Nick, Katie, Ava and Bella...An American Family!

2014 Olympic Pairs Skating Gold Medalists!

2010-03-07T17:03:00.000-08:00

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Jib Jab is amazing! Watch Ava Go!

2010-03-07T16:44:00.001-08:00

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Chat with Ava Mu

2010-03-07T14:39:00.000-08:00

Little Miss Ava Mu is working on her talking skills...she is starting to sound like her Momma!

Ava a future olympian?

2010-03-04T09:48:00.000-08:00

Ava and I watched the Olympic Ice Dancing that I had recorded from the night before...I didn't realize she would be so focused on it!

We then had our own little dance party later in the day...she's got moves!

Ava sleeps like her Daddy!

2010-03-03T21:51:00.000-08:00

Ava was getting super tired and when she does, she kinda just stares...like her Daddy.

Then she starts getting herky jerky with her movements and seems to get a caffeine boost then yawns really loudly....like her Daddy.

Then when she finally sleeps, she snores....like her Daddy.

She is definitely Daddy's little girl!

Ava is a big girl!

2010-03-03T21:48:00.000-08:00

Ava had her 2 month check up appointment last week and it went really well! Ava Mu is now 9# 15oz and 21 inches long. Her weight is in the 25th percentile and her height is in the 50th percentile. She is doing awesomely well and the doctor is very happy with her progress. She also had three shots and a rotovirus vaccine that was given orally and she took it like a champ! Here is video before she had the vaccine....

Here she is after....

Goodbye Belltown, Hello Kent!

2010-03-03T20:39:00.000-08:00

We sold our condo! Wahoo!! And now we are moving on to a new chapter in our life and that begins with the move to East Hill in Kent. After days of searching lots of houses and driving around, we have found what we like to call our dream home! At about 3100 square feet, it is definitely a change from our little 630 square foot condo...what are we going to do with all this room!! Highlights include a daylight basement for my daycare, 4 bedrooms, 3 1/2 bath, big "Media" room upstairs, gorgeous kitchen with granite counter tops, crown molding throughout the home....my goodness, so much more to add, but I will let the videos show off the beauty of our new home!
These video's were taken during our inspection, and the furniture is not ours, it is for staging.

Milestone!

2010-02-05T22:07:00.000-08:00

Ava is getting so good at lifting her head and holding it up. This video was taken 2 weeks ago.

And this one as well...

Ava's first bath

2010-02-01T11:42:00.001-08:00

Here is a video after Ava's first bath at about one week old. Her cord fell off at 5 days old!!!

Bella gives Ava a bath

2010-02-01T11:09:00.000-08:00

It took a while for Bella to get used to Ava, but now they are best buds! Here is Bella giving Ava a bath....granted I had to give Ava a REAL bath after! This is when she was 3 weeks old.

Ava has a big sister, and her name is Bella Bear!

2010-01-29T19:55:00.000-08:00

People keep asking how Bella is doing with the addition of Ava. At first, Bella wasn't too sure about her but now she is loving her little sister! She snuggles with her on the couch (while I am watching, of course), she sleeps next to her crib (no longer on the bed...wahoo!!) and she is always concerned when Ava starts to cry! We are so happy that Bella loves Ava!

Ava is awake!

2010-01-13T22:10:00.000-08:00

Newborns sleep a lot. And by a lot, I mean when they are not eating, they are sleeping. Or pooping. Anyways getting video of Ava Mu awake is a treasure. This first one is from the hospital.

The following are videos taken when she was 2 weeks old...listen for hiccups, cooing and pooping.

Daddy loves his little girl!

2010-01-13T13:54:00.001-08:00

Pictures of Ava!

2010-01-13T10:41:00.000-08:00

We were excited to get Ava's first professional pictures taken at the hospital when she was just over 24 hours old and surprised at how well they turned out! Here is a slide show of those pictures:

and of course, Nick used his trusty FlipCam and took Ava's first video! She was about 3 hours old:

Ava Muriel's Birth Story

2010-01-12T19:59:00.000-08:00

Ava Muriel was born 12/21/2009 (Winter Solstice!) at 6:31am. I wanted to use this post to tell the story of her birth. I always loved hearing other Mom's birth stories, so I wanted to make sure that I had Ava's documented.

Ava's first due date was December 20th, but as the pregnancy went on, the my OBGYN thought that the date was a few days earlier, so she changed it to December 18th. When I went to my last doctor's appointment before my due date, I was 2 cm dilated, but Ava's head was not in place. She was too high. I also had high blood pressure at that appointment, which worried the OB a little because my blood pressure has always been low. I had to follow up at the OB's office on December 18th, my due date, if I wasn't already in labor.

Well, once December 18th came, I was ready for Ava but she wasn't ready to come out. I did not have any major contractions. I had, what I thought was braxton hicks contractions but otherwise, nothing was happening down there. Ava was quite content staying in my belly! Apparently, she did not take to heart the eviction notice that I had written her 2 weeks prior! :)

When I went to my follow up OB appointment, I was happy to hear that my blood pressure went back down, but was not so happy to hear that Ava was still not engaged. Poop!

So, I decided that I needed to take matters into my own hands. I swam to try and get her head engaged, I walked for a couple of miles every day. I did hip stretches, ate pineapple, ode the bus, and walked up and down the Harbor Steps. I even made, what someone calls, Labor Cookies. Basically they are ginger snaps with cayenne pepper. They were pretty good! But they did not make me go into labor. I was getting desperate and there still was one thing that I had not tried that was the last resort...Castor Oil. Yuck.

December 20th came and I knew that today I was going to drink the Castor Oil. So, at 5pm, I decided to mix the Castor Oil with a root beer float. I waited for the ice cream to melt a little then drank it all out of a straw. It wasn't that bad! And Nick and I waited to see if this would be the day. Nick had not packed his bag for the hospital yet (I know, I know) so I told him that I have a feeling that this is going to work and he had better start packing!

