies with my hormone levels that they are going to try to fix. When I get better I am going to have to give Dr. Nassar( the national team doctor) like a million dollars or something, because if he hadn't been calling these doctors this whole 9 months I might still be sitting in the emergency room waiting to be called! Anyway, I知 praying that I値l be well ASAP. I can't train right now because of this surgery and stuff, but I can't wait till I can again, I really miss training with all my teammates. This week the university of Georgia is coming down for a visit about going to school there, and then Florida, and UCLA after that! I'm really excited cause I壇 love to go to any of those schools, I just hope they understand about the surgery and everything. Anyway thanks for stickin around to read all this boring stuff:) and I promise to k.i.t! Love-Kat

October 23, 1998. How is everybody doing? I hope well! Well, school is now in full swing and boy is it hard this year, It's not so much the material, it's just that I've missed a lot this quarter. Tonight was homecoming, but I was really tired and I had a lot of homework that I didn't want to do this weekend. Anyway, things have been kind of hectic lately, but Halloween is coming up and my niece's b-day is the day before Halloween so she is having her first birthday party on sat! I'm so excited:) except for one minor detail-my brother and sister-in-law somehow conned me Into dressing up as Barney! My niece loves Barney so her dad was gonna be Barney for her party, but It conveniently happens that It's Illegal to sell adult Barney costumes so, guess who was the candidate to fit Into the kid costume?:) But I'll do It for her just cause I love her so much. This weekend I hope to go see a movie or something cause I've been really stressed lately, but it too shall pass. This week Arthur Akopian is here for a national staff visit, so hopefully gym will go well this week. Every Saturday that we can, we have been going to the beach to run on the sand for 2 miles, but I don't think were going tomorrow because Arthur is here. We usually run 3 times a week though for endurance. Well, I apologize for letting so much time lapse between notes, I'll try to get on the ball:) thanks for reading talk to ya soon! Love-Kat

August 28, 1998. Kaie made the Sr. Int'l Nat'l Team! How is everyone? I feel terrible for not writing any letters to update this section ,but I haven't had use of a computer. Anyway to bring you up to date I would have to write a biography so I'll write about a few highlights in the past couple months. First of all Alexis , Cory ,Kristin, and I are training at a brand new gym in Va. Beach that our coaches opened on June 14, 1998, and it's the perfect example of any gymnast's dream gym. Then Kristin and I had to get ready for classics on Aug. 1,1998 b/c we had to qualify for USA's. And both of us did. I ended up 9th AA and I got 2 bronze medals on floor and vault. I tied w/ Kim Zmeskal on vault and if that wasn't a confidence booster I don't know what was. I trained the best for these last two meets that for any other meet in the past so I was feeling really ready. I had stuck 16 beam routines in a row that week before we left and everyday we started beam w/o warming up. You just get up and start routines. Then we came home and kept training for championships and left for Indy on aug.16. We trained on the podium and in the convention center for the beginning of the week and started competition on Thurs. The meet went ok I had some mistakes that definitely hurt my start values but I just kept plugging along b/c a lot of people made mistakes and if I was gonna make national team I was gonna do it this year. So we trained Friday and hung out at the hotel and walked to the mall for a little while. Saturday was probably the most nerve racking day of my 16 yr. Old life. Anyway we started on beam and I fell on my mount!!!!!! Ahhhh I was shocked cause they had been really good but things happen. Anyway I had to stay up for three other events and I ended on bars, which I was happy about cause its my easiest routine. Cory was up before me and she hit. This was up and I knew after all those routines I could do one more, and I hit = it was the best feeling to know how much improvement I'm making on dealing w/ pressure I was so happy I cried!:) So there it is 98 nationals in a nut shell. We start school in less than two weeks but I wont be there cause we have training camp in Atlanta the first week of school! I Gotta go, thanks so much for visiting the site:) Love-Kat

December 23, 1997. I promised a new note at the beginning of the week and here it is. (Just happened to be at the beginning of the next week :) ). Anyway, I don't know about you all but I'm really excited about Christmas. This year we get two days off for Christmas which is realy nice because usually we work out on Christmas Eve, but the coaches are going to be out of town so we can get an extra day off! We have a home meet on Janurary 3rd and I feel pretty good about Beam and Floor, but I'm a little sketchy on Vault and Bars. I just have to keep workin and we'll see what happens! Well, lets see...OH YEAH! Ho could I forget! We are on a special diet that started last week which consists of no goodies, so the holiday treats are gonna be hard to pass up but, we have to do it. The diet has been hard, but it works pretty well. Ummm.....what else? Oh, I still have Christmas Shopping to do which won't get done until Christmas Eve :) heeheehee...cause that's the only time I have to do it. We still have two more days of school left, can you believe it? We are one of two districts in Virginia that are still in school! My kitty is fascinated with the Christmas Tree and I think there is a magnetic force between her and the tree cause every morning I get up the cat is in the tree branches! (She is soo goofy). Well, I think that's all I can bore you with for now so I'll let ya go! Thanks for visiting the site! Love-Kat

