It's Been a While

I'm back.

For today, anyways.

I don't have internet yet at my duplex, hence not blogging for a while and the low activity on facebook.

I got on campus early this morning to pull tickets for the game (whoop) and now I have some time to kill before Anna and Hannah get here. At first I was trying to think of something to do, and then I remembered that I hadn't written on here in a while. So I headed straight to the SCC, which is completely packed, by the way.

It's the first day of school! I think I'm a nerd, because I absolutely love the first day of school. I have been walking around campus a little this morning, and seeing all these students everywhere makes me want to pee in my pants. I get postively ecstatic! I love the hustle and bustle of kids trying to make it to class. I love seeing the freshmen with their cute first-day-of-school outfits, Fish Camp t-shirts and their campus maps. I love seeing the Fish Camp counselors with their dyed hair leftover from camp. I love seeing people I know as I walk across campus. I love the poster sales in Rudder Plaza. I love seeing the corps people whip out to each other. I even love the people who give out free newspapers and then try to sell you a subscription.

I love the first day of school! I absolutely love Texas A&M. It's pretty much the best school in the universe.

I guess this means that the summer is officially over. That's weird, because it just started not too long ago. Well, about 3.5 months ago, but it just flew by really fast. Let's do a recap of what happened this summer:

- took a Texas history class and made a B

- started going to Coffee Station very regularly

- met a wonderful guy at Coffee Station

- learned a lot about wisdom

- had some awesome Bible studies with my sister

- took a trip home to visit my family

- started hanging out with the people from Coffee Station a lot

- learned a lot about fellowship and the Body of Christ

- took a trip to a farm in Leona

- learned how to shoot a gun and fish

- started hanging out a lot with the wonderful guy I met at Coffee Station

- drove to Cypress to visit Ashley

- took a Pilates class and passed (it was pass/fail)

- took a Statistics class and made an A

- went to tutoring for the first time in my life

- saw about a bajillion movies

- got visited by my family about 3 or 4 times

- took a trip to Houston with the wonderful guy I met at Coffee Station

- learned a lot about the power of prayer

- started dating the wonderful guy I met at Coffee Station

- prepared for my British friends to come

- went to Dallas, Ft. Worth, Denton, Little Elm and McKinney with my British friends

- drove to College Station

- hung out in College Station and waited for school to start

There's probably a lot more things that should be on that list. But that should give you a rough idea of what I've been up to!

Anna and Hannah are still here, of course, so we are trying to plan lots of stuff to do in B/CS. We went to see Hairspray last night, and they loved it. You can't stop the beat! That is a fun movie with an even funner (it's a word, trust me) soundtrack.

Hopefully, soon, Nana will call me and tell me she will be on campus soon with the girls. I am going to finish giving my campus tour and then we're going to the George Bush Library. I've been here for 3 years and I've never been there. I'll let you know how that goes.

I love life.

God is good.

I'm out!

- Katie

Tremble

Your wickedness will punish you;
your backsliding will rebuke you.
Consider then and realize
how evil and bitter it is for you
when you forsake the LORD your God
and have no awe of me,"
declares the Lord, the LORD Almighty.
Jeremiah 2:19


Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore stand in awe of God.
Ecclesiastes 5:7


You came and chose to wear the skin of all of us
And it's easy to forget You left a throne

Face down on the ground do I dare
To take the liberty to stare at You

Oh let me not forget to tremble

Today's the Big Day!

Wow, 4 comments??? That made my week, y'all. Now let's see if we can step it up and exceed that number this time.

Only joking. :)

But it seriously did make me happy to get those comments! I guess parenting is thought-provoking...??

So anyways, TODAY IS THE BIG DAY!!!!! In 6.5 hours, I will be leaving to go pick up my friends from the airport. It's good that I have that much time, though, because I made a list of the things I really need to do today:

clean out the car
get gas in both cars
vacuum the house
buy food for Anna and Hannah for when they get off the plane and are hungry
get ice water ready
get a sandwich ready since I will be hungry after picking them up
make a country music CD for the drive home (gotta get them used to Texas straight away!)
wash/fold all laundry
clean bathrooms
get a map to the airport and print it out just in case

Is anyone else excited about the wintertime? I think I was reminded of the winter because I am wearing my cozy sweatshirt, which is something I haven't done all summer. I am excited about making my house all warm and cozy, wearing sweaters and scarves and gloves and possibly hats (we'll see about that one. I really want to be a hat person, but my hair is kinda difficult for that... that's another subject entirely). I want to light candles all throughout my house and play relaxing music. Most likely John Mayer. I can't wait to snuggle under blankets and watch Christmas movies. Most of all, though, I can't wait for the Christmas party! I can't explain how pumped I am!

Last night, Sarah came over with Deborah and Krista. We had a wonderful time eating Sonic (I rarely ever eat fast food, so that was good for me), having tea, cake and homemade chocolate chip cookies, playing poker (I almost won, but went all in and the very end. Christina took everything!!!) and watching a PBS documentary about ferrets. Sarah had rented it from Netflix. This documentary was insane... I can't believe how crazy people get about ferrets! Most of the people interviewed on this show were middle-aged, overweight women with way too much time on their hands. My favorite ferret person was one such woman who made up a song about ferrets. They showed her singing various verses at intervals throughout the show. Here's one of them (sorry Kellie, I stole this from your blog):

Priceless. We all learned the chorus and sung it every time it came on.

My favorite quote from the movie was this:

"It seemed that as I got older, I replaced my children with ferrets as they moved out of the house. The advantage was, I could put them in a cage, but they arrest you if you do that to your kids."

Funnily enough, it was the same lady who made up the song that said this...

So I had a dream last night where I lost my favorite shoes - the shoes I have worn every single day this summer (brown flip flops with gold straps). I was at some party or something, and I guess we all took our shoes off. I don't understand that, but whatever. Then I went back to collect them later, and someone had taken my shoes and left their own, which looked similar but definitely weren't the same size. I was very upset about this, which is kind of funny because last night I read about seeking the Kingdom first and not storing up treasures on Earth... Actually, come to think of it, the last time I read those verses (earlier this summer), I had a similar dream. I dreamed that someone stole the car that Carolyn and I share. Hmmm, that's very interesting... maybe God is trying to tell me something?