Well, it took about an hour to start working. And by start working, I mean it cleaned out my pipes good! Which was an interesting experience. To say the least. But I couldn't tell if the cramping was due to the plumbing being cleaned or if it was the real thing. I didn't realize that they were real contractions until about 9pm when they were consistently coming every 10 minutes. At that time I told Nick to try and get some sleep because we may be going to the hospital late at night. And boy was I right!

At around 1 am, my contractions went from 7 minutes apart to 4 minutes apart rather quickly. So I yelled Nick's name to wake him up and told him that we had to go to the hospital asap. That is when I realized how uncomfortable our BMW is on the roads in Seattle...every bump that we hit I thought she was going to pop out!

We got to the Triage at Swedish Hospital around 2 am Sunday morning on December 21, that was proceeded by vomiting in the parking lot and waiting for the slowest elevator in the city. The triage nurse brought be back and checked to see how dilated I was. Nick had to use the restroom, which was right next to the room. When the nurse checked me I was 6 cm dilated and ready to go. By the time Nick got back to the room, it had been about 5 minutes and they were ready to wheel me into a birthing suite. And as I was being wheeled out of triage, I saw two women who were being sent home because they were not ready to be admitted...I was glad I was not them!

Once I got into the room, the contractions just got intense! A lot worse then I thought...once they started getting on top of each other and I didn't have a break, I decided that I wanted the epidural. And as I was about to find out, the doc would have made me get it anyways in the end. My mom arrived, just as I got settled into the birthing suite...then my water broke. I have to say, out of the entire labor, that was the weirdest feeling.

Once I had the epidural, I felt good but things started to get too exciting. During every contraction, Ava's heart rate was dipping dangerously low. Once the contraction was over, then the heart rate was fine and dandy. I think the drugs made me oblivious because apparently everyone was really worried, but I wasn't.

Anyways, the Nurse and the OB realized that there was a cord issue. Most likely the cord was wrapped around her neck. I was progressing so fast, that at this point they wanted me to deliver in the Operating Room. We would try and push a couple of times with the vacuum and if they didn't work, they would need to do a C section ASAP. Again, the epidural relaxed me so much that I was not worried (Thanks, Dr Park!).

We got into the operating room and everything was so chaotic to me. Nick and my Mom were all gowned up and I couldn't tell them apart from the nurses! They had everything set up for the C section and the NICU nurses were on standby. I couldn't feel my legs, so they had to position me on the bed and then they said it was alright to push. So I did. I had no idea if I was doing it right. But the OB just encouraged me and said that the head was coming and that I should continue to push because we may be able to avoid a C Section! So I pushed three more times and the head was out! Sure enough, Ava had the cord wrapped around her neck twice. The Doc cut it off and two more pushes later, our little baby girl was born!

I was worried at first because she didn't cry. I kept asking, "Is she ok?" but no one would answer. I think Nick was stunned because he was just staring! They took Ava immediately to the NICU nurses that were on the other side of the room. I told Nick to go over there and take pictures because I wasn't wearing my glasses and I couldn't see her that far away!

Ava ended up being A-OK. She didn't cry, but made a lot of pissed off faces and squeeked! She also had the hiccups, just like her momma! She was 7 pounds 1 ounce and 19 3/4 inches long. She is beautiful! And I was shocked that my labor, from start to finish (inclucing when the contractions started at home), was only 9 1/2 hours! I am a lucky one!!

Ava's Eviction Letter

2010-01-12T19:26:00.000-08:00

Here is a letter that I wrote to Ava 2 weeks before her due date!

Dear Ava Muriel:
I love you dearly, but it's time to go. I no longer want to be your mobile home. I understand that the lease agreement covered 40 weeks, but there have been some issues that have not been resolved.
First, there has been structural damage done to the exterior siding of your home, and i'm sure there will be some inside as well once you vacate and we are able to inspect the property.
Second, since you moved in, there have been constant plumbing problems, to include frequent leaks and sewage back ups.
The neighbors tell me that your midnight parties keep them up, and sometimes they notice strange sounds and foul odors around your home. I also understand that you have been kicking and hitting some of the furniture that was provided to you at no extra cost.
There is a hearing scheduled with the judge on Monday to determine when the enforcement of this eviction will occur. I strongly urge you to vacate the property voluntarily BEFORE the official eviction date, otherwise the authorities WILL come in and remove you by force.
Thank you for understanding!
Love,
Mommy

My Pregnancy

2010-01-08T14:35:00.001-08:00

Here is a quick little slide show of how my pregnancy progressed in the last nine months. Looking back, I am a little sad to see my belly gone, but I am loving every minute with my little Ava Mu!

18 weeks pregnant

2009-10-09T14:31:00.000-07:00

Here is my bump at 18 weeks!

Getting a little bigger! We had the BIG ultrasound this week and found out Ava was a little girl and healthy to boot. Here are the ultrasound pics from that day:

Ava's little foot:

Profile of my baby girl:

And of course, Skelator!!!

Here is Cartoon Ava:

18 Weeks Pregnant

If you click on the cartoon, it will give you more information about this week.

So far, I had lost 12 pounds, but will start gaining weight from now on. Cravings are still PB&J and Smoothies, but also milkshakes. I am feeling pretty good and have been the healthiest that I have been in a long time!

11 Weeks pregnant

2009-10-09T14:19:00.000-07:00

Okay, here is a pic of me at 11 weeks along:

I know, not much there but it looks like I had a little too much pasta! Here is what Ava looked like in cartoon form:

11 Weeks Pregnant

Pretty dang cute!

I was still losing a lot of weight (so far around 7 pounds) but the doctor seemed fine with it. I was still healthy and surprisingly...NOT ANEMIC! for the first time in my life. I am craving Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches and smoothies galore. Pregnancy ain't so bad!

