Empty Handed...

9/11: Ten Years Later

2011-09-11T20:34:00.000-07:00

Can it really be? I'm sitting here watching a tribute to 9/11. How is it that ten years have passed and those images and memories of that dreadful day are still burned into my mind so vividly? The ironic thing to me is that I'm doing exactly the same thing I was doing ten years ago: Sitting on the couch, glued to the television heartbroken and watching in disbelief. But there is a difference in my astonishment tonight than on that ominous Tuesday morning. That difference I feel tonight lies somewhere between the sucker punch that left our country shocked and gasping for air, and the growth, hope and resilience that has transpired since that fateful morning.

It seems foreign to me that there will come a day when people may not remember EXACTLY where they were and then sense of confusion, fear and brokenness they felt when they found out that the Twin Towers were hit. Not that anyone could possibly forget that day, but hey, we won't be around forever to tell the story. The story of how we overcame as a nation by coming together, determined to protect what the enemy had not destroyed. Our pride, our resolve, and our faith.

Our nation is still rebuilding from that haunting day and the fact that you and I are still here brings responsibility to remember and to honor the people who lost their lives. Pray for their families comfort and strength. The days will pass and distance us further and further in time from those horrific acts, but we must remember for those who can't. Our nation can win the war on terrorism but for the people who lost loved ones, they will never get them back. We will never be able to turn back the hands of time and changed that moment in history, but we can remember how it changed us; how it changed our nation and made us stronger.

It's never quite what we expect, is it??

2011-08-19T22:58:00.001-07:00

DAY 40!!!!!!!

I have draft posts of the last week that I have missed while traveling and moving. I will get to them soon hopefully but I wanted to post today because today is the end of my 40 Days to Colorado!

Holy crap did that go fast. But I am here, and well, I'm partially settled. You will read in my posts leading up to this (once I finish them) that the past two days were not quite what I expected. I was positive that me moving to Colorado was a mistake, but at the same time prudently hopeful that God would prove those feelings faulty. And... He... Did....

Tonight was my orientation for the MAC program at CCU. It began by one of the professors opening in prayer and I don't know why that took me by surprise, being that I'm attending a Christian school, but it did. It was refreshing. Then we did a 5 minute devotion that asked the question, do you truly believe that God loves you?.... 'Well, do you, Katie?' It was like God was talking directly to my heart. 'Do you really think I would bring you out here with no purpose or by mistake? Do you trust that I love you and have a plan for bringing you out to this strange place? I need you to know my love for you. Your uncertainty of my love will continue to cause doubt and inhibit you from completing the purposes I have for you. I love you, I NEED you to believe that even when you don't understand what's going on around you.'

Well, if that wasn't a way to start off orientation! Did the faculty know that I struggle to believe that, at times when I feel like God has forgotten me or neglected me??? Probably not. But I think their reason for asking that question is because when we don't believe that God loves us right where we are, not for who we are supposed to be, we preclude ourselves from being used completely by God. Yes, I know, He can use us no matter what we believe, but when we walk through this journey completely knowing and trusting that God truly loves us, my guess is, the experience is completely different and more vibrant than we could ever imagine. My prayer is to know that love in a deeper way than I have ever known and that God would use this experience out here to draw me to Him.

All that to be said, after hearing my professors talk about their heart for us as students, the program and what they expect from us my fears of this move being a mistake quickly faded. Yes, it's different here. Yes, it's not quite what I expected. Yes, I will have to find a new normal and I'm not quite certain what that will look like yet. But I am confident that God is good and He does love me. I pray that He will continue to allow me to know more of His love and to help me in my unbelief when I don't understand. This is going to be an interesting ride... but I'm in for the long haul and can't wait to see what it brings!

It seems like 40 days went by in the blink of an eye and I know I didn't blog EVERY day, but I was close and will be interested to look back on these entries next year at this time and see how I'm feeling. Hopefully I will continue to be more consistent with blogging as it's been a great stress relief for me, while also being able to record the different ups and downs of this journey! It's like my rock of rememberance! I'm not sure how much time I will have being that I know I will have a lot of reading and writing for my classes, but I hope to keep up with it at least weekly. Until next time....

The State That Never Ends....

2011-08-16T19:43:00.002-07:00

Tuesday, Day 37:

We are soooo close. So close to our destination. So close to my new home. So close but so far away. Today we went through Missouri and some of Kansas. My good friend, Marcus, lives in Kansas, so we got to meet up with him for some down home Kansas City BBQ. It was so fun to see him again. He walked us through KU's campus and we got a quick glimpse of the Jayhawk's two-a-day practices for football. After Marcus took us around his stomping grounds at KU, Dad and I hit the road again. We wanted to get a few hours closer to Colorado so we won't have to wake up so early (my idea) tomorrow to meet the movers by 3.

Have you ever driven through Kansas? Let me tell you. It....is...a....long....state. Beautiful. But you can only look at corn fields, windmills, cow pastures and more fields for so long. It's amazing to think that about the men and women who tend to this beautiful land and how much work it takes to keep them producing for us city folk :D The land is so rich out here and while it is breath taking to see... I'm ready to see some mountains. AND SOON!!

Thanks Dad for road tripping with me! You've been a rock star... I couldn't have done it with out you!!!!!!

Reunited and it feels so good (lol)! All SMILES!! Good food and friends!

Road Trip Partners!

Longest Road... EVER.

Beautiful fields of Kansas

Just some of the windmills....

COLORAD-HO!!!! Day 35

2011-08-14T10:26:00.000-07:00

Let's go!!! Dad and I are on our way... WE ARE IN THE Uhaul now and he is currently driving over the bumps along side of the road (to make sure I'm awake, he claims). I have jotted thoughts down through out the week for each of the days I've missed from this last week but haven't had enough time to put them together quite yet...I'm hoping I will have a chance next week after I'm settled in COLORADO!

It's been a beautiful ride so far....

Buried Treasures... Kind of.

2011-08-12T22:40:00.000-07:00

Day 32 and 33

These past two days has been when the manual preparation begins. A lot of sorting, trashing, packing, and more packing. Thank God about 70 percent of my stuff is in storage and already in boxes because the 30 percent that I've done in the last two days is enough for me. After going through this portion of my belongings I'm starting to feel like I belong on that show 'Hoarders' (gag me now please... I seriously could throw up when I watch that show). Let me explain. The stuff that I have here at the Campbell's house was all considered 'must have' when moving out of my condo in March so I really shouldn't have very much as far as supplementary items to go through. Must have... You mean the must have shin guards that I keep around just in case Pia Sundhage calls and wants me to come practice with the team? Yes. Well.... it could happen. And if it does, I will be prepared. That's all I'm saying.....I like to be prepared.

Other than an important pair of shin guards, I also found something I was not prepared for; I found validity in a few letters lying underneath a pile of dust in my nightstand. As I began reading the first letter, an apology letter of sorts, I had to laugh. I started feeling crazy that I had ever let the author get to me the way he did. Even in his "apology" letter, I was being blamed for the disintegration of what might have been between us. I mean, who writes an apology letter and then blames you in the same breath...on the same piece of paper! I remember all the times he ran me in circles with his words when we disagreed and by the end I wouldn't even remember what we were arguing about. These moments use to make me feel like I was nuts. But there it was in BLACK AND WHITE. I wasn't crazy, and reading that letter with a clear head and no emotion tied to the words on that paper, reminded me of how blind love can be sometimes. Thank God for His protection!

I'm not sure why I ever kept those letters, but I'm glad that I did. I tossed the letters today, but kept the shin guards (just. in. case). I'm moving and need all the space I can get! They served their purpose and need not come with me on my journey to Colorado.... What's in the past, should stay in the past. No need to bring all the extra baggage with me!

Pardon the Interruption but....

2011-08-09T20:45:00.000-07:00

MY LITTLE SISTER IS ENGAGED!!!! I am thrilled for her and Jess (her fiance) and couldn't be more excited for them and the step they are about to take! I can only imagine the elation Meggo feels about getting to marry and do life with this amazing man that loves her so completely. I say completely because although I've only seen them together for the sum of a couple weeks, that's just what he does. I've not ever seen Megan so herself with someone and so confident in who she is. Megan was the free spirit in our family growing up and I'm thankful that with Jess she has felt the freedom to remain as such.

It makes my heart happy to know she will be marrying someone who lovingly encourages her to be 'Meggo,' cares enough to challenge her when she needs it (somehow he gets her to listen!), and will love her through the ups and downs of life, as they walk the path to which God has called them. Jess is a lucky guy because that Meggo, well, she's a good one! She's playful, and smart, funny and loyal and she's pretty much capable of doing anything she sets her mind to! There's no doubt in my mind that they will bring the best out in each other and double their joy as they join each other as husband and wife! Love you two! Jess, I can't wait for you to be a part of our family!!

Words_My sentiments...

2011-08-09T20:25:00.000-07:00

Day 30: Tuesday

Ambivalent (about leaving the ones I love)

Excited (to start this new chapter).

Scared (that I quit my job in this volatile economy).

Hopeful (for all of the new possibilities).

