K is for...

Katie (natch :))

Basically I'm an egotistical maniac and can't help but name the K entry after myself... sorry. Last summer I took a storytelling class and we started the class by introducing ourselves and telling the story of our name. We could tell the history behind it, what it means, why our parents gave us said name and any other stories that might be entertaining or insightful. It was such a great way to start a class--we all have a name (duh) and having lived with said name, we have a lifetime of stories to tell about it. And after you've heard a person's name story, it's pretty difficult to forget their name.

So here my name story. My name is Katie--not Katherine or Kathleen. It is just plain Katie. Most government officials and college admissions counselors refuse to believe this--"No sweetheart, you have to put your FULL name on your application. I know everyone calls you Katie but you have to put the name on your birth certificate." My mom's name is Veryl Helen and my dad's name is Melvin Gerhardt... it's no wonder I got to be Katie Lynn. My parents debated between Kimberly and Katherine but Kimberly was rejected (thank goodness--no offense to you Kimberlys out there). Katherine seemed unnecessary since they planned to call me Katie from day one anyway. I love being an original Katie. It's more common now but as a younger child, I was unique (and unable to find Katie keychains and bike license plates). Since my actual name is already a nickname for many, I don't really have a tried and true nickname. Close friends call me Kate. My dad calls me Kate but also Katie Bell. My mom calls me Katie Girl (who knows why...).

When I was in elementary school, I was the only Katie in my class and it never occurred to me that my name might be common. Then I went to middle school and became friends with two other girls named Katie. Then I went to high school and met another Katy. And then in grad school, I lived with Katy from high school and met another Katie. I now have 5 Katie/ys in my phone.

Another nice thing about being a Katie is the songs. Katie's have the fantastic classic hit from WWI, "K-K-Katy" (Totally the wrong spelling) by Billy Murray, the Grateful Dead's "Katie Mae", "Katie's Been Gone" by the Band (mmm Rick Danko) and the slightly more modern indie "Katie Come True" by Son Ambulance. However, my favorite Katie song is the one my dad made up for me when I was little: "Katie Bell, your father thinks you are swell!"

Also, I completely missed my two year blogiversary on September 26... whoops. So, a belated happy blogiversary to my blog and to you, the lovely reader, thanks for sticking around :)