Now I can start posting more!!

2009-10-09T13:59:00.000-07:00

I only have 4 more weeks of work left!!! Yay!! I am now officially 30 weeks pregnant with little Ava Muriel and life is pretty good now... except for the back aches, pelvis pain, hip pain, swollen feet and hands and the exhaustion. But it is all for a good reason!

Our condo is STILL on the market but Nick and I aren't worried. We will keep it on the market until Thanksgiving then take it off to await Ava's arrival. Nick and I are going with the flow, which is all we can do at this point!

I am working on setting up an online photo album and also working on some photo montonges so hopefully I will have more to post over the weekend. And once I am done with work, this page is going to be Rockin'! I pinky swear! So the next posts are going to be about the pregnancy so far...at least what I can remember!

Love-
Nick's Wifey

On to week 13!

2009-06-12T11:13:00.000-07:00

Today, I am officially 13 weeks pregnant. According to Babycenter.com, our little peanut now has fingerprints! Peanut is 3 inches long, now (new name, maybe shrimp?) and it is starting to grow into it's big head! So this is the last week of my first trimester and I couldn't be happier, for it was a rough one.

13 Weeks Pregnant

I had a lot of nausea and vomiting. I lost a total of 10 pounds, although my doc says I am still OK. I gained to pounds this week because I can finally eat without feeling sick. It is a wonder feeling! I am still exhausted, but that is normal. I can't wait to start feeling great (and then feel horrible again in the 3rd trimester). Even though I am losing weight, I still can't fit into 80% of my clothes. Time to shop! :)

Here are some Ultrasound pictures from our 9 week visit.

I have an appointment next Wednesday. We will not be having another Ultrasound, however we will be able to hear the heartbeat. We are so excited! I will take some pictures of my belly tonight and post them on here.

Now we just need to focus on selling our condo...need a nursery to put this kid! Here is our new listing, pass it on if you know anyone who is looking in the Belltown area.
http://www.cbbain.com/Pages/PropertyDetail.aspx?ListingID=32621358&CSPS=v1-XQAAgAD4AAAAAAAAAAAAAFIKQAi1wBkNCfslBM3iXfSyCAkxe1eZCy6wsybFbj8u2tKy8hn8EJyOMZHInurzvr7BAstP6BFpX5P4RPs9V2cTsYdusnI0CfRu8GwzbPNUG734Z3ma8K9ILQTzFexFFDNkmV3yrOVzzL7tBkTrZ-yZLpweRAQt4YZNSvkZAAA1&TR=39&SPN=4&SL=PriceHighestFirst&ST=3&NAV=1
Much love to all!
Katie and Nick

4 Weeks Pregnant

2009-05-06T15:00:00.000-07:00

So I am now only 4 weeks pregnant. The little baby is just a cell, floating around in my belly. Kind of a strange feeling, but wonderful nonetheless. Baby Knutzen is the size of a poppy seed, but is making me feel exhausted! Who knew that something this small could make me eat 5 slices of pizza and still be hungry? Crazy how the world works.

I have been feeling okay, I am sleeping a lot more, not too sick, just get a little lightheaded if I don't eat. My hips are already getting huge, as if they weren't big enough to begin with. I am smelling things that I have never smelled before. Nick thinks my body is going crazy, although he hasn't seen nothing yet!

Here is what the baby looks like:

4 Weeks Pregnant

Not very exciting. I know. But soon it will look more like a tadpole, then an alien, then finally, a little baby!

I had my appointment with my doctor today who confirmed the pregnancy. I told her that I wanted to deliver at Swedish and she gave me the name of a OB/GYN group that would deliver there. She saw them for the birth of her child and said they are fantastic. I will see them when I am 8 weeks along then we will be able to have an ultrasound and hopefully hear the heartbeat! That appointment is May 22.

An Easter we will never forget

2009-04-12T21:00:00.000-07:00

So on this Easter Sunday, April 12th, Nick and I found out that we are going to be parents! Now I have something exciting to blog about! Here is how it happened:

Well, obviously you know how we got pregnant, I am NOT going to give the details, that would be for a whole different website! What I will tell you is that Nick and I stopped birth control March 17. I ovulated March 28-April 1. You do the math. Right out the gates, BAM! We're pregnant. We were so worried about being able to get pregnant because of my past health history and the fact that we have several of our friends who have had difficulty getting pregnant.

I took a pregnancy test on April 9th, thinking that I could know by then, and it came back negative. No worries, we just would have to keep trying. I didn't really think about it much, except for the fact that I was eating like a horse and I slept all the time. Oh yea, and I was super cranky.

Then comes Easter morning. We woke up and Nick decided he was going to work out. I stayed in the condo and was getting ready for church when I saw a pregnancy test in the drawer. I decided to take a test just for kicks and giggles. I took the test and quickly forgot about it. I was getting ready for church when I walked by the test and saw it...two lines. Positive test. I freaked.

I took another one...again it was positive. I was so shocked! I called my friend Michelle and left her a message. Something to the effect of "oh my god oh my god oh my god...". And then I waited for Nick. Very impatiently. I was grinning ear to ear when he came in.

I grabbed him and said, "Guess what?!?!?" I held up the pregnancy test and he was stunned! We hugged and laughed and were so happy that it happened so quickly! Now we have to sell the condo!

At church, we were both beaming and looking at all the Sunday school children and imagining our little boy or girl in the group, leaning about Easter. I was an emotional wreck!

Then we had an Easter Brunch at Trilogy with the family. Grambear was there and I knew I wanted to tell her first (even though Ellie knew because, of course, I had a ton of questions to ask her!). We have her an Easter card that was signed, "Love, Nick, Katie and Baby Knutzen". The look on her face was priceless! Everyone was stunned that it happened so quickly! So were we!