Butterflies (about making new friends and the first day of school).

Curious (of the future unknowns in this move).

Ready (for ups and downs).

Confident (because I am NOT alone).

*yes, I'm a couple days behind. I'm going to blame it on two things. 1. Megan's engagement. and 2. Settlers of Catan (and 2a. Amy and David FORCING me to play Settlers of Catan EVERY night)

Quality time :D

2011-08-08T20:59:00.001-07:00

Day 29:

What a perfect Monday so far. Amy and I took M & W to the park today and it couldn't have been a more beautiful summer's day here in Virginia. We packed lunch too, so we had ourselves a little picnic to top it all off! It's one of those days I'm gonna store in my memory bank and let it call a smile to my face when I remember it. I know in my head there must be things I need to do in preparation for this move, but I honestly feel like I'm ready to go. Sans actually being packed up by the movers. I guess my mind knows I need to soak up all the quality time I can get with the people I love before I leave so the actual tasks are getting pushed to the back burner. They'll get done. They always do. And if they don't, well, I'll still end up in Colorado. Maybe I'll be missing a suitcase of clothes, but I can recover those.... What I can't get back are days like today, and getting to love on M & W, and spend time with my sis!

The other night M climbed up to where we had W positioned in the little nook of the couch. He almost squished her out of excitement to be sitting next to her. Then he put his finger into W's hand and looked at Amy with is hand out for her to grab. As she did, he looked at me and then David and said "other one." He wanted all of us to hold hands. Amy asked him, "are we going to pray?" His grin turned into a full blown smile and he closed his eyes. Then he followed with the sweetest voice he could possibly talk in, one that would melt anyone's heart. He said, "Dear God..... thank you (for) dede...... thank you (for) mommy....... thank you (for) W......... and thank you (for) daddy... ..... ALL DONE." I almost turned to mush right then and there. I love that little boy. I'm not sure what provoked him to do that but it was just one more little moment* to store in my memory bank and take with me to Colorado.

*David beat Amy and I in Settlers AGAIN tonight. This is a memory I would not mind forgetting!! GAH!!!!!

Let the count down begin (as if it hasn't already)...

2011-08-07T20:33:00.001-07:00

In just one week, my dad and I will be on our way to Colorado!!! I started this series of blog posts so I could record this journey and have these posts jog my memory as to how the heck I got to Colorado. Lord knows, I need a little catalyst to spark my memory at times! In saying that, I'm sure that not every post has been SUPER intriguing or all that captivating. But hey, that's life isn't it? My life is not an action packed, non-stop thriller movie (every day), so I guess my posts will reflect that if I'm posting on a more regular basis. Hopefully by the end of this, I won't have run anyone off by some of the ridiculously unstimulating posts.

All that to say, I'm glad I'm doing this. Albeit, at times I don't have tons to say about this move other than it's happening and, at this point, it's happening soon, but I know I'll be glad I did it in the future. I want to get it all out on paper because I want to remember this. I want to remember what I'm feeling. Where God has led and continues to lead me. All of it. The good, the bad, and the ugly of this journey.... t-minus 6 days and a wake up!

The ups and DOWNS of change....

2011-08-06T20:54:00.001-07:00

Day 27:

My move date is getting nearer, which means having to say good bye to the Campbell family is also quickly coming up. OH GAHHHHH. Tell me how am I supposed to say good bye to this little face:

.... or these kissable cheeks:

I'm not looking forward to that moment. NOT. ONE. BIT. I will undoubtedly be a basket case that day. Sorry Dad, but you'll be driving next to a blubbering psycho for the first few hours of our road trip!

Last day of work

2011-08-05T20:57:00.000-07:00

Day 26:

Today I said good bye to my cubicle life (for now and hopefully forever) and hello to the unknown and opportunity! I truthfully don't know what this new life will bring, but for some reason today, that seems kind of exciting and surprisingly freeing. I wasn't doing cartwheels as I walked through the parking garage to my car, but almost shook my head in disbelief that I was finished. Finished with that chapter of my career, finished with this Virginia chapter of my story...at least for now.

I don't know, maybe God will bring me back to this area. Maybe He won't. That's the exciting thing. There are so many options and so many variables that I couldn't possibly guess what will come out of this new chapter and where I will end up! I just have to keep walking, keep pursuing Him, keep chasing after this dream....just keep on keepin' on as they say, and hopefully, I'll come out of this knowing more of Him, more of myself, and how to let God love others through me in whatever way He sees fit.

Just your average video conference....

2011-08-04T20:26:00.001-07:00

Day 25:

Video conferences. I'm not sure how yours go down at work, but the ones I attend are some what comical. Not comical because of the content but more so because of the people attending. Normally I tend to get out of most of the video conferences that are held in my office because well, my boss is awesome, and he sees no point in wasting ALL of our time, so he only makes one or two of us attend. Being the only one in VA from our department, I guess some how I win out in the "who has to go to the video conference" category. WINNING. Although I will say I thoroughly enjoy watching certain people choose their seat based on which one they think will get their best angle (do they not know that the whole image is distorted at best and it doesn't matter who you are, you look like a pixelated blog half the time anyway?? I'm just sayin)... or when the loud inappropriate co-worker can't hold his tongue and you start playing the see-if-you-can-mute-it-before-he-gets-himself-fired game (for his sake). But those are about the only parts I actually enjoy.....

Except for today. Somehow I got roped into a video conference and I was thinking to myself "man, the day before I'm out of here and I gotta go to this thing! Well, at least I can say bye to the people in Texas, since I won't see them before I resign." I guess it should've seemed odd to me that I had NO idea what the meeting was about, but with all the out processing, cleaning and things whirling through right now, it just didn't dawn on me. I sat down and watched the said people do their norm... frantically get there 30 seconds before the call is supposed to happen and then painstakingly choose their seat (remember, we're all pixelated blogs...JUST SIT DOWN ALREADY).

As the meeting started, my boss instead of our director, took the lead and all of the sudden I could feel my stomach drop and my face get hot. They were throwing me a SURPRISE goodbye party!!! It was really so sweet and they were all so proud that they actually surprised me with their sneaky little plan. Here's the thing about me. I LOVE surprises. Or it's more I love the meaning behind surprises.... That someone is thinking about you and how to make you feel special and or appreciated in a playful way. But what I forget about surprises is, all of the sudden the spotlight is on me 100% and I honestly never know what to do. Everybody's watching and I can be so awkward in these kind of moments. I never know quite what to say when I feel like the world is staring at me. It didn't help that Ken started chanting "SPEECH SPEECH SPEECH!" Thanks Ken. But as much as the spotlight made my stomach drop and my face turn red, I felt loved and supported today. I couldn't believe how encouraging they were about me taking this next step and going back to school. It was awesome. I couldn't have ended my career there with a better video conference call! I would give them all a shout out and say thanks, but I'm pretty sure none (maybe ONE) of them read my blog because they don't know about it! What the heck, I'll do it anyway... Thank you FMWRC - CR! You are the best! I'll carry this with me for a long time....

A little fact for you...

2011-08-03T13:50:00.001-07:00

Day 24:

Still closing out at work and starting to say good byes at work... I just want to throw out a statistic for all of you stat lovers.....

IN TWO WEEKS FROM TODAY I WILL BE IN COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO!!!

Time keeps on tickin' tickin' tickin'.....

2011-08-02T20:01:00.001-07:00

Day 23:

When did I get to the age that 5 years can slip right through your fingers like rushing waters of the Colorado River (wink)?? I guess it probably happened the same time my knees started falling apart and my neck started giving out. Or when I began opting for a glass of wine rather than a coke, rather a diet coke. I DRINK DIET COKE NOW FOR GOODNESS SAKE! I always said I would NEVER do that. Well, at least I've learned to never say never anymore....

Today I cleaned out my cubicle at work and was amazed at how quickly I could tear down, throw away and pack up 5 and a half years of work in about 8 hours. It's like it was nothing but a blink of an eye. I don't know how to explain it but the notion that I am about to move has seemed to hit me in waves. Or maybe something like peeling layers back from an onion. With each piece that gets pulled away, the skin gets thicker and more potent. Even when I started blogging my 40 days to Colorado it honestly felt.... almost like a dream or maybe a story I was telling and how I MIGHT feel IF I was moving to Colorado. But as my moving day inches closer minute by minute, things that I have known would change hit me in a different way. A very nostalgic way. My time here in VA was short... did I accomplish what I was supposed to do? Did I love well and let people see Jesus through my relationships with them? I hope so.

5 years use to seem like an eternity to me... Now I am wondering if 5 years will be enough time for me to gain the knowledge and experience that God wants me to have in order to care for the people brought into my life... But all of this thinking has also made me realize that I want to go at life with reckless abandon, soaking up everything it has to offer! The one thing I have the tendency to look back on thinking "I could've done so much more," is with my time. I will have plenty of time to waste or make good use of since I will be a student and possibly only working part time... My plan is to do more. Whether it's studying, working out, traveling, being intentional with my friends (new and old) and loved ones, serving others or just enjoying the moment in which God has me. I want this next five years to count. And there's no time to wait because before I know it, it'll be 2016 and time won't wait for me... We get this one life to live and I won't let myself be blogging about my shoulda, coulda, wouldas in 2016 (Lord willing)! I know I can't hold time in my hands and I'm fine with that. I kind of like that I prefer wine over (diet) coke now days as the days keep rolling over. It means I'm getting wiser, right? ;)

I Wish It Were a Monday... 'Cause That's My Fun Day!