December 1, 1997. First off, I have to apologize for not writing for so long. I need to make more time because I love to do it but, it's hard to get around to writing a note with what little time I have! :). Also, I wish the team goin to Australia good luck this week! I know they're gonna do great! This past weekend we were at Parkettes for a clinic and I saw Kristin (Maloney) working out and she looked great! The clinic was really fun! I did pretty well I thought. The second day we were on bars and I was doing Shaposhnakova's and they were a little off but, I was glad I got to train them in a different atmosphere because it's good mental preperation before I compete it! On one of them I threw my feet down and ended up doing a layout Hindorff! That was on accident which just about scared the leo off me! Anyway I dod some better ones after that. Also, Parkettes has the best rod floor. We loved it for new tumbling stuff. Vault we just did repulsion timers and beam we did some series work and mounts. All in all we had a great time. One of the girls in our group passed the compolsory testing which means she is half way to becoming elite. Her name is Annie Jenkins. This week I'm starting some new invert (eagle grip) work on bars which should be exciting. I think it will be fun! I can't wait for my competition season this year and hopefully I'll do well too! Well, I think that's all for now because I have to get up at 5AM tomorrow again so I gotta get some rest! Well that's all! Thanks for readin' my note! Love-Kat

November 12, 1997. It's me again here to let you know what's going on. Well my first piece of 411 is that my neice was born on October 30!!! She was named Haileigh Nicole and weighed 7lbs and 13 oz. I was really excited and she is absolutely adorable. I hate to brag but, I can't help it! Last week when I wasn't at Gym I got to see her for a while. Next week we don't have school on Monday or Tuesday!! YAHOO!! Gym went great last week too! Bars is coming along pretty good for me and I like the new stuff I'm workon on alot! We should be getting some new equipment in a few weeks which includes two new AAI Spring beams (my personal fave). Thanksgiving isn't too far off which means our clinic at Parkettes isn't either. We are supposed to leave the day after Thanksgivign and stay for a couple of days for the Region 7 Elite Clinic that they have every year. It should be fun so I'm looking forward to it! I love traveling even if it isn't that far away because it's great to see all the people you only get to see during competition season and alot of the time we get to miss some school for it too! The only bad things about that is the make up work. My teammate Alexis has a birthday coming up on the 18th, but I think she's having a parth next weekend. She'll be 15. If you get a change please visit her site and wish her a happy birthday! Alee Rules! <3 Katie

October 24, 1997. I haven't written in a while, so I thought I would since it's Friday! Well , there are girls who visit from Argentina every year and they are here right now visiting for a couple weeks . I take Spanish in school so it's fun to try to talk to them and they try to talk to us in English. They are really sweet and fun to work out with. Some of them are coming to school with us on Friday of next week which is Halloween and we're gonna take them trick-or-treating:) Gym is going well and I am really exciting about competing this year. Usually meets make me really nervous , but this year I am just gonna be confident and have fun. I think I mentioned in another note that we go to gym at 6:00 am before we go to school , well lately we get to have a choice of what we think we need to work on so last week Cory, Alexis, and I worked on yurchenkos. Boy, was that a wake-up call first thing in the morning !!! I guess if you can do them that early in the morning then you can pretty much do them all the time:) In this note I wanted to get some input on any new things you all would like to see on the Website, and E-Mail my webmaster about them. Also, I want to apologize for the pictures that I haven't gotten to Pam yet and I promise I will be sending some soon. Tonight I am going to a thing at her little brother's school so she won't be so bored , we're just gonna chill today pretty much. That's all I think and thanks for visiting the site:) <3 Katie