I wish I could pop my back. I think it needs to be popped right now, but I'm not sure how to do it.

Last night it started raining really hard, which made me really happy. It was thundering and lightning, too, which made me even more excited. I love thunderstorms! I just checked the weather, and it says that it's supposed to thunderstorm all day. I would be pretty happy about this, but I'll be driving to the airport. I don't like to drive to places I haven't driven before in bad weather. But whatev.

Well, I guess I should get a move on and get ready. I am hungry, my breath is not pretty, and I am in desperate need of a shower. Sounds like a recipe for disaster if I don't do something about it soon! :)

6 hours.

-Katie

Moms and Such

I have been working on a post with Carolyn for a few days now. It's been something that has been on my heart, but I'm not quite sure that the post is finished yet. It's times like these when I feel like my words are never good enough. I love to write, but my words don't seem to accurately convey the things that weigh so heavily on my heart. My mind seems to process those thoughts without words.

I wish there was a way to communicate without using words sometimes. Maybe that's why I like hugs so much. You don't have to say anything; a hug says it all: I love you, I'm excited to see you, I care about you, I'm here for you, Thank you, I'll miss you, You are important to me... the list goes on.

I am absolutely in love with this song:


Except that the version from the CD isn't so produced. It's simply the piano. You can go here to listen to it. Click on "Sophia." Kellie introduced me to her... :)

I think something is wrong with me. Well, maybe not wrong, but I'm definitely weird. I have become absolutely intreagued with moms. Maybe part of it is because that is something that seems to be built into the very core of my being. I can't wait to be a mom! It'll be amazingly difficult, but I am sure I will love it. I think that being around so many moms this summer (in my women's discipleship class, at church etc.) has made me think a lot. I want to know the Biblical way to raise children. I want to know what the Bible says about spanking. I want to know about a woman's Biblical position is with regards to parenting. I want to know what submission looks like in marriage (not so much a mom thing, but something I've been thinking a lot about also). I want to know if it's ok to tell kids that the tooth fairy isn't real, or that Santa doesn't exist. I want to know how much tv a child should be watching, and which shows are good or bad. I love talking to moms and watching them interact with their children. It's kind of creepy, I know. I guess I just think that maybe it's a good idea to think about this stuff before you have kids. Hmmm. It makes me want to get my life in order because your children will imitate you. According to the Bible, we are to teach our children and train them.

I stood in line at Walmart yesterday for about 10 minutes, and listened to a whole conversation between a mother and her teenaged son about chewing tobacco. She was trying to buy him some, and they didn't have the kind he liked. He was trying to descibe why each brand wasn't right, and his mom kept saying "I don't know what that means... I don't know a lot about this stuff." I seriously couldn't believe this mother was being educated about tobacco by her son! I also couldn't believe that she was perfectly ok with buying him that disgusting stuff. I don't really know why I'm telling this story. I guess I was just a little shocked, and it reminded me of the kind of mom I don't want to be. I will love my kids too much to let them get involved with stuff like that...

It's getting late. I should probably get to bed! I have a lot to do tomorrow to prepare for Anna and Hannah's arrival on SATURDAY!!! I freakin can't believe it.

Just for fun: this picture is for Austin. I don't have to explain anything - he'll understand! :)

-Katie

P.S.

I guess it is officially official! Ha. :)

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig...

I need a massage more than anything right now. I just spent the past couple hours driving in intense Dallas traffic and my back hurts pretty bad. But it doesn't matter that much because I'm home!

Home in Little Elm.

For a week and a half.

On Saturday, Anna and Hannah arrive. We will spend a few days after that hanging out in the DFW area, then we will head to College Station on the Wednesday or Thursday before school starts. I'm so excited!

I can't wait to show my British friends around big ol' Texas. After almost 10 years, they get to see where I lived before I moved to England. I will teach them all the Aggie traditions. They will melt in the hot sun. They will learn to two-step. They will see the Aggies win a football game. They will shop in the biggest mall in Texas.

We will have a blast.

My family came down to College Station on Friday to help me and Carolyn move into our new houses. I got everything (almost) set up, and it looks pretty nice! I love my new room. The best part is how dark it gets at night -- I no longer have a very bright light outside my bedroom window! Another thing I love is how much bigger my new room is from my old one (not much, but it feels like it!) and how much softer the carpet is. I love soft carpet!

Even though the weekend was crazy, we had a lot of fun with the family. We got to have a hamburger party on Saturday night with Austin, Natalie, Chris, Natalie's dad, Anna and Leigh Ann. I love hanging out with awesome people! My family really liked Austin, which is good. :) My dad even offered to give him his old road bike, which is a pretty big deal if you know my dad. Then last night, we went to Coffee Station and hung out with Chad, Wilfried, Anna, Natalie and Austin. I'm so glad Kellie got to meet everyone! There is never a dull moment there.

Anyways, so I'm home now, and Sarah is about to get here. We might head to the pool and relax a bit. My parents have gone to Pennsylvania for a week or so, and so it's just us girls here for a while. Good bonding time.

Well, Sarah Green is here, so I should go and hang out. Peace!

P.S. Don't ask me what that picture is... I don't even know where Little Elm Park is... haha!

Free.

It's really weird to look around my room and know that in two days, none of the stuff in it will be here. I really do love my bedroom - it's cozy and comfortable and it's actually pretty cute. Nana helped me to decorate it two years ago. It looks like everything in here was really expensive, but that was definitely not the case! Most of it was pretty cheap, and then the rest was free or handmade.

I will miss my bedroom.

Last night, me and four other college peeps from my comgroup gathered at the Tillery's house for dinner. Jennifer and I cooked spaghetti and cheesecake, and we sat around and talked for hours. It was the first time I had seen Greg all summer, and the last time I will see Justin for a very long time (he's moving back home for a year or so). Bittersweet times! I think one of my favorite things to do is cook and eat dinner with my friends.