2011-08-01T20:50:00.001-07:00

Day 22:

Monday....I love Mondays, well, I love every other Monday to be exact. And today was one of the Mondays I love because today was my last Monday off (of work). My last CWS (compressed work schedule, oh how I will miss you). Which means, THIS IS MY LAST WEEK OF WORK! That sounds crazy to me. The thought of the move gave me my first hint of butterflies today. I'm not sure if they are excited butterflies or, HOL-EEEY CRAP-I-Am-Moving-butterflies. Probably both. Who knows....But one thing is certain, Dad and I will be on the road in less than two weeks!

I spent my last Monday off to meet up with a friend that wasn't able to come to the bbq and then did a little shopping, had a great lunch and came home to hang with the Campbell clan (David's brother is here with his family too, so it was a full, high-energy house). I helped Amy cook dinner. By the way, cooking is so much more enjoyable when you cook with or for someone! And then got in a game of Settlers with A & D after the kids went down... It was a great day filled with no schedule and just quality time with people I love. I'm not sure I got much done for the move today but (none), but it'll get done some how. I'm not going to stress it, so you shouldn't either!

I am Full....

2011-08-01T20:49:00.000-07:00

Days 19-21:

I had one crazy-busy weekend. Which is why I'm lumping days 19-21 together...don't judge me. I was busy prepping for a BBQ, enjoying the said BBQ and then relaxing after church on Sunday with my latest read, 'The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.' I could continue to make excuses as to why I didn't get around to blogging, and they would be good excuses, but excuses none the less. But the initial purpose of the '40 Days to Colorado' was for me to 1. become a more consistent blogger bye giving me some material to write about and 2. for me to record record this next step and transition in my life so I can look back and remember. Not for me to be so legalistic or concerned with blogging that I miss out on the moments in life that make you inhale a little deeper and exhale a little longer. And this weekend was filled with those moments.....

I had a BBQ with the intent of eating some good food, catching up and saying goodbye to friends that I may not have a chance to see prior to my move date. And it was... awesome. A bunch of friends came and I felt like I hardly sat down the whole night. I would jump from one person or group to another trying to make sure I got some quality time with everyone. By the end of the night, I was exhausted. Not just physically, but socially too! After getting up early to prepare (Amy and Julie M. helped too...thanks!) the appetiezers, sides, desserts and last minute items, eating too much, then hanging out at the BBQ until about 1130pm, I was ready to melt into my bed as soon as I got home. But I hadn't quite faded into lala land before a statement from the party resonated with me as it flashed through my mind, "My love tank is full." And it was. I think I drifted off to sleep with a smile on my face, good food in my tummy and gratitude in my heart. Thank you, Lord, for the gift of friendship.

On Second Thought...Day 18

2011-07-28T17:55:00.001-07:00

It never fails. I make a plan. The plan changes. It's one of those things in my life... I KNOW it's going to happen so I often wonder why I ever bother with the initial plan in the first place. It almost never goes down the way it's planned, and I'm okay with that because usually the second, no third plan is more efficient and/or more successful than the first because I've had time to logically think about it. I think my issue is that I'm so dag'gon impatient. If something needs to be planned, I like to get it done and out of the way so I don't have to think about it anymore. Problem is, I DO still think about it and I think of better ways to get it done (which isn't really a problem, I guess). It's almost like the first plan is just a rough draft for me or something. Man, wouldn't it be nice to have a rough draft for different scenarios in life??? I certainly wouldn't have wasted my time, energy and emotions on a couple ex-boyfriends. What about that time I grabbed a pair sweats out of the dryer and headed to my league basketball game and after the game while talking to the guys, put them on only to have a pair of leopard skin under ware fly out the bottom of the leg right smack dab in the middle of our huddle.* "...just a little edit right there and a delete over here....PERFECT!"

The point of all this?? I re-mapped Dad and my trip out to Colorado today... I was notified that the movers on the west end of things couldn't start the job any later than 3pm on the 17th. Which would've meant Dad and I were up at 0330 (that's am for you non-military types) to get there by 3pm! Sooooo.... an edit was necessary to my original plan. Go figure. Ah well, we will still get to spend time with my friend Marcus in Kansas and we will get there with time to spare (Lord willing) on the 17th, so all is good in my little planners world!

*that may or may not have happened to me :D

Foreign to Native: Day 17

2011-07-27T14:24:00.000-07:00

Day 17:

You know that lost feeling you get after purchasing a new phone? Trying to navigate through the functions and figure your way out through the apps... it can seem so foreign at first. I got a new-to-me phone today and have fumbled my way through it as time has permitted. I can do things like, make a phone call, answer a phone call, receive/send a text, open my calendar, get on facebook.... I have figured out how to do most everything I want to do on it.... but it just takes me, what feels like, eons longer to do them than with my old phone. It's not because one phone is better than the other (except for the fact that my old one had a mind of its own), it's just that it's different. As I maneuvered my way through to figure out how to do the simplest of things, I started to think about Colorado and what being, no living, in a new city will feel like. I mean really, the last time I moved to a NEW city was in 2002 and it was at least in the same area of familiarity to me so I kind of knew what to expect...

My guess is that moving to Colorado is going to be kind of like getting my new-to-me phone that I am holding right now. It will be different, exciting, fun, but frustrating at times because I won't know how to do even the simplest of things without asking someone or googling "how-to" and getting the information off the web. Which is fine. But slightly annoying too. I will be out of my comfort zone and have to re-learn things, depend on others for help (I hate that) and ask lots of questions in order to become familiar with my new setting. But in the end, just like getting a new phone, I'm sure I will discover new things, use it to its full capacity, and come to absolutely love it as I see what it has to offer! And soon I will wonder how I ever lived without it!!

I Get by with a Little Help From my Friends ;)

2011-07-27T14:02:00.000-07:00

I've been having issues with my phone lately. grrrr. It's so frustrating. I thought about going to upgrade because I am eligible to do so. With the move and all, I'm trying to pinch pennies where ever I can, so getting the iphone just because a couple of apps weren't working seemed frivolous when I could just wait until the NEW comes out in September. That would be the responsible thing to do. Because really it's not a matter of IF I'm going to get it, it's just when. right?!

Well, I went into the Verizon store to get some technical help for my phone and they told me "yeah, sorry, there's nothing we can do because you're having issues with a third party...." blah blah blah... And it happened, visions of me looking oh-so-chic with my new WHITE iphone up to my face, chatting away with one of my trendy friends who, of course, was holding an iphone on the other end too. I would get a hip little carrying case for it and people would think (because of my phone) "that girl is with it" as I walked by with my nose up. And all would be swell.

Okay, Okay, I will stop drinking the haterade. Not all people with iphones are snobs... I just want one. But don't necessarily NEED one because the Android phones are really great too... But this is why I don't have an iphone, and really did happened after the "helpful" tech support I received was this. The conversation in my head went something like this:

Me (the Consumer KT)- Sweet! Iphone here I come!!!
Me (the Sensible KT)- Why don't you just wait until you get out to Colorado and see what kind of bills you have then?
CKT- Shut up. I'm not listening to you.
SKT- Seriously, let's think this through. Your phone works, it's just a couple apps (mainly facebook, you nerd) that is acting screwy. You don't NEED this right now and you may need to buy things like... oh I don't know, books, when you get out to Colorado!! And you never know how long it will take for your GI Bill money to kick in... just wait.
CKT- You are SUCH a downer. Can't you just enjoy the fact that I want to buy this for US?!
SKT- What if the NEW version comes out early in August?
CKT- I hate you. Fine. I'll wait.

.... And with that, I turned around and walked out of the store after thanking the "help" (for what I'm not sure). But the best thing about this story is my friend saw that I was having issues with my phone (on facebook, duh) and offered to send me her Samsung Fascinate until I could get a new phone! I mean, seriously!! Thank YOU, Sensible KT. Thank you for finally having some restraint... little as it was (discipline can have its reward). And thanks to Summer for your generosity (especially being that you've seen how often I have dropped my phone)!! I'll be careful with your phone, I promise!

Just Another Day in Paradise... Day 16

2011-07-26T13:38:00.000-07:00

Day 16:

....and I'm inside (but not for long)!

Nothing too deep today... just been planning the move, getting Dad's airline ticket for after he drops me off, and looking at airfares for the different places I'd like to visit while I'm out on the west side of the country... one of those days that I don't want to be inside planning or doing anything else for that matter. It's finally not 100+ degrees and humid. It's beautiful outside and I feel like I should be enjoying it! I've hit the last 2/3's of my 40 day count down! Get ready, Colorado... here I come!!!