When we got home, Nick called his parents and told them. I was sitting next to him and could hear them cheer loudly on the phone. Their first Grandchild! They are very excited.

That was how we found out we were pregnant! Now the real fun begins!

So since we don't want to blab to the world about our pregnancy yet, we are going to delay our posts a little bit. I have continued to write about this journey that Nick and I are taking together, but will be posting them later. So, I will try to post a weekly update, however, there will be some catch up time until we are at the current week.

Wow...not so good at keeping up!

2009-04-09T11:32:00.000-07:00

So I guess I am not very good at blogging. Nick and I have been so incredibly busy, I don't even have time to blog! And I miss it! I promise I will get better. I think I said that before, but I promise double time!

Our condo is on the market!!! Yay! Click here to see our ad on Redfin. Hopefully, it will sell more sooner than later. I can speak for the both of us that we are going to miss Belltown, but are ready to get out! Apparently, there was another beating about 4 blocks from the Condo. Of course it was at 2am, and Nick and I never stay out that late anymore, but it is starting to get to me.

I used to ignore all the homeless people and drug dealers who would try to talk to me, but now, I seem to be yelling back. Some guys were trying to pick me up the other morning (yes I said morning, 6:30am to be exact). They looked like they had been up all night and the old Katie would just laugh and ignore them, but the new Katie...oh boy. I chewed them out!! I dropped a couple F bombs. I know, not very lady-like, but seriously? I can't stand it anymore! My patience has gone down the tubes.

Nick is working a lot, and No, he hasn't gotten laid off (Thank God). He has been enjoying snowboarding and getting ready for golf. Me? Haven't picked up a club in a year, but since we have to spend a lot of time out of the condo for showings, I will be hitting up the driving range to touch up my skills. Watch out, Tiger!

Looking at houses!

2009-02-05T16:11:00.000-08:00

Nick and I will be looking at houses this weekend in Burien. Here are the Redfin listings:
http://www.redfin.com/search#uipt=4,1&status=1&max_price=450000&num_beds=3&num_baths=2&v=4&lat=47.488201&long=-122.336197&zoomLevel=17&listing_id=2869581&market=seattle

http://www.redfin.com/search#uipt=4,1&status=1&max_price=450000&num_beds=3&num_baths=2&v=4&lat=47.441135&long=-122.345741&zoomLevel=17&listing_id=2141354&market=seattle

http://www.redfin.com/search#uipt=4,1&status=1&max_price=450000&num_beds=3&num_baths=2&v=4&lat=47.484485&long=-122.3286005&zoomLevel=17&listing_id=2928516&market=seattle

http://www.redfin.com/WA/Burien/16507-Maplewild-Ave-SW-98166/home/334302

The Epidural Shot aftermath

2009-01-27T10:52:00.000-08:00

Well, I got my steroid injection in my back last night. Interesting enough, the doctor had a really difficult time with injecting me. For those of you who know me, everything that has to do with my health is never simple. I just went to the orthodontist to have a consultation about getting braces for my teeth...not that simple. My teeth aren't just crooked, I am missing a tooth on the bottom. It never grew in.

I wanted to switch some meds because I was feeling fatigue. Wasn't that simple. Had blood tests and found out I was vitamin D deficient.

And the list goes on.

Here is what happened with the infection. I laid down and the doctor injected the numbing medicine. That was fine (well, it stung a little, but not as bad as I thought it would be). Then she had to insert the contrast so she could see where she was going. She needed to find a spot that didn't have any blood vessels because you don't want that stuff in your blood stream. So she was looking, and looking, and still looking. Mind you, looking means taking the needle and moving it around inside my spine. Even though I had the numbing medicine, I could still feel the needle and I swear it was hitting nerves because my right leg kept twitching. It was painful. She told me, "Wow, I have never seen someone with so many blood vessels here before!". Thanks lady, but hurry up and take the needle out of my spine! It was almost 10 minutes of this and I could tell the Doc was getting frustrated because she was laughing about it when really, on the inside, she was probably saying "Gosh Darn it!" or something to that effect.

After she found the spot, the pain of the needle in my back was gone. She injected the steroid, then I went into the recovery room. Remember how I said everything is difficult with me? Here is another example. I had to stay in the recovery room longer because my Blood Pressure was too high. I think that maybe, just maybe, it was due to the fact that I just had a NEEDLE IN MY SPINE!!! But I am not a doctor.

So the results? So far, the only difference is no cramping and the pain down my legs has decreased. However, it is still difficult to move my back. Putting on my socks is a little painful and walking Bella is still near impossible. Although it has only been 19 hours since my injection. I was just hoping for a quick fix. So, I have a follow up in 2 weeks and I should be starting physical therapy next week. I guess I have to be patient! Not one of my strengths when it comes to my health.

Ciao for now!
Mrs. Knutzen

Wedding

2009-01-25T22:52:00.001-08:00

View Project at Shutterfly

Katie is falling apart at the seams

2009-01-23T13:16:00.001-08:00

I went to the Bone and Joint center at UW yesterday, had a MRI and here is what is wrong with me. I have a budging disk in my lower back that is causing Sciatica. SO I get to have a very large needle full of steroids injected into my spine on Monday. Yay. Then I have to do physical therapy. Yay again.

The bottom line is....I still can't put on my socks without being in excruciating pain. How come we can't have a quick fix???

WEDDING PICTURES!!

2009-01-21T18:23:00.000-08:00

Well, we finally got all of our pictures and we posted them on Picasaweb so everyone can upload the ones they want! Yay! I put the link below...
http://picasaweb.google.com/ngk1101?feat=email

Now for the bad news. I (Katie) have hurt my back...bad. MRI results are not in yet but it is a possible herniated disk and it is causing Sciatica. Boo. So, I am on pain killers, muscle relaxers, and I STILL cannot handle the pain. Tomorrow I go to the Back Specialist to find out what the deal is and what is the next step.

