Sunday, April 29, 2007

Too Many Chemicals...

I just cleaned my entire bathroom with about 6 different cleaners, and I'm pretty sure I'm high, or something. I can barely breathe and my head feels funny... hahaha! It smells like a chemical factory in there. Whew. At least the bathroom is clean and sparkling! I'm one of those people who actually enjoys cleaning. To some extent, it's theraputic. I know, I know, I'll make a good housewife. ;) haha! But man, I bet that 1/2 of my brain cells died in the past 30 minutes...

Ring Dance was really fun! Here's a picture:

That's Nathan in his corps uniform and me in my fun and beautiful dress! Melody did my hair and it was gorgeous. I think the best part of the evening was definitely the meal - Veritas is amazing! :)

I feel like a woman of few words right now. Which is weird, because I can talk a lot (anyone who knows me well would agree!). I really just want to go read the Bible right now instead of typing on this, so I think I will.

I'm reading Acts right now, and it's amazing. You should all read it!

Peace out.

Thursday, April 26, 2007

Here I Am

(By Shawn McDonald - I absolutely love this song right now! It's so simple and completely honest.)

I lay myself at Your feet
Asking You won't You meet
Won't You meet me
I cannot do it on my own
I cannot do it all alone
Here I am, oh, tonight
With my arms open wide
Won't You come inside
Won't You come inside, God
Come and fill this heart of mine
I'm in need of You
Of Your touch, of Your life, of Your love
I need You
I need You

John 15:5

I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

I have been thinking a lot about this verse recently. I went to U-Paint-It last week, and I painted the last part of the verse, "apart from me you can do nothing" on a tile. Carolyn was the one who brought the verse to mind, and it really describes my life right now. I am nothing without Christ! I am so weak and helpless. My own strength is pitiful! Yesterday, I got a call from the BSM, telling me that I wasn't going to be a freshman Bible study leader. Instead, they want me to lead an upperclassman one! I have to choose between leading an all-girls study by myself, or a co-ed one with a guy partner. I am not sure which one to do and I know that I need to pray about it. I want whatever God wants for me! So help me out and pray for me ;) haha!

It's gorgeous outside. I just can't sit still.

I'm out.

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Praise the Name of Jesus

God is so good.

Apart from Him, I can do nothing.
(John 15:5b)

Saturday, April 21, 2007

"Allow Me to Tell You How Ardently I Admire and Love You."

For those of you who don't know, that's a quote from Pride and Prejudice. I'm not sure if Mr. Darcy says that to Elizabeth in the recent film version of the book, but he certainly says it in the book and the BBC movie.

Seriously, all guys should take notes. Detailed ones. Every single girl on the planet secretly wants a Mr. Darcy. You will hear it wherever you go! Every girl wants to be swept off their feet by one man who is the real-life equivalent of Fitzwilliam Darcy (for those of you who never knew his first name). I just finished watching the 2005 edition of Pride and Prejudice. The movie is good, but it leaves a lot of parts out and I think it can be difficult to follow if you've never read the book or seen the other version. The music is amazing, however. I wonder if you can buy the soundtrack... Anyways, I am in love. I want to be Elizabeth Bennet! :)

I'm procrastinating, and if I don't stop now, I will regret it.

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Impressed

Isaiah 6:1-9 (New International Version)