Stupid technology: Day 15

2011-07-25T12:58:00.000-07:00

Day 15:

I absolutely love my smartphone... On most days. It is so great for people like me who can forget something as simple as "pick up some milk on the way home." I have, on average, 4 reminders a day for various things like that. But it's soooo helpful and soooo easy. I love it.

But then there are days like today.... Remember day 3 when I was all excited because I got a lot of the logistics done for my trip?? I had put ALL of the information into the "Notepad" application on my phone. Everything from my confirmation numbers for my uhaul to the phone numbers, times and names of the movers that I hired to help get me out to Colorado without racking up all my friends' chiropractor bills. Well, the other day I had to hard reset my so-called wonderful smartphone because it was having issues opening apps and just not running normally. No big deal, it save all the important stuff... or so I thought. Today I got a phone call from one of the movers and we discussed some logistics and when I opened Notepad to add the info to my "Colorado Move Info" note... you guessed it. IT WAS GONE. fml.

After a slight panic attack, I remembered that each company had sent me emails confirming the service they were providing and I immediately jumped on the computer to see if they were still in my mailbox. THANK God, they were. So all is well on the move side of things... I won't have random men showing up at my door (that I forgot about) because I didn't have a reminder set. I wonder if I need to go back to the hand held calendar just in case something like this happens again? I'm not sure I would even know how to use it! ;) I'll just back it up on my mac to make sure I have it in more than one place. Hopefully Colorado has Internet and cell phones, or I'll be in a world of hurt! :D

How I Got So "Brave".... continued: Day 14

2011-07-25T10:27:00.000-07:00

Day 14:

Before I finish my story maybe actually defining the word brave will be beneficial for us (myself and you, the reader) to be on the same page. Brave: 1. having or showing courage: having or showing courage, especially when facing danger, difficulty, or pain. Now, after seeing it in black and white, I REALLY am not sure, actually I am quite certain, that this word should not be tagged as an adjective to describe me or my decision to move to Colorado. Let me explain....

When I think of bravery, I think of the Soldiers that volunteer to risk their lives so we can live free and safe in this country. I think of the kid that gets straight A's at school and then comes home to take care of his drunk father and protect his mom from the man who claims to love her. My decision, was not so severe. This was not your courageous, against all odds, Daniel in the Lions' den, you-may-loose-your-life-but-you-forge-ahead-for-the-cause-anyway decision. It just wasn't. My life is in no way going to be in anymore danger moving to Colorado, than if I stayed my butt here, working for the same company, in the same job, doing the same thing year after year....or would it?

Before I left on my deployment I had heard the rumors of our organizations move to Texas but truly didn't think that they would ever come to fruition. The government had postponed and delayed the move so many times that people said it would never happen. After my tour in Iraq, I knew change was coming. I just wasn't sure what that meant for me. The move was no longer a question mark, but an actuality. Which meant I had to make a decision. Moving with my job would mean a pay raise due to the cheaper cost of living, a new place (for my itchy feet), no more 45 inch winter snow storms! But for some reason, the thought of moving to San Antonio gave me so much angst and unrest that I started to explore other options. Maybe I just needed a change from the actual work I was doing, or something more challenging?

While on my quest to "stay in Virginia," going back to school had pricked my heart again (as it did 5 years ago) only be bandaged up and quickly pushed to the back of my options for multiple reasons, but mainly because the thought of going to school, working AND going into debt paying for school was overwhelming. I told a friend of mine about the crazy thought of going back to school for counseling and fully expected him to agree with me in saying that it was too expensive and remind me that paying off school debts is a nightmare. He didn't. Instead he said "what student loans would you have to take? You can use the Post 9-11 GI Bill. You'll get PAID to go to school! You should do it!!" ....Wait. What? "I'm eligible for that???" Turns out, I was. I wonder if God ever gets tired of having to use a 2x4 upside my head to get my attention. Thank God this 2x4 turned out to be paid education and no debt. I'll take it. (thank you, Lord, for your gracious ways when trying to get my attention)

And so the school search began...

I started out with a list of about 15 that was quickly narrowed down to five. I researched the shools, talked to people in the counseling field, and decided I would go visit the different schools. As it was, I had already planned a trip out to Colorado (before I even knew that going back to school was an option), and there were two schools out there that were on my list! I visited both schools while I was out visiting my friends in Colorado and just like I knew a change was coming before any of this began, I knew Colorado was where I was going to go to school. Both schools in Colorado have great programs but Colorado Christian University seemed to be a better fit for me. It was one of those moments that I just knew this was where I belonged, so much so that I applied when I returned from my trip and found out that I was accepted in the Spring. God was opening doors left and right as I continued walk forward in prayer with each step of the process. I most definitely didn't want to be in Colorado if that wasn't where I needed to be. I mean, there are BEARS in Colorado. And snow. Lots of it.

After my acceptance, it was just a matter of figuring all the logistics of moving, quitting my job, and everything else that comes with a life change like this one. Although, the logistics can be the most complicated part of it all. At least the most frustrating and tedious. But God has continued to open doors and make a way to get me out to Colorado, confirming the decision and conquering any doubts the so easily cloud my mind. I won't say that I'm not scared at times. I am. What if I fail? What if it's harder than I remember to be a student? What if I can't get a job after completing this program? What if, what if, what if... I could play that game forever. Some of the questions I can come up with are so ridiculous it's embarrassing. Yes, they are real fears that cause legitimate doubt at times, but I can't let my fear OR doubt control me. I am a child of God and I believe that He is ALWAYS working out His plan for the good of those that love Him. He is GOOD, whether one of my worst fears come true or not. Sometimes I think I worry too much about the outcome rather than the actual journey on which God has me.

I am a firm believer that 1. we have all been called to a journey here on earth, 2. God is ceaselessly working His plan out through all of us and our journies, and 3. God is less concerned with the actual location of our physical bodies than He is, the posture of our hearts. So when people say I'm brave for making such a big move, I think I understand the sentiment. There undoubtedly will be pain and difficulty, possibly danger (uhh, maybe). But I know God is with me and watching over me, so it doesn't seem all that brave. It seems more terrifying to have decided to move to Texas (keep my job) or stay in Virginia, ignoring God's nudges, just because it seemed less daungting than navigating the unknowns of a new chapter in my life. I am confident I'm in the right place and have made the right decision, which makes it hard for me to feel like I'm being brave or courageous about anything. So I guess that's how I got so brave... It's not really me not being scared or at times worried, but more so me knowing that the God I serve is with me!

Due Dates and Summer Saturdays

2011-07-23T14:41:00.000-07:00

Day 13:

Since I'll be headed back to school in August, I figure I should get use to due dates and dead lines again. Although, in saying that, today has been a quite wonderfully summer-ish day and blogging is the last thing I want to do. I hung out with my two friends, A and C, in Glover Park (washington, dc) last night, and of course had a sluggish start to our morning. Then got motivated and made a simple brunch that gave us some energy to get up and out. Being that it was already 99 degrees at 11am, we decided that we needed to "pool-hop," also known as finding a pool with the best view of DC... Once we found this said pool, we lazied around the pool, talked while we sat in the luke warm pool, and then got some lunch. We then decided the best way to round out this hot summer's day was with some cupcakes from Crumbs. And it was a good decision.

Now I'm about to head off to the pool, again, with the Campbell clan to watch Matthew "Slam DUNK" in the pool basketball hoop, while eating take out from Outback. I knew I wouldn't have time to think of and write about everything that lead me to the decision of going back to school for Day 13 post, so today's post is in honor of ~~due dates~~ procrastination, and summer saturdays. And now that I completed day 13, it's time for me to head to the pool with the fam! I love summer Saturdays!!

You Can Call It Brave If You Want To - Day 12

2011-07-22T09:53:00.000-07:00

Day 12: A confession of sorts.

Since my decision to move out to Colorado was made, I've had more than a few people tell me how brave I am. How they could never do it... "quitting my job, moving so far away, and to a new place as well! It just adds to the courageousness of it all. Just plain scary." And I guess they're right. It CAN be scary to move. Change can be down right intimidating and terrifying, while being very necessary and good all at once. But what I think people are missing when they dote on me and proclaim me as this brave sojourner going West, is they didn't get to experience everything leading up to that point. The REASONS I'm uprooting myself and chasing after this crazy dream.

Truth is, here comes the confession, I'm just not that brave. Unfortunately, I am not 90% adventurer and 10% realist.... I'm quite the contrary actually. I like to think things through and logically plan most of my decisions. I take precautions and am proactive with things that involve a change in my livelyhood and well being. This decision was not a flipant flip of the wrist, like I was throwing a penny somewhere into a large wishing well. Oh, if it were only that simple.

It all started when I came back from Iraq... I've mentioned it before, but that's when my itchy feet syndrome started. And no, I don't mean athlete's foot. I heard a friend use that phrase before, and until I got back from Iraq I didn't fully comprehend it's meaning. But really it's just a witty way of saying, I was ready for some kind of move or change. I couldn't bare the thought of standing still and being in the same place doing the same thing for the next 15 years of my life, although I really did enjoy my job for the most part. Hence the "itchy feet." I didn't think (or want) that change to end me up in Colorado, but here is how the story of my so-called bravery goes....