So keep us in your prayers, especially Nick since he is picking up the slack with me basically glued to the bed! He is doing an amazing job with laundry, dinner, Bella...I think I may milk this for a little bit! Just kidding!!! He hasn't complained once. What an awesome husband I have!

xoxoxo
Mrs Knutzen

In memory of Jackie Nance

2009-01-12T09:39:00.000-08:00

As most of you know, last Tuesday, my cousin, Jackie Lynn Nance (AKA Quackers), lost her battle with Cystic Fibrosis at the age of 26. It was a long battle and we expected this to happen soon, however, it was still a shock to us. Jackie never acted like she was sick. She came to our wedding, even though she had to be put on oxygen several times a day. I feel truly blessed that God helped her though that day so she could enjoy time with family.

This loss has been a blessing for Nick and I, in some ways. I know that may sound awful to some people, but Nick and I have realized that we do not want to take life for granted, our own or those around us. We want to enjoy every moment. So instead of stressing about our future, we are enjoying the present. I believe that was Jackie's purpose in life. To show everyone that living for the current day is more important then stressing about things beyond your control.

I know that Jackie is looking down on us with a huge smile. She left a legacy on this earth and Nick and I will try our hardest to pass that legacy on.

If you would like to view her obituary, please go here.

If you would like to learn more about Cystic Fibrosis, check out this site.

We love you Quackers!

The Abdominal Snow Dog

2008-12-22T08:32:00.000-08:00

We had a great time in the snow this weekend, as I am hoping all of you did as well! As some of you know, Bella, the Wonder GoldenDoodle, is obsessed with the snow. Here is some video shot on our outing to the Sculpture Park/Mrytle Edwards Park on Sunday.

This first one shows how all the ice on Bella's face affects her vision...

This video shows Bella bringing the stick back, which is AMAZING....

And here is video of the beautiful Sculpture Park.

Hope everyone is staying warm!!!

Trevi Fountain Video

2008-12-22T08:30:00.000-08:00

Us being tourists at the Trevi Fountain... Slightly embarrassing but we had to do it...Nick is so technical! You will understand when you see it.

Another Video

2008-12-22T08:27:00.000-08:00

Here is a video of protesters marching past the Tremini Station. The week the protest took place, the Italian Government had raised the cost of education and it kinda pissed the students off. It was a pretty peaceful protest, not surprising since the Police were following the protesters with AK-47's.

Video from Roma!

2008-12-22T08:20:00.000-08:00

Nick took this video when we got stuck in a freak rainstorm. We were trying to get to the Spanish Steps to meet Manuel and so that is why on the video, I am on the cell phone. Crazy!

Reposting some more Honeymoon Pictures

2008-12-15T11:57:00.001-08:00

Here are some pictures from Rome. This seems to be the part of the trip that everyone wants to see!

Playing the Tambourine in a restaurant

Cousin Manuel and his girlfriend Valentina

Got a little wet after a rain storm!

St Peter's Basilica

The Motley Crew! Katie and Nick Knutzen, Manuel Ursino, Valentina Angiulli, Adriano Papi

Some stadium, or something…. ;)

GRAPPA!!!!!

Where have the Knutzen's been!

2008-12-15T10:11:00.000-08:00

So I am horrible at posting. I have realized that the format I have all of our pictures on isn't working out so hot. So I will be fixing this in the next few days, please be patient since I am new at this whole blogging thing.

Anyways, here is an update on married life. We are finally adjusted to life without planning a wedding or being in Europe. It took some time, but we seem to be back to normal. We have been looking at our Italy pictures a lot lately (at least I have!). I think that we wish we could have that laid back lifestyle that the Romans seem to have down to a science. That is part of my New Year's Resolution. I am going to simplify my life and by doing this I hope I won't sweat the small stuff. I think this is in preparation for nesting (no, not pregnant yet...still in the "talking" stages)!

Nick and I are now trying to weigh our housing options. Since right now is a horrible time to sell our condo, we are thinking that we may have to hunker down in Belltown a little longer then we had thought. So, in turn, babies will have to wait. I don't think Bella would be too thrilled about sharing any more space. We are cramped enough!

I have officially changed my name! Well, almost. Haven't got the Passport changed yet because I may go up to Canada soon so I don't want to get stuck without it! I am starting to get used to calling myself Katie Knutzen, however, signing my name is a whole other issue. I actually keep signing Katie Ursino, and a lady at a store last week asked to see my ID! I told her I just got married and sometimes forget my name. Luckily she understood. I really need to get used to this!

We are basically just enjoying our first Christmas as a married couple! We have out Christmas tree put up and our Costco Size Nativity Scene (it's huge!). I put up a mistletoe yesterday but Nick hasn't noticed it yet. He just knows that he has been getting lots of kisses so he seems to think that he is doing something right!

We bought our first stockings together, pretty generic but I am hoping to jazz them up a little this week. Bella's stocking is on order, so hopefully we will get that soon!

By the way, you can check out our wedding day pictures at http://www.pictage.com/client/event.do?event=542300. David Streams did an amazing job! Also check out his blog for a cool slide show (I love the last picture the best!).

Ciao for now!
With love,
Katie Knutzen

More Pics

2008-11-21T13:33:00.000-08:00

I was doing a little rearranging of photos which is why some of the pics from the previous posts have disappeared...so in the meantime I will post some slideshows from the trip, then get back to posting blogs! Just click on the slideshow below and it will pop up. Thanks for your patience!

Nick's Wifey

P.S. Wedding pics should be ready by the end of the weekend!! YAY!!!

From Movies

Day at Sea Journal

2008-11-09T17:18:00.000-08:00

Here is our posts about the first day at sea.... Nick's Post is first, then followed by mine...