Isaiah's Commission

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another:
"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory."
At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty." Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for."
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"
He said, "Go and tell this people:
" 'Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.'
I absolutely love these verses. I love how Isaiah realizes that he is imperfect and lives in an imperfect world, and yet he is still willing to be used by God. This is how I feel a lot of times - messed up, yet wanting to be used for God's glory. And God does use him: "Go and tell this people..." No questions asked, God hears Isaiah say "Here I am. Send me!" and he does. I am thankful that God chooses underdogs for His work. :)
I just had my interview for a BSM Freshman Journey group leader. I had a lot of fun talking to the interviewers - it was so awesome! I am open to whatever God wants for me next year.
I get to hang out with Leigh Ann for the second time this week, and I'm freaking out. This is just too much excitement for me in one week!!!!!
I think it's funny how all my paragraphs begin with "I."
I really want to know what it was like for people in the Old Testament. I just looked down (my Bible is on the table) and read Isaiah 8:11, "The Lord spoke to me with his strong hand upon me, warning me not to follow the way of his people." What was that like? I just want to know what those people experienced. I want to know what it was like for Moses to see a burning bush, and what exactly Noah experienced when God told him to build a huge boat. Seriously, what was that like? What did the shepherds experience when angels appeared to them after Jesus was born? Why did God choose to reveal himself differently back then? I know that in America we don't experience His presence like people did back then. I wonder why...
I think I need some Grassy Knoll time. It's gorgeous today. I'm going to experience the Lord's presence in a new way. It's gonna be cool.

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Possibilities

God is really showing me ways in which He can use my life.

I don't have to take summer school next year, and I really want to go on a mission trip. For the whole summer...

Also, I may be a Bible study leader next year.

He is changing me and teaching me, and I am growing in Him.

He is also using me in ways I never could have imagined. His Name is great! :)

Sunday, April 15, 2007

Bling = Aggie Ring

Yes, I got my Aggie Ring on Friday! Here are some pictures:


Matt, Catherine and me - we're sad because we don't have our rings yet!



They called my group number, so I'm walking into the room to get my ring!



The lady makes me sign some things before I can see my ring



Looking at my ring for the first time!!


Trying it on for the first time


GIG 'EM!!!



Our rings! (Catherine's, Matt's and mine from top to bottom - check out the diamonds on mine and Catherine's rings!)


Traditional Gig 'Em pose with my future roomie Jennifer!


My cousin Tyan came with me to get my ring!! It was so great. (Tyan, me and Carolyn from left to right)


I dunked my ring that night in green tea from Starbucks. Then I stayed awake until 2 because of the caffeine... haha


So there you have it! Carolyn took some great ring dunking pictures, but I will have to upload them later. Also, Kellie took some more professional ring pics today but I won't see them until later I think.

Thursday, April 12, 2007

That's the Way, Uh-Huh we Like it.... They Call me the Underdog

Love that song. Had a great conversation about that song with Leigh Ann today. Good stuff. :)

I've always wondered why bathrooms on campus are given room numbers. Maybe for the cleaning people? "Blocker 246 is out of toilet paper!" Well, regardless of the reason, it's always been a secret dream of mine to have a meeting and tell people it's in MSC 124 (the women's bathroom by the information desk). I just think it would be funny.

I can't wait for tomorrow. It's going to be packed with fun activities ALL day! And in just over 24 hours, I should have one of these. Mine will have a diamond on the shield though, and it will say 08 instead of 05. But yeah. I'm stoked.

I really don't have anything to say today except this:

"Wikipedia... is the best thing ever. Anyone in the world can write anything they want about any subject, so you know you are getting the best possible information." - Michael Scott from The Office

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Spring Cleaning

It must be the weather. I don't know what it is about spring that makes everyone want to clean. Today was gorgeous, and I opened my window and decided to do a little damage at Target. I went out and bought some tupperware storage boxes and drawers, a big desk calender, a pretty bulletin board and some push pins. I also bought some new pencils. Hey, I like pencils - I barely ever write in pen! Anyways. I came back home and reorganized my room. My friend Christina uses a bulletin board to put her necklaces on, so I did the same thing - GENIUS!!! Not only does it look cute, but all my necklaces are organized and will never get tangled again. Amazing. I dusted, vacuumed and put stuff in the plastic storage boxes. I also rearranged my closet so that I can access my short-sleeved stuff easier. It's officially spring! The desk calender is great, by the way. It's big and paper and I can write on it and stuff. Then, when the month is over, I tear off the page and throw it away. I should have had one of these from the beginning...

Answered prayer - I now have a roommate for next year! :) Jen and I are going to start looking for places. God provides. He's faithful. He's good. The end.