..... to be continued (Day 13) :D

Friends and Family Stick.... Kinda Like Glue: Days 10 & 11

2011-07-20T19:15:00.000-07:00

The past couple days (we're going to call them Days 10 and 11) I have been busy getting things in order here in VA. Trying to decide about insurances, whether or not to go on leave without pay or just quit the government all together, the possible sale of my house. You know, fun stuff, like what utensil I should use to gauge out my eye. All this crap here makes me just want to be THERE already!

But then, there are the moments that transpire, moments that overflow my heart with joy because I know God is working. But more so, I know He is good and He is loving. In the past two days, I have been overwhelmed by how God can orchestrate and how He loves to comfort me. Whether it's through a long overdue lunch to catch up with a friend(s), or past acquaintances turned friends through empathy and a common bond. Or sometimes, the most exuberant and heart warming one of all, a big smiley face 21 month old boy running toward me as I walk in the door followed by a hug with a few pats... These moments may be something I will physically leave behind when I move to Colorado *tear*, but I will carry them with me for a long time. Moments that transcend any amount of distance, every time zone, or any type of change. Moments that brought me love, comfort, and clarity at just the right time. In His perfect timing.... They are snap shots of how God loves me (us) that need to be stored in my memory bank because I am so quick to forget how GOOD He is when things get tough. I have some amazing family and friends that God has blessed me with, and I will miss them dearly when I leave, but I think Mr. Buechner got it right in saying,

'You can kiss your family and friends good-bye and put miles between you, but at the same time you carry them with you in your heart, your mind, your stomach, because you do not just live IN a world but a world lives IN you.' -- Frederick Buechner

*I'm not exactly sure who Frederick Buechner is, but he must've had friends like mine!!

Excitement With a Dash of Fear (at times): Days 6-9

2011-07-19T13:39:00.000-07:00

You may not see it, but this '40 Days to Colorado' blog posting, has kept me more consistent as a blogger. And to be fair, when I say more consistent, you should know that I'm comparing myself to the emotions of a 15 year old girl. Yes, my blogging is more consistent than the emotional status of a teeny bopper. Thank you. Thank you very much. But in all honesty, I do FEEL like this challenge has in some way made me a more accountable blogger (you're welcome) and I actually am enjoying it. So, in true to form Katie Scott fashion, here are days 6, 7, 8 AND 9. Oh hush, cut a girl some slack!

I was in Nebraska (and we all know how busy Lincoln, NE can be!).

Day 6-8:

Well, like I said, I was in Nebraska so as far as actual preparation for my move.... let's just say I'm forgetting the past and moving forward! But I did, however, get plenty of invites to visit good ol' Nebraska while I was with my family. Which I loved. I got excited about moving all over again because it was brought to my attention that I would be living only 8-9 hours from my family in Lincoln! .... which, by the way, will afford me the opportunity to not only see my family, but also to make it to at LEAST one football game this year! GO BIG RED!!! Yippee! I guess living on the East Coast all my life, it didn't dawn on me that I would be within driving distance of my Crazy Rels, whom I love so very much! I anticipate a road trip or two after my move out to Colorado! I'm eager to explore and call new parts (to me) of the country home for a little while... having some sort of family around will make it that much sweeter!

Day 9:

Without sounding like a SNL Debbie Downer skit (hilarious, by the way...I love how they can't keep it together), the thought of moving to Colorado is sometimes a lonely thought. There are times that I feel ambivelant about doing this alone. On one hand, I know that it may not even be an option if I were married and had someone else's life to factor into the equation... I am so thankful for the freedom I have to make this opportunity but, on the other hand, I feel like it would be nice to have something (more so, someone) static, a teammate per say, to equalize some of the change and share the adventure with... Because it will, without a doubt, be an adventure! It's not every day that I feel so thwarted about doing this move with no companion, the adventurer inside of me is generally MUCH louder than 'Debs' and her anxious, annoying voice. But every once in a while, she rears her pathetic little self in hopes that she scares me out of going.... the Debbie Downer in me wants more than anything to be safe and comfortable. Not stretched and grown. But my itchy feet won't let me stay in the comforts of this place right now... This is my journey, that God is graciously letting me trek. He is with me... so whom should I fear?

Winter Break and a Healthier Life: Day 4 & 5

2011-07-15T06:59:00.000-07:00

I got to Nebraska yesterday. Of course, not without being delayed 2.5 hours, but I'm here and it feels good. I've never lived in Nebraska, but over the course of my life I've probably come to visit (my extended fam) somewhere around 20 times. Which, by the way, when I saw my grandma last night and went to hug her, she had a huge smile on her face and then said, "now who are you??" LOL... At least by the end of the night she told my mom "I really liked that girl sitting across the table (me)." So even if Grandma Jean doesn't remember me, at least she likes me when I'm hanging out with her. Give her a break, she's 90! She was cute as can be and didn't want to stop playing chicken foot (dominoes) until she beat me one good time... I may have found where our competitive gene came from. It's strange because although I never lived here and apparently didn't get out here enough throughout my life, it still channels home for me. I guess it's because I'm with family and surrounded by love when I'm here. But I'll post more on this Nebraska trip another time.... I have some business to attend to and I owe you a day or two of my 40 days to Colorado. So without further ado....

Day 4:
Can I be frank with you? I did NOTHING for my move on Thursday.... But these post don't have to be about what I've done for my move, they can be anything RELATING TO my move or how I'm thinking or feeling because of it... Basically whatever I want. Get it? So for Day Four I'm going to talk about something I am incredibly excited about once I get out to Colorado. Something that, because of basketball, I have never been able to full advantage of... it's called WINTER BREAK and I am THRILLED that I will get one this year! Megan and I have already been planning our trip and I. CAN'T. WAIT.

Nothing is in stone yet, but it seems that the most appealing idea to us is me meeting her in China for a week and then going to BALI, soaking up all that Indonesia sun and romping around the island for a week! December can't get here fast enough! There will definitely be so tough things about being a student again, but this will most definitely be one of the perks! No wonder some people take 12 years to get through college... If I had known what I was missing out on maybe I would've got on that plan! But thank God for second chances right? This time around, there's no orange ball, plenty of time, and plenty of world to go see!!!

Day 5:
There's no denying that over the last 5 years, especially since my last knee surgery, I have become grossly out of shape. I have great plans for Colorado and one of them, is getting back in shape! I'm not talking Division I College Basketball in shape, but I am talking a shape other than round. I want to be able to get my cardio fitness up and shave a few (eh-hem) of these lbs that I've come all to accustom to, off! I'm not sure what my knees are going to allow me to do but I'm excited about all the different options there will be in Colorado AND the time being a student will afford me to use to figure out what's best for me.

Colorado, I'm comin' for ya!! Are you as excited as I am?!?

Mapping skillz... I got 'em

2011-07-13T08:35:00.000-07:00

Day 3:

I did do some preparation for my move this week and feel quite accomplished because.....

I mapped out Dad and my route to Colorado Springs!!! We'll see if this route is efficient enough for Dad, but I kinda like it and have already prepared myself for four (not three) days of driving. We'll start off strong and drive a solid 8.5 hours to Lexington, then the middle two days will be 5/6 hour days. And in true to form competitive Scott fashion, we'll finish strong and drive about 9 hours from Lawrence, where my friend Marcus lives, to Colorado Springs.... my new home! Our stops (unless "Mr. Efficient," Dad, objects) will be:

1. Lexington, KY
2. St Louis, MO
3. Lawrence, KS
4. COLORADO SPRINGS, CO

I also decided yesterday that I am not going to work my friends to death this time around and hired helpers to load the truck up in VA and unload it in CO. I'm hoping this is a good decision in the end. They were relatively cheap and hopefully will be worth the money along with saving some time and energy (my friends' energy that is). After all I don't want my friends disowning me because of my over sized couch and clothes horse tendencies. I'm already counting on the fact that the hired helpers was a winning move, and most likely will allow me to keep my friends in the northern VA area!

I leave for Nebraska tonight (nooooo, I'm not making excuses for a possible delay in posting) to go celebrate Grandma Jeans 90th birthday this year! I imagine we'll eat some amazing corn, have a hoedown and probably go cow tipping*... Should be a good time! I can't wait to see and catch up with everyone! Although, I am sad there will be no football game for me to attend this go 'round. Next time!

*I've actually never gone to a hoedown OR cow tipping (yet) in Nebraska but I'm pretty sure that's what you envision when I tell you I'm going there!

Just A Well Planned Road Trip Away ;)

2011-07-12T08:51:00.000-07:00

Day 2:

I saw Shayla for the last time before I leave for Colorado last night AND got to celebrate her birthday, albeit, a few days late. But it's better late than never, right!? It was good to see her, as per usual but so very strange to think that I won't see her for a while. Well more so, I won't BE ABLE to see her for a while because of the distance and busyness of our schedules. It's not like I see her every day now or anything but if needed, either one of us could hop in our car and scoot up (down) the road on a whim or if it was needed. It's a road trip we've both done numerous times.