Ciao!
Mrs. Knutzen

Day 3 – 1st day at sea
Our first day at sea provided a great opportunity to sleep in and relax. I decided to attend a detox seminar while visiting the gym – probably not the best information to get while on a cruise. We had a nice sit down lunch and then relaxed poolside for a bit. After that, we visited the mini golf course on the very top of the ship. The evening brought us to the Captain’s Dinner. We took full advantage of the open bar reception before heading off to dinner.

For dinner, we had Stuffed Mushrooms, Lobster Tail and Prime Rib. It was delicious!

Die Lobster!
After dinner, we visited the portrait stations and had our pictures taken. We were the only ones there so we were able to go through each station in a minimal amount of time. From there, we went to the New Orleans show. Finally, we capped off the night with a trip to the onboard pizzeria. This time, when we returned to our room our towel was folded up in the shape of a puppy.

They must have coordinated with our server to know we love dogs!

Day 3
DAY AT SEA
Extremely tired from the travels in Naples, we were very excited for a day at sea. Nick was wanting to read some more about our next stop, Croatia, while I wanted to nap in the sun. The day was filled with Bingo tournaments, trivia, live music and of course, shopping. I took this time to sleep. And play mini golf. Nick ran on the treadmill while I slept. And drank. Then while Nick showered up, I slept. Can’t get any better than that!
The evening brought the Capitan’s dinner. Nick wore his wedding Tux and I wore the Bridesmaid dress from our wedding (Thanks Courtney!). We were looking sexy!

At 7:15, we had “happy hour” with the Capitan and crew. All the drinks are free so Nick and I decided to indulge. We went to the 70’s club and met up with a couple who are retired and are staying on the cruise ship for a whole 60 days! They did the previous cruise which went to Greece and Turkey and they are continuing on for the repositioning cruise that ends in New York, where they are from. I don’t know if I could handle that much time on a boat but they seem very excited about it.
So the four of us and their two children (ages 42, respectively) got sloshed off of the free drinks. Nick drank his infamous Godfather’s and I had Bellini’s and champagne and some Whiskey Sours. All of us decided to order as much as we could, and then stash the drinks in our state rooms. As we were leaving the bar, nick had 6 drinks in his hands and I had four. We dropped them off in our room before we headed to dinner (well, Nick took two of them to dinner and I took one). We ate Prime rib and Lobster tail and drank some more.

When we finished dinner, we went to take pictures. I don’t think we will be buying any of them because we looked a little too happy (i.e. Drunk).

After pictures, we took in the show which was a tribute to New Orleans. We sat next to two wild (and drunk) gentlemen who are from New Orleans and they made it more enjoyable. Nick was slowly falling asleep during the show but when all the dancers then danced down the aisle (Nick had the aisle seat), we promptly woke up.
Then we passed out in our stateroom.

Honeymoon Day Two- Naples

2008-11-06T10:47:00.001-08:00

Again, same format... Nick's post is first, followed by Katie's.....

Naples Day 2
Naples was a blast. We started off the day with a hearty breakfast in the dining room, knowing that it was going to be a busy day. We then hoofed it through Naples to catch the train to Pompeii. Walking the streets of Naples was pretty intense, as red lights and crosswalks are considered “decorations”. After about 35 minutes, we reached the Circumesuviana train station. Although I’ve read and heard about the trains here being especially dangerous, we had a pleasant ride with minimal hassle.

Departing to Pompeii. Graffiti decorations are prevalent on the trains and along the stops.
After about a 40 min. train ride, we reached the entry of the Pompeii site. Pompeii was an ancient Roman village that was buried in volcanic lava in 79. (that’s 79, not 1979). It was discovered in 1748 and excavations continued until the 19th century. It was amazing to see the layout of how civilization was back then. It’s interesting to note that despite how much progress has been made, people back then still congregated, went to the market, ate, and drank much like we do today.
The starting point is the Forum, the main town square.

The Forum, with Mt. Vesuvius in the background

Another picture of the Forum

Katie shopping at the market

The eruption was so sudden, people were preserved in the exact state they were in when it hit

Wealthy people had statues in their entryways

… and really intricate tile work on their floors

Lots of buildings had intricate artwork on the walls

The brothel had erotic artwork, presumably to display a menu of their offerings

The main amphitheater is where gladiators fought to entertain the masses. It seated about 20,000 people.

Our walk came full circle back to the Forum, and that really tied everything together in my mind after seeing so many aspects of Roman life. Although we spent about 3.5 hours touring the site, we still didn’t even come close to seeing everything. Next time I come I’ll be doing a lot more homework in advance.
From there we began our journey back to Naples and the cruise ship. Although I had the best of intentions to do the Naples Walk as described by Rick Steves, we were a bit tired from being on our feet all day so we took a more direct path back to the Port. We did stop at the end to check out a few of the sights however.

Castel Nouvo – We didn’t have time to justify exploring the castle, but got some good pics around the entryway

S. Fran Diapola Square

Galleria Umberto I – House of Iron and Glass
The Galleria Umberto was a really cool little place to do some window shopping. Luckily the stores were mostly closed. It was an open air shopping area, kind of like University Village in Seattle except with really cool architecture.
Exhausted, we finally made our way back on board the ship. We got a quick snack, then napped before heading off to dinner to eat even more food. Our chosen entrees were duck and enchiladas, and then we had an amazing tiramisu for dessert. Once again, I magically had exactly enough room to finish the last bite.
We decided to go to the Jazz Lounge and enjoy a cigar and some music in a comfy chair before heading to the welcome show. My main objective was to stay off my feet as much as possible after such a long day.