I really do love to cook, but only when I'm cooking for someone. I love to have people over and enjoy their company. I especially love it when there are no deadlines, no one has to be anywhere, and we can just sit for hours and talk.

Acts 2 talks about the early church eating together:

Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Acts 2:46-47

Things happen when the church meets to eat together. I don't know what it is, but it is special. When I think of times where God has worked powerfully in the lives of my Brothers and Sisters in Christ, it is normally when we have met for dinner. It's an interesting thing.

On a funny note, Andrew was telling us about a fortune cookie he had recently got at a Chinese restaurant. It said, "You laugh now, but wait until you get home." Isn't that creepy? Haha.

Recently I have been thinking a lot about freedom. I think as Christians, we tend to settle when we are struggling with something. We may say something like, "This is something I'll be dealing with for the rest of my life."

Whether it be

depression

an eating disorder

pornography/other sexual sin

a horrible temper
alcohol/drugs

overeating

anything else.

Do we seriously think that God can't free us? Jesus came so that we may have freedom!

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1)

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. (2 Corinthians 3:17)

Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil. (1 Peter 2:16)

...because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:2)

You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. (Romans 6:18)

Those are just a few verses. God wants us to be free! Look at the end of Galatians 5:1 - it says to not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery, because we have been set free. The number of times Christians do this is phenomenal! We don't claim the freedom that we have.

In the Bible, becoming a Christian is often compared to a slave being set free, or a person becoming new.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17)

For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin -- because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. (Romans 6:6-7)

So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir. (Galatians 4:7)

In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. (Romans 6:11)

But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. (Romans 8:10)

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. (Colossians 2:13-14)

There's just a couple verses.

We were made to be free. God wants us to be free! If you read the Gospels, you will notice that Jesus is constantly healing people.

He cures the sick

heals the lame

gives sight to the blind

stops internal bleeding

raises people from the dead

and even feeds the hungry.

Not to mention, He changes hearts and transforms lives.

He has the power to change our lives and set us free.

This is what God wants to do in everyone's life. I have seen Him heal people who were told they would never walk again. I have seen Him cure people of illnesses. I have seen Him help a close friend lose 81 pounds in less than 7 months. I have seen Him give peace to the anxious. I have seem Him provide for those who don't know where their next meal is coming from. I have seen Him save people from a life of drugs and alcohol abuse.

He can change you, too! I don't want this to sound cheesy, but it's true. If you don't know Jesus, just know that He loves you and wants to change your life.

The freedom He gives is amazing - not to be burdened by something is a wonderful feeling! That is what God has done in me. :)

I am very excited about this weekend. My family is coming into town TOMORROW (I can't wait to see Kellie -- she has been in England all summer!) to help me and my sister move into our new houses. Saturday night, we are going to have a BBQ at Nana's house for my roommates and their parents. I can't wait. I really love my roommates a lot. I am going to miss living with them so much! I can't wait for Saturday night. My favorite people, all in one room together.

Amazing.

Have a blessed day.

-Katie

Key Lime Pie Flavored Yogurt is Really Good

I know, I know. I'm such a slacker.

I have been a very busy little person these past few days! Life is good. I am completely done with classes.

Well, I could be.

I am having this moral dilemma over my statistics class. I found out today that if I don't take the final, I have a B in the class. That's good, right?

I would have been happy with that, if my teacher wouldn't have said, "If you make an 83 or higher on the final, you will get an A." Hmmm. I really don't want to take the final, because it's cummulative, and that means more studying. Plus, getting an 83 on those tests is hard! I got an 85 on my last exam, and I only missed 3 questions. So... you see why I have having issues about it.

Maybe I need to believe in myself more.

I just really want to be done with summer school!

On a happier note, Anna and Hannah will be here in 12 days. 12 DAYS!!! That's so close. I really really can't believe it. I am planning lots of fun Texan things for them to do.

This morning, I felt like I was dreaming as I was walking to class. I had pilates at 8, but I got to the building at 7:30. As I was walking up to the doors, I saw tons of 50-65 year old farmer-looking guys everywhere. Overalls, hats, boots. They were all wearing them. As I got closer to the door, I noticed cows outside of the building. Inside was even weirder. There was some convention going on. Like a cattle auction thing. It was bizzare! At 7:30 in the morning! I'm pretty sure there were live animals inside the G. Rollie White building. Which is supposed to be reserved for volleyball. What a strange university I go to...

I'm sorry guys, but my mind really isn't in this right now. I need food, and that is preoccupying my thoughts.

I'll write soon.

You Can Have What's Left of Me

***I had to take Nick Lacey's face off my site. Seeing him there every time I came to this page was creeping me out. I don't really roll that way... I'll keep the video, though. Ha.***

So I listen to Nick Lachey... what's it to you? Haha. I just heard that song on the radio. If you sing along (like I do), you have to act it out and put passion and heart-felt agony into it. Just like Nick does. People may make fun of you as you drive past, but they don't understand the pain you are going through. You are half a man... wanting to be whole once again... because you want her, you feel her, crawling underneath your skin... like a hunger, like a burning.... you're broken...

Ok I'll stop now. I'm sorry, but I feel goofy.

I realize that I haven't blogged in a while. I'm sure you have been suffering greatly. Not really. My life has been a little hectic, apart from the 6 hours a day I spend in Coffee Station. That part is actually quite relaxing. I seriously love that place.

I am nearing the light at the end of the tunnel... the tunnel of summer school. I finished my pilates class today, pretty much (provided my grade is high enough that I don't have to take the final, which I'm sure it is). I had my last stat lecture yesterday and my last stat lab today. Tomorrow I have a test, and if my grade is high enough for that, I won't have to take the final in that class either. And I really don't want to take it. We'll see.

Turkey is definitely nature's candy. I love it. What an amazing meat, y'all.

I'm very ADD today. I don't have anything interesting to say. It's raining outside. I love it. The sound makes me happy, like always. I guess this means more crickets. Whoop.