Soon, being 1646 miles away, a road trip on impulse won't really be possible. Although I know Shayla would be down for a road trip like that because when I told her I was moving, that was the first thing she said after she congratulated me. I think her exact words were "Road TRIP!! I'm down for it!" But now there will have to be planning, intentional planning for us to get together. Oh, and of course, money. Unfortunately, being a full-time student may put some restraints on this little social butterfly's capacity for travel over the next couple years. The one thing I've got going for me is that Colorado is a pretty cool place with lots of different things to do that you can't do here in northern VA. Hopefully the slopes, clean air and beautiful weather will be enough to entice my friends to come see me at some point during my tenure as a Coloradan (is that what they're called?). And if not, I'll just have to marry some old guy for his money so I can travel around the world and visit my friends!!*

Our goodbye was no different than my standard goodbye with a hug. As I walked back to the car I wasn't panicking that my best friend and I were going to be 1646 miles away. I wasn't sad to be leaving. I wasn't scared that our friendship would be altered by the distance. I never experience those feelings until I'm actually in the moment.... You know the scenario, when I've got 3 reports to write but need someone to procrastinate with for just a few minutes longer because "You have to hear about this dude I ran into at Starbucks today!!" or coming home from school and just needing to talk because, "seriously, EVERYONE in my little world is getting married and having babies right now. or am I just being ridiculous?!" THEN I will be sad. THEN I will realize how much I miss her and how the way we can communicate through just one glance or the nudge of an elbow.

As excited as I am about moving and starting a new chapter in my life, I have a feeling that once I get out to the Springs, there will be days that I want the comfort of home, the comfort of loved ones, the comfort of friends. And that's what Shayla is and always has been since the day we became friends... comfort. I will definitely miss her spunky self but I know that our friendship will not skip a beat (thank God for skype and facebook)! She won't be making this first road trip with me to Colorado. Dad trumped her and gets to be Dad, and do what Dads do; make sure their little girls are okay and all settled into their new place when they make big moves like this one! But one thing is for sure, there will be more road trips for this friendship, and I can't wait!

*bad joke. it was a joke, mom, promise. unless.... no, I'm kidding, really I am.

A Journey Begins - 40 days until I am a Colorado resident

2011-07-11T13:12:00.000-07:00

I really don't need to talk about it again. But I will. Just in case there is ONE new reader, or if one of my old followers (I am using the plural term very loosely... hi Mom!) just happened to stumble upon my page after months of NOTHING, and think someone hacked into my blog to post an entry. It's me! I was not hacked! You should know by now that it's quite cyclical with me. But I WANT to be better. I don't write about anything that is going to change the world or in most people's eyes, important, but it's theraputic for me and I love doing it. In effort to be more consistent AND to document the begining of this next chapter in my life, I'm going to blog something about this transition for the next 40 days. That will take me to 19 August, the Friday before my classes start. Then we'll just have to see where the journey leads from there. So here's to consitency, new beginings, bitter-sweet good-byes, and road trips all in my very near future. Lord, be with me. please.

Day 1:
I can't believe that I'm moving in less than five weeks. I feel like another list is in order so I can get everything done in preparation for this move. Truth is.... I don't WANT to do those things. I'm finding myself wishing I was already in Colorado so I wouldn't have to deal with things like, my condo, moving my stuff out of storage and the Campbell's place, closing up admin stuff at work, thinking about not having a job come August, and all of the menial tasks that are required when one is moving thousands of miles away.
The problem with escaping these tedious duties and 'just getting there already' is then I would miss out on all of the good stuff here. And as far as that's concerned, I'd like to just grab hold of time and make it stop for just a little. It's not that I don't want to move. I do. No, really I do! But I don't want to be so focused on my to-do list that I miss out on these last precious moments that I have here in VA with my family, friends, and everything DC has to offer (I'm pretty sure Colorado Springs doesn't have the myriad of cuisine or culture that VA/DC does). It will also be missing a little 21 month old that has stolen my heart. Gah, if I could just put him in my pocket and bring him with me, I would. He's not the only one I will miss. I have lots to do, but more importantly, lots of friendships to celebrate before my road trip out to Colorado!! I just need to find balance between social and to-do's!

Today's list - Celebrate with Shayla.

So far, I'm doing pretty well not getting bogged down with the necessities of moving ;)

A couple highlights from my hiatus :D

2011-05-11T10:35:00.000-07:00

Yes, I was on a bit of a hiatus for the last 5 or 6 weeks. But I wanted to blog, I REALLY did. I just couldn't find the time in between basketball tournaments, triathlon events, finding good restaurants, plunging off the highest building in Las Vegas, and all the other tedious little duties that try to even out the perks of my job while traveling. Coming back to work after being gone for 4 weeks is THE equalizer for me in this job... I hate, no, I loathe voicemail. It's the worst. And coming back to a full mailbox with over an hour's worth of messages makes me want to ~~hit delete knowing that if it's important they'll call back~~ cry. Not to mention the 643 emails to sort through... Ok, so you get the gist. I've been busy at work, which is no big deal (I don't BLOG at work anyway), that's life and you take the good with the bad. And in this case, the bad is not really THAT bad. I'm just whining... so the REAL reason I have not blogged since I got back a week ago is two-fold:

1. My sleep schedule got incredibly jacked up while I was on my trip and that has effected my nights, which is normally when I blog.

2. It's nice to be home and around family (so the blog took the back burner).

A lot has happened between the time I left for my work trip and now. It's a bit overwhelming to think about recapping everything. To be honest, I probably couldn't remember it all if I tried. But I'll give you the highlights:

COLORADO, HERE I COME-

I got into CCU's Master of Arts Counseling Program, which means I'm moving out to Colorado this August! Which ALSO means that I am resigning my position with All Army Sports to go back to school. WHAT?! I know. It sounds crazy, maybe even stupid to some, but this has been in the works for longer than I was ever aware (until this past year), and it has been marvelously exciting to watch the pieces in this puzzle start to take form in a much bigger picture. There's lots to do before I pack my things up (again) and travel West, but I'm not going to let myself get wrapped around the daunting task of moving. Because when all is said and done, I will be in Colorado, and my friends and family will not. I'm making spending time with the people I love here on the East Coast a priority and am enjoying this transitional period, rather than dreading all the little stresses it may bring.

I'M AN AUNTIE (again)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Most of you probably already know, but the very last couple days of my trip were filled with excitement and anticipation because with every day that passed, it meant I was that much closer to cuddling my new little niece, Whitney Kristin Campbell! And you guys, she is SO cute. Her little face is so perfect, and she coo's and growns when she sleeps. It's hard to believe that not even two years ago Matthew was born AND two years prior to that, Amy and David hardly new each other... I am so thankful that they have adopted me into their little family as resident third parent. I can't lie, it's going to be a bitter sweet good bye this coming August. What am I gonna do with out my little buddy?? I can always count on him to make me laugh, smile and to fill my love tank past the brim. *sigh

(to be continued).....

A side note to yesterday's post...

2011-03-31T07:16:00.001-07:00

If you are going through a season in life or even a moment that is, in fact, heart breaking and soul aching, PLEASE do not interpret my most recent post to have said that our heartache here in this world is insignificant or self-absorbed. I actually believe quite the opposite. It DOES matter, because we matter. OUR story matters. And God says it right here in Psalm 56:8 - "You number my wanderings; Put my tears into Your bottle; Are they not in Your book?” Not one tear dissapates without being recorded by our loving Father. Whoa. That's honestly an overwhelming visual to me. I mean that's gotta be a REALLY big bottle.

He would not have said that if He meant for us to be these mechanical-robot-Christians, that never felt (or acknowledged) pain and lived in a perfect world. This world is broken, we are broken. Our hearts, yep, broken. And our mender-of-broken-hearts-God, asks us to lay our brokenness at His feet to be redeemed. Which He does. Time. After. Time.

Pain is real. Acting like it doesn't exist does not make our righteousness scale tip to the right or more Christ-like. It makes us fake. My intent in yesterday's post was simply to record the feeling evoked from Ms Gibb's words. And for whatever reason it struck me. It pricked my heart because I am often times WAY too concerned about my well being and comfort in my middle-class world (as if being a Christian entitles me to a comfortable life), than I am about things like serving others who need to be loved.

And that's all I have to say about that (I didn't say it would be a short side note).

Ready or Not....

2011-03-30T13:53:00.000-07:00

"We must move away from asking God to take care of the things that are breaking our hearts to praying about the things that are breaking God's heart."

--Margaret Gibb

Words. They are so powerful. I felt like someone sucker punched me right in the gut while reading these ever-so-eloquent, yet piercing words. This Maragret Gibb character has some nerve, doesn't she? I mean, I wasn't even looking, and most certainly wasn't ready for her one, two combo! I'd like to meet her some day and give her a piece of my mind. For now, a simple note on my blog will have to do.