I'm going to U-Paint-It with Ashley next Wednesday, and I'm really excited. I love painting and being artistic! I think a lot of people don't know that about me. I'm a closet artist. Ok now that sounds like I'm boasting... I just appreciate art! I hope to use a lot of art to decorate my house one day. Maybe I can even start collecting it... hmm...

I got about 5 hours of sleep last night, so I tried to take a nap today. I pretty much just laid on my bed for 2 hours - I'm not sure that I actually fell asleep. I feel great now, though! I actually need to go to sleep but I'm not tired. I did my cleaning spree and now I'm really energetic. I think that I am finally finally over mono. It's taken about a year and two months! Sheesh. That was one of the worst experiences of my life. I'm so glad that's over.

I think I'm going to go take a bath and shave. I need to do that.

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Until You

I seriously do not understand God. Why on earth does He love me?!?! I am probably one of the most stupid people on this planet. I can't ever get it right. I don't learn my lesson. I don't always stay in the Word. I don't pray consistently. And yet, God still chooses to bless me again and again. I don't understand it!

I've been feeling really distracted recently, and I've felt a little far from God. It affects me a lot when I'm not reading the Bible every day. It really is my daily bread! Yesterday I just felt rushed and busy, and distant from God. It felt like nothing was going right. But over and over, God proves that He is always there and always faithful! I got to talk to my Taiwanese penpal, Claire, and I got an email from her yesterday. I was able to share my faith with her, and basically share my testimony. She told me that last Sunday she went to a Christian church in her city, and she wants to try to see if Christianity can change her life for the better!! She mentioned that she thinks she could have a personal relationship with God. Um, how GOOD is Christ?!?! I feel worthless and God still uses me in ways I am not expecting! It's incredible. I know God can change Claire's life and give her everlasting joy because of what He did for her. What a blessed day it was yesterday!

Today I applied to be a freshman Bible study leader. We'll see how that goes. I don't know what God wants me to do next year but I want to be obedient in whatever He is calling me to do! I was able to spend some time with God on the Grassy Knoll this afternoon and it was amazing. Itchy, but amazing. It's crazy thinking about what God is teaching me right now - I've come to this place in my relationship with Him where I feel like I can offer my whole being to Him for His use. I want to be used any way I can!

Tonight I'm going to Breakaway for the first time since the beginning of last semester. I'm so excited! There's just something awesome about praising God in the same room as 4000 other people. :)

I get my ring in 3 days. I'm STOKED. I'm going to dunk it on Friday night, but I don't know what to dunk it in. I'm not 21 so it has to be non-alcoholic. That's fine by me, though! Maybe I can dunk it again once I turn 21 ;) haha! Sweet tea seems like a good idea, but a little common. Suggestions are appreciated!

I need to study. Peace out.

P.S. Dave Barnes is awesome, you should check his music out!

Saturday, April 07, 2007

I'm Dreaming of a White... Easter??

I know I write in here too much.
But the fact that we are having "a few snow showers" in Dallas right now is note-worthy, I think. What on earth!? Snow? Seriously. This is Texas. And it's April.
I'm really not complaining, because snow is cool, and we don't get to see it much here. But I didn't bring anything warm to wear, especially for church tomorrow, so I'm freezing just a little. It's really bizzare to me.

I have been attempting my math take-home exam tonight, and it's killing me. Not only is the exam next to impossible, but it's taking away my love for math. It used to be my favorite subject in school, but then I discovered that math really isn't math, it's just horribly messy proofs and letters and theorems. Not to mention lemmas. I thought calculus was as complicated as it got, but I was wrong. Now I'm supposed to teach this stuff, my so-called "passion" to kids, and get them all excited about it. That's hard though when you really don't like math anymore. The truth is, I really don't like anything (school related) anymore, except for people. I love people.
I wish I could get a people degree.

I bought the new Relient K CD today. I don't know why I love that band so much, because I'm not a huge punk rock/whatever that stuff is fan. I seriously never get tired of Relient K. Carolyn and I are going to jam to it all the way back to College Station. I also want to buy Dave Barnes' CD, but Best Buy didn't have it when I checked back in Aggieland. Maybe I'll just get it from iTunes.