Ok I have to take a shower now. Maybe once I've calmed down I'll post again. Because the more typing I do right now, the worse it gets for everyone involved (my brain starts going crazy, and you guys have to read it).

Shower time.

-K



Now that was just for fun. Hahahahaha......

Two Things

I just got back from watching "No Reservations" with Carolyn and Anna. Two things:

1. Go see it.

I was pleasantly surprised! It was a very good movie. Very clean, very cute, but a tear-jerker quite a few times. I would definitely watch it again.

2. I really want to go to New York.

I have always wanted to go to New York. It just looks so magical! Especially in the wintertime (when the movie was set). I would love to go stand and look at that big Christmas tree with the snow falling down around me and Michael Buble playing in my head (haha). I want to see stores and streets lit up at night time. I want to sit on a bench by the water. I want to go to the "Shop Around the Corner" (it exists in my mind, and if it doesn't, I'm sure there are stores like it) and look at all the children's books. I want to buy fresh flowers from a market. I want to sit in a coffee shop and just watch people rushing past. I want to read a book in the park. I want to see a Broadway musical. It all looks terribly romantic.

I just really want to go to New York.

Ask my parents: I have always loved cities. It's not that I don't love the country - I really do. I love the quiet peacefulness and the untouched beauty of mountains and lakes and fields. I love the country. I grew up in the country pretty much. It's gorgeous.

But I love cities too. There is so much architecture and history. The people are intreaguing. There is always something to do and something to see. There is a certain energy about the city. It gets me excited!

Well, I should be getting to bed. I have to wake up at 6:30 tomorrow. Just like every other morning!

Goodnight. :)

Second Post Today

Ohhhhh, two posts in one day! Can you believe it? (Probably.)

I am very tired and I feel really weak and worn out right now. I probably just need a hug. Instead, I turn to blogging, since everyone around me has gone to sleep. Yes, it's 10:20 and almost everyone in my apartment is either in their room going to sleep, or in their pajamas and getting ready for sleep. We're like old people.

I realized today that I need to become a better communicator. I always thought that I was quite good at communicating, since I love talking to people and engaging in conversation. I can carry on a conversation with someone for a long time.

But communication is much more than that.

My problem comes with listening. For the most part, I think I am a pretty good listener because I don't get distracted by things around me easily when talking to someone, and I try my best not to interrupt them or change the subject. I understand how frustrating it is when the person you're talking to does that, so I try to stay quiet when someone is talking to me.

I just tend to forget things people have told me.

Important things.

Things I should remember so as not to hurt people in the future.

And yet, I don't make an effort to remember these things and put them into practice.

I'm sorry I'm being vague.

I need to learn to be a better communicator from now on. I think communication is key, especially if you have hurt someone or if there is a dispute/argument over something. You must learn to listen to what the person has to say. You must not argue with them if they say that something you did hurt them. You must apologize sincerely, asking for forgiveness, and asking how to avoid hurting them in the future. You must not try to justify your actions. You must speak with a calm and gentle tone of voice. (And you must learn this stuff before you get married! Haha.)

I have had to learn all of this from experience. It is a humbling thing to come to someone, throw away your pride and admit that you are messed up and that you were wrong. I used to be awful at this, but I am becoming much, much better. I hope my sister would agree. Carolyn sees me apologize to her more than anyone else. Because she's the one I hurt more than anyone else. (Agreed, Carolyn?)

It is also very difficult to forgive others for hurting us. Yet because Christ forgave our sins, we must forgive others for wronging us.

Read Matthew 18:21-35.

It's a good picture of forgiveness.

As for me, right now, I am going to bed.

At 10:37. :)

-Katie

So Long, Milky

Yesterday was a very sad day for me.

I got rid of Milky, my hamster.

There is a hole in my closet where his cage used to be, and it makes me sad every time I see it.

I have been meaning to get rid of my hamster for some time now, but I had no idea how to do that. My friends and I came up with a few different plans:

1. Let him go in the wild.
The problem with this plan was that I would feel guilty for the rest of my life. There was no way that I could take my precious pet and put him in a field where birds could pick him up, carry him away and eat him. I couldn't live with myself knowing that would be the end of him.

2. Find someone with a snake, and feed him to it.
The problem with this plan was that I would, again, feel guilty for the rest of my life. What a way for a hamster to die. Mice are one thing, but a pet, a named pet, is another.

3. Carry him into a pet store in my pocket, then pull him out and walk up to a store employee, claiming we found him running around the store, and that he needed to be put back in a cage. (My personal favorite because it was the least cruel.)
The problem with this plan was that the employees would probably notice his patchy fur, due to the summer hair cut Carolyn gave him a few weeks ago. Another problem is that he was a lot bigger than the other hamsters in the store, and they would know something was up.

4. Put him in his ball, and let him loose on a busy street.

The problem with this plan was... well I won't even go into how wrong this is on so many levels.

Since none of these plans seemed like they would work, I decided to call Petsmart and Petco to see if they would accept hamsters that had been previously owned. Petsmart told me that if I had bought him there less than two days ago, there would be no problems. Milky is about a year and a half old, so this definitely wasn't an option. Petco, on the other hand, said that I could take him, his cage and all his accessories up to the store and sign a "transfer of custody" form. They would then put him up for adoption and find a good home for him.

Perfect!

So yesterday afternoon, I cleaned Milky's cage for the last time ever, put him in the car, and drove to Petco. After signing the transfer of custody form (I felt like I had gone through a divorce or something), the super nice and friendly employees took Milky in. They thought he was adorable, and welcomed him into their lovely family. I waved goodbye and walked out the door, feeling a little sad that I will no longer have a small rodent living in my closet. I no longer smell hamster pee when I walk into my room, which should make me extremely happy, but instead makes me a little sad.

Give me a few days and I'll be over it, I'm sure. Milky will forever live on as my phone's background picture.

I can't wait for Kellie to be back in Texas. I really miss her, even if she doesn't miss us very much. Texas loves her more than she knows. :)

There are 10 more days until the end of this Summer School session. I honestly can't believe this summer is nearly over. It really really makes me sad, because I have enjoyed it so much! I have had so many adventures, met so many people, learned so many new things... I couldn't have asked for a better summer this year.