Dear Ms Margaret Gibb,

Thank you for your wisdom. Thank you for your heart. I look forward to the day, that those words, and that prayer are the sentiment of my heart. And until that moment, I'll just keep reminding myself that this world does not revolve around me and praying for a ~~new~~ renewed heart and mind.

Love, KT

A year of discovery_The gift that keeps on giving...

2011-03-20T19:18:00.000-07:00

Well, spring is here, which always beckons the dawn of a new year for yours truly. Yep, it's my birthday. It sounds so cliche, but I am sitting here thinking about my 31st year and wondering where it went and how it zipped past me so quickly? I'm not sure what I have to show for this past year... I didn't buy a new house, get engaged/married, have a kid... you know, the normal stuff that people my age are doing at this point in their lives. And before you think I'm throwing myself a pity party, I must tell you that there has been a dramatic shift with in me over the course of this past year. For the better, in my opinion (let's hope). No, I may not be moving at the same speed as everyone else, with respect to life benchmarks (who cares, I don't*), but I can tell you that in this past year I have discovered more of myself - the good, bad, & ugly - which has proven to be one of the most valuable gifts I have ever been given. And I'm grateful, with a huge helping of humbled.

*on most days

Have you ever heard the song 'Beautiful Mess'? I don't know who sings it or the exact words to that song, but I get it. This life thing ain't always pretty, in fact, it's just plain messy at times.... But somehow, some where along the way, as I take a second and gasp for a deep breath of perspective, I see beauty in the process. When I truly start to understand the depth of forgiveness, the healing in redemption, the freedom in truth and the love behind God's never-ending grace for me, is when my eyes are peeled wide open to the beauty of this thing called life. But I think without drudging through the unkempt, often heart-wrenching trials in my life, I'm not so sure I would see the beauty with the same vividness and humility. If anything, this past year has given me a lot of perspective (Do I sound like an old lady or what?!). Life isn't about what I have or keeping up with the Jones' (unless I allow it to be)... It's about living MY life to the fullest, however it may come at me, in a way that is real, full of love and with dignity.

As I step into this next "new year," I am expecting a LOT of change. What that change will look like, I don't know. But what I do know is that there will be moments that are not easy, there will be uncomfortable situations and times that I really wonder "is all this really necessary?!" And all this so-called perspective that I've been talking about has proven time and time again that, yes, it REALLY is. Growing pains are a means to an end... and in the end, I want to be just who God made me to be, doing just what he made me to do. Knowing that alone, is enough to bring a smile to my face as I sit here thinking about 'what might be' :) in this coming year! I am so thankful for 31. It had ~~a few~~ more bumps in the road than I expected and they caused me to do some self-analyzing to ensure I was moving in the right direction, but it's been well worth the ride and has ignited a passion inside of me to love others better and to seek what is true in every aspect of life!! I couldn't have planned it more strategically for the next season of my life!! Thirty-to-tha-TWO, I don't know how you got here so fast, but I ain't mad atcha! Let's get this party started... TODAY! :)

PS- Thanks to all of my friends and family who are amazing and make my life THAT MUCH BETTER!!! No matter what changes in my life, you all remain a constant...I am so thankful for the love you all give me day in and day out! I hope that I can support and love you, the way you have done for me. Forever grateful and feeling very loved today!

Ah to be young again... just for a night

2011-03-15T08:27:00.000-07:00

OMGosh! OMGosh! OMGosh! Giddy. Do you remember that feeling? You know, the "OMG-the-boy-I've-been-doodling-about-in-my-spanish binder (ok, not just spanish)-just-left-a-note-in-my-locker-and-he-likes-me!!!" giddy feeling you got in high school? If you don't know it, what the heck did you day dream about when you were sitting in class?! I'm pretty sure that was ONE of the parts (if not the only part) of high school that any of us would want to recreate. At least that's my opinion* Anyway, last night I had the priveledge of going to see Boyz II Men in concert and that is just where they took me. Back. Waaaay back.

I'm not sure how else to describe last night other than epic; I get giddy just thinking about it. I got lost in their songs, their moves (yep, they still got 'em), and their larger-than-life, iconic voices... And so did everyone else in that building. At times, the concert was pretty much a sing-along and nobody cared if their the person next to them was singing too loud, off pitch, or bumping into them as they swayed back and forth to the timeless songs coming off that stage.. And that was because we were in the presence of Boyz II Men. It was all so surreal. If someone would've told me when I went to see Boyz II Men that I was going to feel like a teenager again, I would've laughed at them and said something like "Whatever, I don't get silly over celebs." And I don't. NORMALLY. But last night was different... Maybe I was off my game or something, but they got me. They had me swooning, screaming and giggling like I was 15 again. And I loved it. I feel like I should be embarassed, but I'm not. lol. I had a ball.

It's like they always say, "if you got it, you got it." And BoyzIIMen, yeah, they got it....

*Sans High School Athletics and the lack of adult responsibility

"I Will Wait..."

2011-03-06T20:26:00.000-08:00

Love her words....

Who I Am....

2011-02-25T11:21:00.000-08:00

Who I Am...

I am...just a girl on a journey.

I want...to be known in spite of my tendency to shy away from vulnerability.

I have...amazing family and friends whom make my heart full.

I wish...they all lived closer (or I had a private jet).

I hate...that I worry.

I fear...heights.

I hear...tiny feet running around upstairs (I love hearing that).

I search...for truth.

I wonder...where I'm headed and how I'll get there.

I regret...that my to-do list rarely gets completed and I never learned to play the guitar.

I love...enjoying the 3 F's (Fun, Food, Fellowship) at the same time.

I ache...when people I love are hurting.

I always... sing when the National Anthem is being played.

I usually...lose my breath when I see a beautiful sunset.

I am not...a writer but writing stories through photos and words is a wonderful outlet for me.

I dance...a lot with Matthew lately.

I sing...less now than I use to.

I never...get enough sleep at night.

I sometimes...have a hard time being patient for things.

I cry...I'm a girl, you want to know EVERYTHING that makes me cry?

I am not always...an extrovert.

I lose...in a foot race every time (except against children under the age of 5)*

I am confused...when we don't choose to love and restore dignity, over reputation. (and when I see this)

I need...Grace, truth and redemption in my life daily.

I should...workout more (Amen Megan).

Who Are You?

Now you're supposed to copy and repost your answers.... I'm not tagging people but if you do it, let me know so I can check you out! :)

*possibly younger, it just depends on how athletic of a 4 year old the kid is

Office Coversations - SMH

2011-02-08T07:21:00.000-08:00

I was talking to a co-worker of mine and apparently sexy knees are in. Sexy KNEES. I wasn't sure where to go from there but it went something like this:

Co-worker: "I need to find an exercise that tones my knees."
Me: "Your KNEES? Don't you mean your quads, hamstrings and calves... i.e. your LEGS?" ~~isn't your knee kind of like your elbow? if your knee looks fat, it's probably b/c your legs are, in fact, fat or out of shape. But I don't know, that's just my thinking...~~ (and by YOU I was not referring to her, I was THINKING in general)
Co-worker: "No... I'm talking about this area right here," as she runs her fingers around her knee caps. (clearly not wanting to believe that the only way to get your knees to look better, is to get your entire leg to look better, which would mean actually working out)
Me: (scratching my head) "I'm pretty sure that IF there WAS an exercise that tones your knees, Kate Middleton knows what it is." (but then again, she's probably working on her overall fitness by the looks of things.)
Co-worker: "You think she has a blog about what she does to get her knees to look that good? or maybe there's a procedure just to tone up a little bit? You think?" (WHAT?!?!)
Me: (NO, I don't, actually, but I'll play along.... yes, I'm a jerk) "Google it, I bet there's something out there.... Let me know what you find," as I walk back to my cubicle very, very disheartened (for many reasons)....

.....Although that conversation on the surface seemed somewhat shallow, it was oddly informative. I mean, have you seen Kate Middleton's knees?!? If you clicked on the link earlier in this post you have, and my knees.... Well, let's just hope that sexy knees is a quick fad, that runs it's course as quickly as Los del Rio and the Macarena (if this song is played at my wedding, I'll puke). But for some reason sexy knees seem way more appealing than the Macarena, so I may be out of luck. As if us ladies didn't have enough to be self-conscious about, now we have to worry about our knees too. Thank you Co-worker, for making me aware of this new *trend* and giving me one more short coming to own up to (because I didn't have enough).

Leg extensions and lunges are my new best friends. #whoamikidding_idontcare

My Rock of Remembrance_2011 Jan recap

2011-02-03T11:17:00.000-08:00

February. Good gracious. It's February. To say time is flying by and that I wish I had a pause button would ~~make me sound like an old fart~~ be cliche, but geeeez..... I promise I will only say this one more time, IT'S ALREADY FEBRUARY, PEOPLE! 2011 is going to come and go just like every other year has done before, but this year is going to mark a lot of new things for me. My memory is not always the best ~~when it comes to periods of transition in my life~~ and I want to have a record of my story; things going on, decisions I'm making (and why), God moments, what I'm feeling, the new characters involved, the ups, the downs... you get the picture. It does sound a bit self-absorbed, but I ~~promise it's not~~ truly believe that God uses our past to shape our future. Not to say that God can't or won't use something in my past just because I can't remember it (whew!), but being reminded of things He brought me through or lessons learned is invaluable when making decisions about the future. Right? Okay, enough rambling, March will be here before I know it and I will still be writing this post. So here's a wrap up of January, 2011....