I'm going to check for that now.

Friday, April 06, 2007

And A Quiet Old Lady, Whispering "Hush"

I found a dress, as well as shoes that match! I'm really surprised, because normally I'm not this lucky when I shop. And that's usually due to the fact that I'm really indecisive and can't choose anything that I really like. However, the reason I had a hard time finding stuff today was because I am too tiny. Seriously, I wish I was taller and curvier! I said that in a store and one of the workers just stopped and looked at me - she said that was the first time any girl had said that. Haha! I am a size 2 (or probably 0, even some of the 2s were too big), and the smallest dress size most stores carried was 4. Everything was too big. Verrrrry frustrating. Eventually, I found a gorgeous dress that was on sale! Mandi helped me to pick it out. It's beautiful, but I'm not going to tell you what it looks like. You will just have to wait for pictures at the end of April! :)

I must be getting old because I woke up at 7:30 this morning. And it's not even midnight and I'm tired. Therefore, I'm going to go to sleep now.

Goodnight moon.

Get Your Hair Did, Get Your Nails Done

I got a hair cut last night, and I must say, I think it's pretty cute. It's way shorter than I was expecting, but I think it looks better than before. My hair was starting to get mushroomy. My hairdresser, Jacob (not gay - he's married), told me that he and his friend invented the haircut he gave me, and I was the second person ever to have it. I feel special!

Today I'm going shopping with Mandi, my love, for a Ring Dance dress. I'm kind of freaking out. Everyone is telling me different things to buy, different colors, different styles. I'm not good at shopping for things like this. I can do semi-formal dresses. I'm very good at that. But formal dresses are hard! I wish that White House Black Market did formal dresses, but I don't think they do. Hmm.

Being home is fun, but I want Carolyn to get here. She's working with the homeless in Dallas right now with some of her friends. I wish I could have done that, but it just didn't work out.

I'm going to work on scanning some of those pics I found last night. I think you will all enjoy them.

Thursday, April 05, 2007

Oh, Memories...

I've been home for a few hours already. I just got bored for the first time so far, so I wandered upstairs to look through the hundreds of photographs we got delivered to our house. They had been put into storage when we moved to England, and since we're back in Texas, PepsiCo decided they were no longer going to pay for our things to be kept in an air conditioned storage unit. So they dropped everything off at our house.

I picked up the first manilla envelope that I found, and it was labelled "1986 - Katie Birth & Newborn May-July". Baby pictures? My baby pictures? I don't think I'd ever seen these. It sounds kind of weird, but I don't know if my parents ever made an album with my baby pics. The last time I'd seen any of myself as a baby, I was probably 5 or 6. Wow. I flipped through the ones in the envelope and almost started to cry. I saw myself with my dad's mother, the grandma I never knew, before she passed away. I would have loved to have known her. I found some of me right after I was born - gross. I was not a very attractive baby! And yet I still looked like the me I am today, in an odd sort-of way. There's one of me in my crib, lying next to my first teddy bear, Daniel. He looked so fuzzy and soft back then. He was about as big as I was in the picture! It's funny, looking at baby pictures, and thinking "those fingers are the same ones that I have now" and "those feet are my feet"!!! My feet actually look like the ones I have now! Oh, and I found a picture of my old front door that was decorated for my return from the hospital. It had a banner on it that said "Welcome Home Deana and Katy". KATY???? That's how my name was originally spelt? Wow, I'd been getting it wrong all these years!!! I'm pretty sure Nana made it, because it looks like her handwriting. It feels weird to see my name spelt with a "y" instead of an "ie". There's a picture of my old neighborhood, too. It looked really nice back then. And there's a picture of my dad's old blue camero. I wish he had kept that car.