I move into my new duplex in 12 days. It is going to be a huge change for me, since I am so used to living with the same three amazing girls. My new roommate is amazing, too, but it will definitely be different than it is now. I think the main difference is that I'll only be living with one other person. I am excited and sad at this new chapter of my life. But God is still good. :)

I think I have run out of things to say. I keep looking out my window at the beautiful sky. I want to get out there. I think I will go somewhere and just lay outside. It looks absolutely gorgeous!!!

-Katie

It's Not a Very Interesting One Today

This morning felt a lot like a dream.

I got to the bus stop at the usual time, but the bus didn't come for another 15 minutes. Very strange. Normally, it is perfectly on schedule. When it did arrive at 7:18, however, I noticed that it said "N35 Hullabaloo" instead of "N36 Cotton Bowl". This is strange because the N35 hasn't been running for over a year.

The next weird thing that happened was that my bus turned on Holleman instead of George Bush. The route was kind of different. People were confused because it wasn't stopping at the usual stops. At least I still had the same bus driver. If it had been someone different, I might have freaked out. We still arrived at the Trigon at the right time, however. It was so strange. I tried looking it up on the A&M Transport website, but there was nothing written about these changes. Hmm.

Then, when I was walking to my pilates class, there were all these people sitting everywhere in Rudder Plaza and around the MSC breezeway. I figured out they were firefighters. It was really weird. They were all just hanging out and sitting around. Actually, when I was riding the bus to campus, I saw a sign above Mi Cocina that said "Welcome, Firemen" or soemthing like that.

Is there a convention going on in town?

It has been a pretty strange morning. I think things are back to normal, now.

I really don't have anything interesting to write about. There is a girl three computers down from me who is sleeping. It looks like fun. I think if I did that at my computer, it might not work too well. She is in a corner where no one can really see her. I need a nap.

I haven't spoken to my mom in a while. I think I'm going to go call her.

Peace out, homies.

Car Washes are Awkward

I almost didn't want to post this morning because I love going to my blog and seeing that beautiful painting of the heart right there. Does anyone else really like that picture? I wish I could have a print of that to hang somewhere. It looks like what my heart feels like. That painting makes me smile! I think all I did was search google images (although now I have no idea what I typed in to find it).

Anyways, good morning!

I saw Hairspray last night with some friends, and it was simply amazing. I was smiling, dancing, and laughing the whole way through. Seeing John Travolta as a woman was hilarious. Go see it. I think it got an A- by the yahoo movie reviews thing... and as far as I can tell, that's rare.

Do you ever look up when you're walking around? I have been doing it a lot recently. There's a lot to look at up there! I like looking at the top of buildings, the birds in the sky, the branches of the trees, the clouds... I must look like a complete dork with my neck bent back and eyes upward, but it's worth it. Just look up sometime when you are walking across campus. I'm not sure if I would advise this in a busy city (although a split second wouldn't hurt anyone), but definitely try this on campus. The sky is beautiful.

Yesterday, Carolyn and I went to give Dwight a bath. Dwight, for those of you who don't know this, is what we call our car. If you saw the license plate, you would understand. He is rightfully a "Dwight." Anyways, he tends to get dirty pretty quickly, so we knew that he would need a wash soon. We got him in February (thanks, Dad!!!), and he has had maybe... 3... carwashes since. Four could be stretching it. But it has been raining so much here that we weren't in any rush to pay $5 and then have it go to waste.

But yesterday was the day.

After dinner, Carolyn and I drove around to find the closest carwash (for future reference, it's at Holleman and Wellborn). We drove up to the little money thing, and started putting our quarters in to pay the $4 for the "Premium Wash." I don't know why they call it that, because it's the least expensive and fancy wash. I guess they want us to know that even their Econo-wash (what it should be called) is of good quality. Anyways, we're putting our quarters in, and after every quarter gets put through the slot, there's a little voice that talks to us.

"Quarter - accepted."

It did the same thing when we put the dollar bills in.

"Bill - accepted."

There seemed to be a live human inside the box. I had never seen anything like it. (On a side note, why are they always female voices? I have always wondered that.)

After we paid the $4, a choice came up on the screen: TouchFreeWash or FoamBrite Wash?

How were we supposed to know what that meant?

We went for the TouchFreeWash because we thought that maybe you had to do something yourself on the FoamBrite one.

We decided this was a bad decision because we figured out that "TouchFreeWash" meant that the spinning brushes don't hit your car, which is what Dwight really needed. Instead of the spinning brushes (which are apparently made out of foam), we got the most powerful spray of water I've ever experienced. It was like a jet sprayer times a thousand. It wasn't just a little spray, either - it was like the heavens opened and were shooting water at us. Carolyn and I sat there, screaming, grabbing each other's arms.

It was one of the scariest experiences I've ever had. Well, maybe not, but it was still scary.

We thought for sure that the windscreen was going to break, our car was going to fill up with water, and we were going to drown. Thank goodness that didn't happen, though. We got out just fine, and Dwight looks sparkly and shiny.

Our last carwash experience was just as bad. We went to one in Rock Prairie, and pulled up to the money thingy. As we were trying to figure out how to pay for the wash, this random guy walks up to our car and starts blasting it with a jet sprayer. We thought he was one of those guys who just does something to try to get money, and it isn't really his job. We certainly didn't want to pay for this extra service, so we rolled our window down and yelled at him. No kidding, our conversation went a lot like this:

"Hey, what's going on?"

"Huh?"
"What's going on?"
[Jet sprayer turned off] "Um... what?"
[Awkward silence]
"What... are you doing? What's happening?"
"I... don't understand."
"Um... neither do we."
"What?"
"Where do we pay? We want a carwash."
"Um.. what? I'm not sure."
"Do we just drive through?"
"I'm getting the bugs off your car first."

[Moment of revelation] "OH!!!! Okay!! Got it. We thought..."
[Awkward silence]

"...What?"