Since we were enjoying ourselves at the Jazz Club, we waited until the last minute to grab a seat for the show. It was standing room only, so we finally grabbed a seat in the nosebleeds off to the side. Unfortunately we couldn’t see much of the stage, but we did have a view of what appeared to be an empty table in the front row. I rushed down and grabbed the table, then waived Katie down to join me. Right after we sat down, we were interviewed by the Noorje, the cruise director who was asking about newlyweds and others on board celebrating special occasions. We then got invited to participate in a game of Family Feud in front of the audience. In a hard-fought contest, the girls team came from behind and scored the victory. I wasn’t disappointed to lose because we both received a little trophy and more importantly, a bottle of champagne. Those will certainly be nice to have with dinner one night during the cruise!

When we entered our room to crash for the night, we found the signature animal towel on our bed. It was a cute little surprise and a fun way to cap off the evening.

Goose or Cobra?

Day Two
Naples
Naples…what chaos! When we got off the ship, we decided to walk to the train station rather than pay to take the shuttle. We had a map, so we figured we would find it easily. It took about 40 minutes to find the train station, which wasn’t the hard part. The hard part was crossing the street. There are crosswalks, but cars don’t like to stop. There are red lights, but again, no stoppage of cars. You have to run to cross the streets….run for your life! I figured out that if you just walk aggressively across the street in front of vespa’s (they can maneuver around you) rather than the cars, you have a better chance of surviving. Walking in front of buses is suicide. So, for all you Seattleites who know better than to jaywalk? Throw that out the window in Naples.
We found the train station and arrived in Pompeii…jaw dropping. Incredible. Unimaginable. We took hundreds of pictures, but honestly they don’t do any justice. One thing that I found interesting was all the dogs that were wondering around Pompeii. I took some pictures of them and it made me miss Bella, but I got a little bit of a dog fix!

Here is an Ancient Doggie Door (or so I think)...

Pompeii was surreal. I really enjoyed checking out the ancient clay pots that were scattered around.

Anyways, it was a ton of walking and exploring. Nick has more details on this portion of the trip. I am finding it really hard to concentrate on this post right now because the man in the table next to me is wearing a Speedo and he is about 150 pounds too big for it. And his wife (or mistress, I can’t tell) is feeding him grapes. I think I may move over to the kid’s end of the deck. I am starting to feel a little sick. Yuck! I won’t take a picture so you will be spared. But just remember the sacrifice I am making by being on this honeymoon. You can thank me later!
For now I leave you with a picture of perfection….trophies, champagne, and a Goose.

The day after the election

2008-11-05T08:22:00.000-08:00

Posting about our honeymoon has been slow due to Nick and I being very busy with work, condo stuff and also nursing colds that we acquired on our travels. But I did want to switch gears and talk about what America saw happen yesterday.

Whether or not you voted for Obama or McCain and whether or not you are happy with the outcome, Yesterday was an amazing day. For the first time in a long time, I felt passion, I felt people wanting to be involved with the voting process. I talked to people who have never voted in an election because they thought that their vote wouldn't matter, rushing to get to the polls. No matter the outcome, this is something that should make all of us American's proud.

Now, most of you know my thoughts on the current president and the President-Elect, but I heard Dave Ross say this on Kiro 710 this morning and, well, he gave me goosebumps as I was walking to work. He hit the nail right on the head, in my opinion.

I want to share this with all of you. You don't have to agree. That is what makes our country so great. But I would like everyone to read it. Think about how it makes you feel. Prideful? Scared? Excited? However it makes you feel, realize that this kind of passion has not been seen in years. The world is changing, but it is up to us to make it a great change!

Mrs. Knutzen

Written by Dave Ross
I come from the heart of the baby boom, raised in white suburbia to believe America was the greatest country on earth. In the 70's I traveled behind the iron curtain where people would want to know everything about America, and quietly press notes into your hand saying "USA, yes!"

But there was also the memory of visits to the South, seeing those peculiar signs on the bathrooms -- and knowing that the legacy of those days let the tyrants of the world say, you see, that's what America REALLY is.

There's a reason conservatives were able to make the flag an issue. It's because -- yes! Many people of my generation had trouble displaying the flag and meaning it.

Especially lately.

In 2000 -- the Supreme Court tips the election. 2003 we start a war over weapons that aren't there. 2005, New Orleans. 2008, the financial system collapses.

And you wonder why stuff like that happens.

Now it's clear that if those things hadn't happened, last night wouldn't have happened either.

I know some people are gloomy today.

But I have to think that no one is gloomier than those recruiters in the radical madrassas of the Middle East. Because yes! The 44th President of the United States is Barack Hussein Obama. And he was chosen overwhelmingly -- in a free election.

I have to think the job of signing up martyrs to wage jihad on the Great Satan just got a whole lot harder. I also think the American flag is going to re-appear in places where it has been absent too long. And while this doesn't end racism, it means that for my kids, race is destined to be old news. They'll just have to find something else to fight about.

Honeymoon Update

2008-11-03T19:27:00.001-08:00

We're Back! And we loved every minute of Europe! We kept a daily journal of our travels along with pictures, but were unable to post them due to several factors. However, we will post them slowly now so you will have some daily entertainment.

We both cannot believe that we will be married a whole month tomorrow! We have enjoyed every minute of married life, although it helps that we were in the land of romance for 3 weeks!

The following is the post for the first day, first from Nick and then mine. You will notice that Nick and I write a little bit different, so will will get a couple of different views of our honeymoon.

Also, I will post our pictures once we weed through them all!

Ciao,
Mrs. Knutzen

Honeymoon Journal, Day 2
Yesterday we awoke and had a great time wandering around the port city of Civitavecchia. I found the perfect little local market to buy a bottle of Italian wine to take with us on the cruise ship, so the walk was mission accomplished.

Awesome looking church in Civitavecchia
After checking onto the boat, we spent most of the day wandering around and getting to know the facilities.
The evening brought us the opportunity for the Muster Drill. Luckily we ran into Donald and Therese from Belltown who Katie has met from the cruise internet chat boards and we had dinner with not long ago. Conversing with them made the drill go by much faster!