Now I'm going to open an envelope labelled "1988 - Winter Carolyn Newborn". First picture - my mom and dad with me, on the couch, who is holding Carolyn. I look like a boy. If I wasn't wearing some sort of frilly dress thing, you wouldn't be able to tell that I was a girl. My name could have been Karl. Or something. Niiiice, there's a picture of me picking my nose while we're trying to take a nice family photo. A picture of Papa holding Carolyn, who is screaming her head off. Her face is really red. Another picture of me, aged 2. I still look like a boy. I have no hair and my ears stuck out a lot. I was kind of an ugly kid. Wow... seriously, I wish I could scan some of these. I LOOK LIKE A BOY!!! I am going to ask my mom if people told her she had a very handsome son. I'm pretty sure that Carolyn is crying in all of these pictures. Ok, I'm finding some better pictures of me, now. I actually look kind of cute. Funny thing is, I have no hair. I didn't really have much hair until I was 3. Then I got cursed. Oh, WOW. I literally laughed out loud when I looked at one of these pictures of Carolyn - wrinkly face, black hair, weird expression. Yet it looks just like her. Ohh, there's a picture of my dad throwing me up in the air, and I'm smiling really big. Now THAT one looks like me. :)

I know you are getting sick of reading all of this, so I'll sign off now. If I find any way of scanning some of these in, I will. They are priceless.

Tuesday, April 03, 2007

I Can't Wait to Have Grassy Knoll Time

Ugh..... I just ate too much!! For the past two Tuesdays, my Nana has taken me and Carolyn to the T-Garden in Bryan for lunch. It's such a girly place to eat! The food is wonderful and I tend to eat it too quickly! Today I had broccoli and cheese quiche, chicken and wild rice soup, candy bar brownie with ice cream and peach tea. And I ate it all. If you know me, you know I have a tiny stomach so all that food is a lot for my little body! :) Anyways, sorry for sharing the contents of my lunch with you, but it was just that amazing.

I want to take this time to do a little shout-out to my Taiwanese penpal, Claire. Hi, Claire! She and I have been emailing for the past month or so and it's SO fun! I am so lucky to have her as a penpal! She likes to write a lot which is nice because I do too. If we ever met in real life, I think we would never stop talking! :)

I am going to get sad when the weather gets warmer. I really enjoy walking from Lot 100 to wherever my classes are. People think I'm crazy (maybe it's because I sweat or something and end up smelling bad once I get to class), but I love it. It is a wonderful time to be still and talk to God. I love looking at His creation around me as I walk! Plus, buses are boring. No one talks to anyone else (normally), and when I walk to class, I see people I know. It's good exercise, too. If you ever want to run into me, check for me between Lot 100 and Harrington/Blocker/Halbouty/Chemical Engineering building. Hahaha!

Man, there was something else I was going to write about. I forgot it now.

In that case, I am off to spend some amazing quality time with my best friend at the Grassy Knoll. I feel like I haven't done that in a while and it makes me sad. I know it makes Him sad, too. And yet, He loves me all the same! :D (If you haven't already guessed, I'm gonna go hang out with Jesus!!!!)

Peace out,
Katie

Sunday, April 01, 2007

What Comes Before Part B?

PART-AY!!!!!!!!!

That was Ashley's joke.

So I've been wanting to write in this for a really long time, and I haven't had time. Then when I do have time, I don't feel inspired, so it's a lose-lose situation. Today, however, the weather is gorgeous and it makes me want to just... pour out my heart on blogspot. Haha.

This is the first weekend I've had in a really long time. Since before Spring Break, really. Last weekend I sat on a charter bus for 72 hours and got out every hour or so to look at a coastline or some rocks. Then we would sing the "Field Trip Theme Song", which goes:

And the land form iiiiiisssss.............
All because... of erosion!

The longest three days of my life.

Finally, this weekend came. I'd been looking forward to it for a long time. We had a Juarez BBQ Reunion on Friday night, and I think it was pretty successful. Nana loved it! Everyone talked to her which made me really happy. After the BBQ we all went over to another friend's house for game night, which I hadn't done in a long time. Apples to Apples pretty much rocked! I may have won, but I'm not sure. :)

Yesterday was Island Party, and that was ah-mazing! I spent the morning with Ashley in downtown Bryan, and Carolyn joined us for lunch at Madden's. The weather was perfect, and we were looking oh-so stylish in our jeans and t-shirts! :P We met up with some Aggies in Mission people at Island Party and managed to see a bunch of awesome bands/musicians perform, including Bethany Dillon, Dave Barnes, Jimmy Needham and Green River Ordinance.