It was the most awkward conversation we had had in a long time. Poor guy. The carwash ended up being fine, however, and we were thankful for the pre-wash-bug-removal.

This is why we don't get our car washed very often.

Every morning, I come to the Blocker computer lab at the same time. My pilates class gets out about an hour before my statistics class, so I have time to kill. That's why I blog every morning. What else am I going to do? I come here. Every morning, I log in to a computer, and I see this picture as my background:

That's the village I lived in when I lived in England. Well, it's one of them, because I lived in three. That was the one my family lived in until this past December. I look at that picture, and it looks like a dream. I seriously can't believe that place still exists, somewhere across the ocean. I miss it a lot, and I hope to go back someday soon. Isn't it beautiful?

Anyways, I should get ready for my class. I hope you all enjoy your Tuesday. I know I will.

-Katherine

I've Got the Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy, Down in my Heart!

Goooood Monday Morning! It is gorgeous today, in case you haven't been outside. Well, College Station is beautiful; I'm not sure about the rest of the world. If you want good weather, come to Aggieland. Ha.

I'm trying to think of something amazing and interesting to share with you guys. I have no words of wisdom and I haven't had any moments of revelation. All I know is that I am joyful.

Joy.

People don't seem to use that word very much anymore. Normally people are "happy" but not "joyful." That's because joy comes from the Lord.

I went to biblegateway.com (one of my favorite websites ever) and searched for the words "joy" and "joyful." I got a total of 242 results. Then I searched for the words "happy" and "happiness." 27 results.

Don't you find that interesting? The word joy is used almost 9 times more than the word happy! Of course I am using the NIV version, and I'm searching in English, so it's probably not 100% accurate, but I think it still shows us something.

God wants to fill our hearts with joy. Which is a lot different from happiness. True joy runs so much deeper and purer than happiness. "Happy" is defined as delighted, pleased, or glad, as over a particular thing and Joy is defined as intense and especially ecstatic or exultant happiness. I think that says something.

I think of being happy as being in a good mood, or maybe, not being in a bad mood. A time of life where good things are happening, so you have no reason to be upset. Something like that.
When I think of joy, however, I don't always think of everything going your way. You can have joy in the midst of sorrow, hardship and struggles. You can be joyful in persecution. James says so:

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
James 1:2-3

Paul praised God in prison. He had joy.

As Christians, we can always be joyful because Christ has forgiven us. He has redeemed us and given us eternal life, and a personal relationship with Him. We are no longer slaves to sin, but slaves to righteousness! Whoop! Now that is something to be joyful about!

1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 says this:
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

This is God's will for us! To be joyful always! He wants to fill our hearts with joy. He wouldn't tell us to do something that was completely impossible. He's not saying to be in a good mood always. Jesus wasn't even in a good mood all the time! He got angry. He cried. It's right there in the Bible.

Being joyful is different. It feels different. It feels amazing! What a blessing to praise our Savior in the midst of our struggles!!

Be joyful today.
Christ died for you.
He loves you no matter what.

- Katie

My Summer in a Verse

Carolyn is in the living room, watching some TV show about a guy who won $18 million, and then 5 years later filed for bankruptcy.

It's the saddest story ever.

The love of money can make people do crazy things. This guy was spending more than he was earning, and of course money is finite. Our greed and desire for better and better things can overcome us if we let it, and we end up worse off than we were. With $18 million, he could have lived a comfortable life for the rest of his life. He could have invested that money, saved the money, and spent it wisely.

But he didn't.

He was foolish.

I have been reading Proverbs recently, and it is really convicting me of my foolishness. One of my deepest desires is to be a wise woman, and I am realizing areas of my life that need change. I could start listing them here but I won't.

I want to be wise with my words.
I want to be wise with my relationships.
I want to be wise with my money.
I want to be wise with my time.
I want to be wise with the way I dress.
I want to be wise with my work/studying.
I want to be wise in every aspect of my life.

Proverbs 31:30 says
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

I may be the most charming, beautiful woman in the world (which is really not true haha), but if I am not fearing the Lord, then everything is in vain. I am not to be praised! Everything on the outside fades away, but it's where my heart is that remains.

If I could pick a theme for this summer, it would be wisdom, fear of the Lord, knowledge of the Holy One and understanding.

I love this verse:

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
Proverbs 9:10

There you go. My summer in a verse.

Sunrises, Relationships and Hugs

I slept until 9:10 today, which is very rare for me these days. Normally I get up at 6:30, so sleeping for an extra (almost) 3 hours was amazing. I feel so refreshed and... lazy. I am not a morning person, but I really like getting up early.

I love seeing the world before everything is busy and bustling.
I love watching the sun rise high in the sky.
I love being able to hear the sound of the birds before the sound of the cars.
I love feeling like I have more hours in my day.

It's too bad that I'm normally exhausted when I wake up early. Although, I am getting better at it.

I found this picture (above) by searching "sunrise" on google images. I don't know where that is, but I want to go there. I want to sit on the edge of the lake and watch that gorgeous sunrise. I imagine myself sitting in one of those camping chairs, drinking some hot coffee or maybe even hot chocolate. Despite the buildings that I can see across the lake, it reminds me of somewhere I would go camping. So maybe hot chocolate would be a more realistic thing to be drinking, since you can buy those packets and add hot water. I don't touch instant coffee. That's disgusting.

I'm so glad that Anna is back from Brazil, because this means that I can sit with her and Carolyn and we can talk about relationships again for hours. I just read that sentance again, and it sounds like something from Laguna Beach. I promise, when we talk about relationships, it doesn't go like this:

"So are you with Spencer?"
"Yeah... I dunno though. He's just been acting really weird. I just... I dunno."
"He's so cute though."
"Yeah, he's hot."
"What's up with him and Lauren?"
"They went to that party together."
"Yeah, I dunno."

My brain turned to slush just writing that.

Women seem to talk about relationships a great deal when they are together. Woman are very relational creatures, and companionship seems to be at our core. Which makes a whole lot of sense, because God made us that way. He is relational!