October 4, 1997. It's me again. I wanted to thank everyone who has signed my guestbook:) I really enjoy reading the messages. Well this was our first week back at morning gym, we go to gym before school at 6:00 am. I am pretty tired but our day off is tomorrow:) Gym is going pretty good we are working some routine stuff in combination with new elements. I haven't written a note in a while, but today I had some time. Gym and School have been pretty touch lately, but it's all woth it in the long run. Today I went to the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) and got my learners permit. It was really exciting because I wasn't sure if I would pass the test, but I did. I got my Biology Test back today and I got an "A" and I was totally psyched. This friday was great, but I'm kinda dreading next week because I have to get a ROOT CANAL. I am pretty nervous because I hate going to the dentist anyway, and everyone I have talked to says that a root canal hurts really bad. (I hope they are supplying me with the false 411). At Gym we have been doing a journal everyday in order ot set goals for ourselves and think positively, and I think it's working rather well. Homecoming is next week at school, but I can't go because of that DUMB root canal. I really wanted to go too, but I already had to cancel the dentist appt. once. School is alot better this year than last year because we know alot more people and alot more people know us as the "Gymnast Girls". After I got my permit today I drove around ON A STICK SHIFT CAR my neighborhood and passed a moving vehivle for the first time. My coaches just got an internet provider last week and they think it's really cool, AHHHHHEEEMMM, Alexis and I have been trying to tell them. I think I am pretty much babbling now so I had better go. Until next time, and thanks for all the support. Talk to ya soon. <3 Katie

September 18, 1997. It's me again. I wanted to thank everyone who has signed my guestbook:) I really enjoy reading the messages. Well this was our first week back at morning gym, we go to gym before school at 6:00 am. I am pretty tired but our day off is tomorrow:) Gym is going pretty good we are working some routine stuff in combination with new elements. Yesterday our choreographer worked on our floor routines and changed some stuff in the dance. I like it a lot better.(my music is tuxedo junction). School is good so far, but we have to take PE in 9th and 10th grade which is kind of a pain, cause I get shin splints from running on the track. We have to do that physical fitness testing 4 times a year. All my other subjects are pretty good. Oh yeah.... my webmaster told me that people have IM'ed them and asked if this screen name was really me, I am assuring you that it is, so feel free to email me and I will respond ASAP. It's already the end of September and my niece is due in about 5 weeks. I am so excited I can't even tell you. they have decided to name her Haileigh, but they don't know about a middle name yet. Well, I think I am just about finished w/ a boring day in the life of myself, Katie McFarland :) talk to you guys soon! Love-Kat

September 15, 1997. Hello everyone it's me again! Well, we started school about two weeks ago. So far it's pretty good, besides the homework. I only get a lot of homework in Geometry and Biology. Gym has been going well. I'm having a great time! We start morning Gym next week also, we had not been doing that for a while because they give us a couple of weeks to get back into the school schedule. We go to regular public school, even though sometimes I wish that we did home school because it seems a lot less time consuming. Oh well :) I thought in this note I would tell you a little about my teammates. I would tell you a little about my teammates I work out with. There are 5 girls. Cory Fritzinger, Alexis Brion, Kristin Uranksy, Annie Jenkins, and Nicki Butler. Cory, Kristin, and I are 15 while Alexis will be 15 in November. Nicki is 12 and Annie is 14. We are all really close because we spend more time with eachother than we do with our own family :) Cory, Alee, Annie, and I all go to Kempsville High School. Kristin goes to Lake Taylor High and Nicki goes to Salem Middle School. It's great when we travel together because we have so much fun since there is a pretty big group. I would have to say that Nicki is the most famous for making us laugh until our faces hurt! :) We all joke around a lot and have a good sense of humor! Anyway, I wanted to say a special thanks to the best webmaster in the world, Pam Mayer. Thanks for creating the best web site that I could ask for! Well that's all for this week! Thanks for listening to me blab! Love-Kat

September 5, 1997. Hi Everyone! Well if you read my Bio you know I have a kitty named Kaela. Well the week before I went to Nationals she got out the door and she is an indoor cat...well as you can guess I freaked out. We looked everywhere and put out flyers, well on Sunday (The day before I left) I went to the Animal Control and found her. I was so happy, then I went to get the lady to open the cage and when I went back to the room she was turned around and her hind leg was completely shaved and she had a soocher line taht was about 4 inches long all the way across her leg. I was so upset I started crying right there because I thought mabye I had mistaken for the wrong kitty! Then I knew it was surely her because she has distint markings, she is calico, anyway Alexis Brion was with me and tried to calm me down. Alexis saw her first. They told me someone had most likely cut her with a knife. I was enraged with whoever did it but, so excited to have her back!!! Then we brought her home that day and she still had drain tubes in her left. I left the next day at 5:30 AM for Denver and I was kinda worried but, I felt more relieved that she was back. On turesday she had to go back to the vet because her wound had opened up but my mom didn't tell me until after the meet so I wouldn't worry. She came home the day after I did, all wrapped up but she was doing alot better. Today she was at the vet getting a skin graph so she will be able to walk with a normal leg. Sorry my story took long but, I had to tell someone cause I am so proud of her for surviving! SHE'S ONE TOUGH KITTY!!! Well that's all! Thanks for readin' my note! Love-Kat

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