God has been showing me so much recently. I just want to share it with you!!!

Passion.
I am learning about things that I am passionate about: people, relationships and service. I've been using that word a lot recently, and it's cool to see how much I really do love those things. Maybe the mission trip I went on over Spring Break made me think more about it, but I'm not sure. It could have been a slowly developing thing. All I know is that I am filled with a huge, overwhelming love for the people I met, and God has renewed within me a love for those I already know. People are amazing. They inspire, overwhelm, encourage, trust and love back. Yet they are imperfect. It is so awesome to see people in the way God sees us - well, not quite. I don't have the whole "unconditional love" thing down. I wish I could love perfectly, but I can't. That's the beauty of Christ my Savior! I love relationships. Not the romantic kind, but in general. I love seeing the body of Christ at work! I love seeing gifts and talents being displayed in others' lives. Ahhh it gives me joy! And the third thing I am truly passionate about is service. Quite simply, I love it. Using my very being to be a living sacrifice is amazing! I love being able to serve Christ by serving others. I know that whatever I do with my life, it will involve service!

Joy.
The other day I told someone that “too many things give me joy”. It seems like I have just been finding joy in everything recently! Is it appropriate to use the phrase “my cup runneth over” or is that for something else? I dunno. All I know is that I am having a hard time getting stressed out or upset over anything. God gives me so much joy and knowing Him personally is so sweet! Hopefully my life will reflect the joy I have in knowing Christ and that “every blessing [He] pours out I’ll turn back to praise”, as we sang in church tonight.

Obedience.
This is a tough one! I am a control freak, and to not be in control can be difficult for me. Recently, God has led me to do something that I thought I wasn’t capable of doing – tell my roommates that I wasn’t going to live with them next year. I don’t know why, but God wanted me to do that. He showed me through a bunch of different stuff, and it feels strange to not have a plan. I like to be prepared! I don’t even know who I’m living with 100% and I especially don’t know where I’m living. Please be in prayer with me over this situation! I know God will provide – I’m certain of it – but I don’t know how or when. His timing is perfect though, and I trust Him! Satan keeps trying to lie to me, telling me that I really messed this up and that I’ll end up homeless next year, but I have to ignore all of that junk! I’m learning to obey Christ in everything He calls me to do. One example of this is applying to be a freshman Bible study leader. I keep getting told that I need to be leading a Bible study, but it’s a little out of my comfort zone because I don’t feel like I have a gift of teaching and I’m scared to lead in that way. I know that God will give me words and I trust in that! So that’s something that’s going on in my life right now. Obedience is so sweet, on a side note. :)

* * * * *

I’m going to be taking 10 hours this summer in summer school. I’ll be doing both sessions, and I’m a little scared because I’ve never taken summer school before. However, I know it’ll also be fun and so I’m excited about that! Next semester I’ll be taking 10 hours, and hopefully I will be able to get classes so that I won’t have Monday or Friday classes. Whoop! Anybody want to hang out with me next semester?!? Maybe I’ll get a job or something.

What else is going on in my life? Hmmm… well, I got asked to go to Ring Dance! I’m pretty excited except that I don’t like dances. Kara reassured me this morning and said that it was a lot of fun when she went 10 years ago hahaha! I will try make the most of it. People think I’m crazy and therefore must like parties, but I would much rather go to Starbucks with someone and talk for 5 hours or just walk around campus. But hopefully Ring Dance has stuff for all types, even me. Now to find a dress… I’m going to get Kellie to help me since she’s the fashion guru. But knowing her it could be kinda weird. ;)

I don’t know of anything else to tell you all. I think that covers everything!

I am going to try to go to bed early tonight, so I’d better start getting ready now.

-Katherine