The conversations I tend to have aren't conversations about who likes whom, who is cute, and what my wedding will look like. Gosh, I haven't even thought about that. I don't think its healthy to plan your wedding before you have even met the guy! I knew a girl in high school who had everything planned down to the smallest details. At that time, she was dating someone, but she had planned her wedding before she started dating him. Then she went off to college, they broke up, and she could be dating someone else now. I don't know. It's very sad.

Maybe it's just the people that I talk to, but our conversations go much deeper, and I am so thankful for that. We talk about submission, and what that is supposed to look like in marriage. We talk about being examples to other believers and non-believers in dating relationships. We talk about fears and insecurities we have. We talk about being wise women of the Lord. We talk about patience, and how to deal with these desires for relationships and marriages that are placed deep within us. We talk about guarding our hearts and being prayerful.

God has blessed me with amazing friends to be able to talk about this stuff with. Amazing, wise, wonderful women. :)

I busted out my iRiver last night. That's the mp3 player I had before I got an actual iPod. My iRiver is old, chunky, and makes this high pitched noise when it is turned on. It loses its battery charge like nothing else. But it has a bunch of music on it that is not on my iPod. So I hooked it up to my laptop to see what was on it. The answer: some amazing old music! I listened to a Snow Patrol cover of "Crazy in Love" which they probably shouldn't have made. Most of the music reminds me of summertime in England. Which makes me miss England even more.

I told one of my friends that I was going to go back to England one of these days. I probably shouldn't have said that, because I have no idea what is in store for me. I would love to go back, but who knows. I just looked at my roommate's pictures of Paris that she put on Facebook. I have been to Paris many, many times, but it all seemed so distant, like it happened in another life. It's funny that I am saying that, because while I was living in England, I used to say that living in Texas before I moved to England felt like a different life.

My life has been so weird!

I get weirded out just thinking about it. Suddenly, this world seems so big and different. The world is a very strange place. It is beautiful and different and diverse, full of people. Lots of people. Broken people who are craving love. Lost people who don't know who their Savior is. Wealthy people whose treasure will burn away like straw in a fire. I want to meet these people. All of these people.

I bet there are people out there who have never had a hug.

Can you believe that?

Hugs are awesome, and I love them. There are children out there who have never been touched in a loving way. All of the sudden I want to find these children and just hold them. And hug them. And kiss them. And snuggle with them. Maybe I will meet children like this if I become a teacher. I hope I do.

Wow, this post was so random. It had no flow or direction... which is a lot like my brain. These are just thoughts I have been thinking lately.

I should probably go get ready for my day now. I want to go out of town, away from buildings, and just walk around. I hear there are some great parks off Rock Prairie, on the other side of the highway. I think I will venture out there.

Have a nice day.

It's funny I say that, because I'm listening to that song right now (by Stereophonics). It reminds me of England. Especially because they are British musicians and they're singing about a visit to the United States, and how they look different and sound different.

We dress the same way, only our accents change.

-Katie

Violators Will Be Prosecuted

I'm convinced that Satan's greatest accomplishment was making humans believe that our lives are private.

If you look around, it's everywhere. You can go to the library and get a private study room or booth.

You can work in an office in a cubicle.

You can live in an apartment and have your own bathroom.

You can put a gazillion passwords on your computer.

Everyone has their own car.

Everything is private. We have this right to keep things to ourselves and not let anyone in. We have been conditioned to think that no one wants to hear our problems, and that it's not right to ask anyone about theirs.

What is craziest to me is that all of these private things are considered luxuries. To go from sharing something to having your own is supposed to be a wonderful, good thing. You get promoted in your job, so you get your own office.

Congratulations! We're going to separate you from everyone else.

What on earth...

Reading about the early church in Acts 2:42-47 must sound like torture:

...All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praises God and enjoying the favor of all the people...

They liked this. They loved being around each other. They were all up in each other's business. They met together every day. They ate together. They shared their things. They were glad.

Yeah, this definitely doesn't happen much anymore. Satan got into the heads of us humans (especially us Americans) and gave us the grand idea that we should separate ourselves from everyone else as much as possible. Everything seems to be getting more impersonal.

AIM

Facebook
email

Text messaging
Drive thrus

We will do anything to keep from talking to people face to face. It's really quite sad.

And we're supposed to carry each other's burdens? (Galatians 6:2)
Restore each other if someone is caught in sin? (Galatians 6:1)
Confess our sins to each other? (James 5:16)
Provide for our relatives? (1 Timothy 5:8)
Live in harmony with each other? (Romans 12:16)
Consider each other's needs above our own? (Philippians 2:3)
Build each other up? (Ephesians 4:29)

Are you crazy?

If I am struggling with someone, the last thing I want to do is go to someone and tell them about. No, no, that will make them think less of me. That will make me seem like a weak Christian. They will judge me. They will look down on me.

And that's exactly where Satan wants us.

Seemingly put-together, I've-figured-everything-out, strong and happy Christians. But slowly breaking and dying inside. Wrestling, struggling, painfully bearing our own burdens all by ourselves.

The Church has become a bunch of private people meeting publicly.

Satan laughs at this.

God cries.

For this is not the way we were made. We were made to do that list of things I wrote above. Yet we don't, and we're really suffering for it now. Community is no longer community. We don't meet to share our lives, we meet to play Guitar Hero and watch movies. Things we can do by ourselves, with other people present.

I'm sure you've all experienced this conversation:

"Hey! How are you?"

"Good, how are you?"
"Good!"

Ohhhh poop. That is my most hated conversation. And yet I have it at least once a week. I am trying to avoid it, though, and I think I'm getting better. Sometimes I say "great" instead of "good". Or if I'm really feeling down, I might say "tired". It changes.

And I'm suffering for it.

The Body is suffering for it.

I'm trying to think of how to end this on a good note, because this isn't exactly a happy post. It's a frustrated post about how we have let ourselves believe that privacy is the way to go. And yet real growth and change happens when we are real, genuine, vulnerable, open and honest with each other.

I want real growth. I want real change.