After the muster drill was over, we headed back to the room to hustle and get ready for dinner. It was a wonderful meal, as we had asparagus cream soup, Caesar salad, tiger prawn cocktail, new York steak, and baby back ribs with some pretty awesome mac and cheese.

Primal Carnivore Instincts Kick in!

Mmmmmmmnnnnhhhhhhh….. Cheesy 
We enjoyed a crème brulee and chocolate melting cake for dessert, a wonderful way to end a wonderful meal.
Afterwards, we headed out to enjoy the nightlife. I beat Katie in a spirited game of air hockey, although she made a valiant comeback attempt. As it turns out, there was not much nightlife as most people were worn down from long travel and resting for the big day ahead in Naples. We had the dancefloor to ourselves for one song and then we decided to go rest up for our big day in Pompeii.

Katie's Post
DAY ONE
So, as a lot of you know, I hate to fly. I am not scared of much in life, but flying is something that I would rather not do. Unfortunately in this situation, it was either fly to the honeymoon trip of a lifetime or drive somewhere not as cool. Bring on the Ativan!

Nick and I weren’t as prepared as we should have been. We stayed up all Friday night packing and finished Saturday morning, but we managed to finish with about 10 minutes to spare. My Mom picked us up and had pictures of Italy in her GPS system in the car to get us ready. It pumped Nick up but I was still worried about flying.
We got to SeaTac at 11:30 and check in and security was quite simple. When we got on the plane (Lufthansa Airlines) we discovered that we had a center row of 4 seats to ourselves. SCORE! I was able to watch a ton of movies and stretch out. I got about an hour of sleep during the 10 hour flight, Nick got about 15 minutes.
We landed in Frankfurt and might I tell you…it was HUGE! We got lost a few times trying to find our gate, but eventually found it…and there were no seats. So I sat on hard linoleum for about an hour. Welcome to Germany!
The flight to Rome was about an hour and a half. Nick passed out during the entire flight, my nerves and excitement wouldn’t let me sleep. Once we landed and got off the plane, I was feeling like I was home! With stylish Italians all around me, shouting and talking with their hands while Techno music is pumped the speakers, I was ready to take on the country!
Next was the big adventure. How to take two trains to our Hotel in Civitavecchia with 3 large bags, two backpacks and a camera bag. Once we figure out where we were going and how to buy and stamp our train tickets, we felt pretty dang good. Until the train came and the pushing and shoving started. Now, in America, if you see someone who is 5’2” pulling a large piece of luggage that is about 4’ tall and about 50 lbs, you would be patient and help her one, wouldn’t you? Not in Italy. I was lucky to even get on the Train before it left. Once Nick and I got on, there wasn’t a seat. So we stood by the door with all of our luggage and braced ourselves for the 300 minute train ride to Travesere.
We got to Travesere and found where our next train would pick us up. This time we were ready to get on the train quickly and get a seat. For this 40 minute ride, we wanted to rest our feet! The train comes, chaos ensues and lo and behold….nothing. We found a little seat near the door across from the WC. Nick sat in the little seat and I sat on all of our luggage. The funny part was when the old Italian man came on board and sat in the WC for about 20 minutes. He didn’t lock the door and every time someone would try and open the door, he would push it closed and say something in Italian. I am sure it wasn’t anything nice.
We got to port and started walking to our hotel which was about 200 meters from the train station. When we arrived, we found out that they upgraded us to a nicer hotel about 100 meters away. It was a pleasant surprise. The room was quite large for Italy standards and was very close to where the Cruise shuttle would pick us up!

Once we dropped off our luggage and changed, it was about 7pm, so we decided to explore. There were a lot of people just hanging out and enjoying life. People were eating, drinking, selling trinkets, laughing, dancing, and singing. I was in heaven! We found a Pizzeria nearby and sat down outside. The waiter dropped off the menu and left. We looked at it and it was all in Italian. There was a slight panic but we attempted it. I am usually able to read Italian but speaking it was a whole different battle.
The waiter walked up to us, said “Prego”. Nick pointed to the drinks and said, “Beer?” The waiter laughed and said, in perfect English, “I didn’t know you were bloody Americans! I thought you were Italian!” We had a good laugh and he gave us English menus. Made us feel pretty dang good that he thought we were locals! We ordered Beer, Bruchetta with olive tapenade, and Pizza (Prosciutto, Cheese and Tomato’s). Amazing! Our waiter was fantastic! Made us laugh and was very informative!

So that was day one…adventure all around us! I am sure there will be more adventures to come… Stay tuned…

More Pictures!

2008-10-09T16:04:00.000-07:00

These are from Matt Berden's Camera. Let me know if you want a copy of any of them and I will send it on over!

Love,
Mrs. Knutzen

Photo Slideshow

2008-10-09T08:52:00.000-07:00

Here is the slideshow that Keelyn put together and showed at the wedding reception:

Pictures!

2008-10-09T08:39:00.000-07:00

David and Erin Streams, our photographers have added some pictures of our wedding to their blog...here is the link:
http://www.backlightphotography.com/blog/2008/10/katie-and-nick-wedding.html

I will also be posting more pictures later today.

Love,
Mrs. Knutzen

We're Married!

2008-10-08T16:40:00.000-07:00

So we have been married for 4 days now and loving every minute of it! We still have smiles plastered on our faces! Now we are getting ready for our European Honeymoon. We leave in 3 days!

Nick and I decided to start a blog to let our family and friends know knows what we are up to. Some posts will be journal style, some about current events, some with pictures and some will just be plan goofy. We hope that you enjoy it!

We will try to post while we are on our vacation so you all will be able to pretend that you are with us in our travels!
Ciao for now!
Love,
Mrs. Knutzen