History, parts 4 & 5

I can't remember the exact wording of the questions. I had them on my nightstand, but Nils cleaned our room yesterday (which, by the way, looks AMAZING! We forgot about all that carpet!) and now I can't find them. Pardon me while I make up my own wording.

What is the story behind your name? Do you like your name?

My mom's name is Kathryn. After my sister Heidi was born, my parents wanted to have another daughter named Kristina. They proceeded to have four sons. By the time I came along, they were sick of the name Kristina, but wanted to name me after my mom. They thought they were being really creative and thought of the name Katrina as a nice little mix of Kristina and Kathryn. When I was little I didn't like my name because I thought it was too fancy. All of my siblings have pretty traditional names, so I didn't think my name really matched theirs. Now, I can't think of any other name that I'd rather be called. I think Katrina fits me pretty well. I have to say, though, that I always wished I had a middle name. I always thought it would be so fun and exotic. So, I live vicariously through my daughters, who all have middle names. And lemme tell ya.... it's totally fun and exotic. Oh. Yeah.

(Incidentally, Ava's middle name is Catherine. I wanted to spell it with a C because I think it's pretty that way. Wanna know what else? On my mom's original birth certificate, her name is spelled 'Catherine', but there was some feud when she was a baby, so it's always been spelled 'Kathryn' everywhere else. So, I claimed I was just sticking with the original spelling. Ha!)

Next question:

Was there a point when you knew your siblings and family accepted your spouse?

My family loves Nils more than they love me. He's been a part of the family from day one. My brother got married a couple of months after Nils and I met, and Nils is in the family picture at the wedding. That was about three years before Nils and I were actually married. My brother is no longer married to that woman, but the picture remains. When Nils went into the MTC, my family was there. They love him. What's not to love? He's just a lovable guy. He's funny, handy, quick-witted, genuinely nice, and he can eat his weight in mashed potatoes, which they all enjoy watching. Nils winterizes my mom's swamp cooler every year, gets it working again in the spring, changes her horrible fluorescent light bulbs when needed, fixes leaky faucets, and basically does whatever needs to be done around her house. No wonder she loves him more than she loves me. It's because he's got the skills, people. Nilsy Nils has got the skills.