I will pray that God convicts me more of this. I should stop keeping things to myself and sharing my life openly with those around me. That is my prayer today.

-Katherine Louise

Tomorrow's Friday, What What?!

Who invented licorice? I want to know who is responsible for that black nastiness. That stuff is so disgusting. Bleck.

I am continually in awe of the way that God provides and ordains certain relationships in my life. Yesterday I had lunch with a friend that I have known since the beginning of freshman year. I hadn't hung out with her in a very long time, so a catch-up was certainly overdue. We talked for 3 hours. I heard her relationship/engagement story and almost cried - it was so beautiful! I can't believe that I've missed so much. I found out that her fiance is moving to Denton to go to grad school at UNT, so next semester she will be all alone here. Her roommates have already graduated, so it seemed like she was in desperate need of some friends to hang out with, go to the football games with etc. Plus, she will only be taking 12 hours (as opposed to the 16-17 she's been taking each semester since freshman year) so she'll have a lot more time on her hands.

I got so excited.

I love this girl, so any opportunities to hang out with her make me excited!!!!! Plus, I will be able to go to Denton with her (roadtrips are so fun) and show her around. She will be teaching high school there after she graduates in December, and she doesn't know much about the Dallas area. Perfect. I don't really have any friends in the Denton area, so I will finally have someone to visit and hang out with when I go home to visit! Also, if I end up teaching there once I graduate (provided I'm not married or whatever... or even if I am... who knows), I will have wonderful friends to fellowship with.

God is good.

I am ecstatic.

He provides!

I can't wait to see Back to the Future III. I watched the second one yesterday, and it left me hanging. I think they go to the Wild West and do some fun things there. How awesome! Haha.

I haven't taken a shower in two days. It's getting gross. Personally, I like this whole sloppy thing. People don't recognize me and I bet I look like a downright mess. Who cares. I am pretty much wearing pajamas and it is awesome.

One of my favorite things ever is talking one on one with someone. You know you have found a good talking partner if you can talk for hours on end and still have more to say (these people are hard to find). If I could have any job I wanted, I would be a professional One-On-One Talker. Although I would do it even if I wasn't paid, I love it that much. People's lives are fascinating!

Ok, I have class now.
Au revoir.
-Katie

The Sixth Love Language

Gary Chapman is a genius, but I think he made a little mistake when he wrote this book:

Now, don't get me wrong. I agree with everything that is in this book. I grew up with my mom telling me about the five different love languages, as described by Gary Chapman. They are:

1. Quality Time
2. Acts of Service
3. Words of Affirmation
4. Gift Giving
5. Physical Touch

I grew up knowing that it was important to pay attention to someone else's love language, because that is how they feel cared for. I would try to figure out my friends' love languages, so I would know how to treat them so they felt special. My love languages are the first two on that list - quality time and acts of service. If you want to hang out with me and spend time with me, I feel special and valued. Likewise, if you do something nice for me (even if it's like... organizing something for me or filling up the gas tank, unloading the dishwasher etc.) I will feel special. I guess you could say that quality time is my #1 love language, and acts of service is #2. I love them both. The reverse is also true: if I want to hang out with you and spend a lot of time with you, it means that I like you a lot, or if I want to do things for you, it means I like you a lot.

I think love languages are just as important as knowing someone's personality. They help explain how that person works. I also think that love languages are the reason behind so many failed relationships and marriages. If you have a woman whose love language is acts of service, and a husband who never helps her around the house or with the kids, the woman may turn to nagging him about it. The man just thinks she is cranky and annoying, but really, she just wants to feel loved. And the best way for her to feel loved is for her husband to give her a hand with things.

So I really do agree with Gary Chapman. I think this book is excellent. But I still think he made one tiny mistake.

There is a sixth love language.

I know this because I am convinced that I have it. I have been trying to put this one thing into one of the other five categories, but I'm not sure that it really fits.

That one thing is the love language of letters.

Letters. Notes. Messages. Emails. Wall postings. Post-its. Blog comments. Cards.

It doesn't matter what it is, I love it.

I get absolutely ecstatic if I get a letter from someone, emails included. When I sign onto Facebook and see "Inbox (1)" I start dancing around the room and making up songs. A big smile breaks out on my face, and sometimes I start to giggle. I love letters. I don't know why, but when someone takes the time to send me something, it makes my day! It could be as simple as a "hi" (seriously, that's all it would need to say), but it will still make my day. So, if you send me letters/messages/whatever, I probably love you by now. And if you don't... don't feel bad. I still love you! And just to clear something up: I would much rather have someone spend time with me or do something nice for me than write me a letter. Heck yes.

I think I will have to write a letter to Gary Chapman and inform him of his slight error. I'm convinced that it's an actual love language. I have it.

Every morning on my walk between Pilates and Statistics classes, I pass this wonderful tree in Academic Plaza. Every time I see it, I think about how great it would be to climb it and sit on this one particular branch, overlooking the plaza. Maybe I will one day. But someone would need to come with me, because climbing a tree by myself may be difficult, and it could also make me look ridiculous.

I am starting to believe that John Mayer might just be my favorite musician ever. He is melodic, edgy, contempative and pensive. I never get tired of his music. I pretend that they don't play him on Candy 95. Because I consider almost everything they play on there trash. And John Mayer is way above trash. Now, to see him live...

I have a full hour before my next class. I wish there were comfy couches in Blocker!

Do you know what I think is ridiculous? When students have crushes on their teachers. And by students, I mean college students. And by teachers, I mean youngish professors or grad students. It makes me feel awkward.

My statistics teacher is a grad student, and so he's pretty close to our age. He's also really buff and has ginormous muscles, and is pretty good looking and funny. And you can tell that some of the girls really like him. One or two in particular. They will try to tease him or be sarcastic with him, joking around and... basically flirting with him. It makes me absolutely sick. Seriously, girls.

I found out the other day that my mom reads my blog. So, I have two things to say:
1. Hi, mom!
2. You should start blogging again, for real.

Maybe I will go find a couch somewhere. I am incredibly tired, still.

Peace out.

-klh