*Celebrated New Years with Shayla, Paul, Mel, Chief and Brett in Georgetown

*Got the flu ~~and thought I was going to die~~

*Started packing in order to move out of my place, and in with the Campbells

*Took a trip to Denver, CO (I will have another post about this as it was integral in some of my subsequent decisions) and saw two of my favorite people, Carrie and Jamar
Carrie and me, snow shoe'ing :)

Jamar taking me to meet up with Carrie :)

*~~Finished~~ More packing - Wonderful friends helped me (finish packing) move

An almost empty house

David in the U-Haul truck; on our way to the storage unit!

Jon driving the U-Haul

Julie and Matthew at Ledo's after a tough day's work!

*Survived a couple snow storms/Enjoyed playing in the snow with Matthew

*Settled into the Campbells and had friends over for drinks, games and hot tub'ing

*Submitted application to CCU for their Masters of Arts in Counseling Program

So long January 2011, you may be over, but (now) you will not be forgotten. February, please bring less snow and more dance parties via Matthew and Campbell clan. I'm keeping it simple this month. Focusing on enjoying the journey. Decisions will be made, fun will be had, my heart will be full, and the pages in my story will continue to turn as I co-author with God in writing the next chapter.

Q_TP #3 - God Save Us All

2011-01-25T20:39:00.000-08:00

‎"There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it steadily."

-- George Washington

Now there's a thought America. Republicans... Democrats.... Lay Citizens.... SEEK TRUTH AND PURSUE IT STEADILY. (I should add Media* to my charge, but we all know how well that would go over) I wonder what kind of difference that could make, if we all actually got off facebook for long enough to seek out truth and then pursue it steadily. It's an interesting thought actually. If, instead of allowing the media to control what we believe, we actually researched and studied the historical data for ourselves. I think we would ALL be surprised at what we could accomplish, together, as a nation undivided.

*does anyone feel a tad nervous when watching anything about politics on TV. And by a tad nervous I mean, pee-your-pants scared that our country has seen it's best years and our generation has nothing to look forward to but the perishing of a country that use to be something special? Just wondering.

One day at a time...

2011-01-24T14:20:00.000-08:00

For those of you that saw my list, you will be happy to know I am on schedule and almost EVERYTHING on my list can be. checked. off. I have some very tired, sore and pretty amazing friends that came out this past weekend to help me MOVE OUT! I did take one or two pictures but the frigged weather made sure I kept my gloves on and well, it's just hard to take pictures with gloves on your hands.

Can I just say that moving stinks? It really does. And moving when it's 12 degrees outside stinks more. When I say it was cold outside, that is not an understatement. We're talking, steam coming off Chief and Jon's heads because they were hot....the air was not. Did I mention they were sweating? Yes, they were the first two guys there and after a few overwhelming moments, I sheepishly (not really) put them to work. And... they. were. awesome. They both admitted half way through that maybe the idea of working out prior to helping me move (really?! What the heck?) was a bad idea. Seriously though, I am so grateful for them and the rest of the crew that came out! I couldn't have done it without them.... I loved watching David and Chuck strategically figure out where things should go in the storage truck/unit as it seemed that more things began to appear out of no where... How on earth did I collect so much stuff and where has it been hiding?! It's like it started crawling out of the crevices as I started to pack.... Brittany and Julie were good for helping me figure out what I "needed" to keep or not. At one point I was like, "ooooh there are those dumbells that I haven't ever used....I should pack those so I start using them." lol. Needless to say, they were put in the goodwill pile (that took up practically the whole dining room....nice). Abby helped me fend for my stuff at times, until she got relegated to the kitchen (sad face) to finish some of the packing that I hadn't been able to get to... Thanks Abs!

Note to self... always go with the bigger truck. I horribly underestimated the amount of space my valuables (junk) would take up and we ended up having to make two trips.... second trip lacked a little motivation... but we got it done. Most of it at least. We dropped the second load at Amy and David's then booked it to Ledo's Pizza before we all passed out. Second note to self, don't underestimate time or the necessity of eating prior to a serious move day. We were all STARVING... some of us hadn't eaten since breakfast (eh hem) and we ordered something like 5 pizzas. ha. We didn't eat them all but, it sounded doable when we ordered!

Thanks to my wonderful friends who sacrificed their Saturday to help me out! I am so grateful (why isn't that word spelled like GREAT? ugh) for your kind service and friendships! :) I only have 7 (partial), 9, and 10 left to do on my list and you guys are all to thank for that!

(pictures to come....)

To worry, or not to worry: Q-TP#2

2011-01-13T12:33:00.000-08:00

‎"Worry implies that we don't quite trust that God is big enough, powerful enough, or loving enough to take care of what's happening in our lives. Stress says that the things we are involved in are important enough to merit out impatience, our lack of grace towards others, or our tight grip of control." -Francis Chan

Que dramatic scene of girl overreacting (about anything, you name it, we've most likely overreacted about it) to her friend and then her friend hauling off and whacking her in the face to make her stop. *Deep breath. Thank you, Megan, for the slap in the face... I needed that.

My younger sister slapped this quote on my wall (fbook wall, is there any other?) yesterday and it stopped me in my tracks. For those of you who know me well, you know that I can be SOOOOO good at worrying when I want to be. I'm not one who stresses, per say, but worrying... yeah, that is my thing. And the things that I choose to worry about are the CRAZIEST of things. Not normal everyday things like, "why is everyone starring at me? is the back of my skirt tucked into my leggings again??" or "did I leave the house unlocked when I left for work?" I worry about freak accident stuff and things that I really have NO control over but would cause a great deal of pain or discomfort for me or someone I love, whether physical or emotional. I won't go into everything that I worry about but here is a clue... I couldn't have been older than 10 years old when I specifically remember crying myself to sleep because I was scared one of my siblings was going to fall through the ice at the pond near our house that winter. Or another time when Mom and Dad could not get home fast enough because I was convinced that UFO's were hovering around our house.

Okay, yes, I've stopped worrying about UFO's (eh-hem), but that's not my point. My point is that I am about to embark on a big, new, scary step in my life because it is going to require me to leave a lot of the things that give me comfort. And there is a lot that I COULD worry about. After all, there are a lot of unknowns and a lot of different directions my life could possibly take right now. But I am going to choose to trust rather than to worry. I can be confident that as I walk forward in this whole decision-making process that His Spirit inside of me will nudge me if I am headed in the wrong direction. Don't get me wrong, this does not mean that I'm putting my options in a hat and blindly picking my future. But I'm researching, talking to people, and pursuing doors that seem to be opening as I seek answers. Not to forget, looking at my past to see what passions God has placed inside of me from an early age and how I can pursue and nurture these passions in order to be who God has called me to be in the midst of His story.

Sure I could worry about things like, if I left this job to go back to school I may not EVER have the job security I have now.... And even in saying that I realize that I far too often make God out to be way smaller than he truly is because really my job, my benefits, flexibility and SENSE of security could all be wiped clean today, and then what would I be clinging to? So the quote_to ponder came right on time. I don't want pseudo security... I want God's security. Worry less, trust more....

A list was in order...

2011-01-10T20:43:00.000-08:00

Mildly productive. That's how I would define my night tonight. Finished some chores around the house, got my mail (gasp), opened it (say what!?!), went grocery shopping, dropped a few things by the Campbell's place, snuck in a few giggles and books with Matthew, and most importantly I made a list.

This week has already been incredibly overwhelming for me, starting with another night where my body wanted rest but my mind was so not having it. I swear there are nights my mind races like it were competing against the Kenyans in an Olympic marathon.... and my mind is winning. I just start thinking of all of the things that need to be done and then my mind explodes because, well, where do I start....And that's why tonight was productive. I have narrowed my spectrum a little. Right now. For the next few weeks, my goal is to be packed up and moved into Casa a la Campbell and EZStorage. That's it. Not to fix up the condo, have it rented out, apply to 5 schools, take the GRE, get into 5 schools, decide what I'm doing come summer time when my job relocates, name my future children, cure cancer and feed the hungry by February. Simply, pack. and. Move. The rest will come in it's time. So with my brain dump and now clearly focused on JUST packing and moving out, I can make a list that looks somewhat attainable and it won't make me some kind of crazy woman who may just very well lose it if one more school makes it like a game of finding Waldo to figure out their application deadline on their website. Hint: BOLD letters "Fall Semester application due date: xxxxx" I HATE FINDING freakin' WALDO. Why are you lost all the time anyway, Mr. Waldo?? Don't push me....but I digress. Maybe you can relate or maybe I'm weird (probably) but if I don't have my 'search' narrowed down, I am ALL OVER the map and my mind will not let me rest.

So here's my list:

1. Get packing paper

2. Pack out kitchen and laundry room

3. Take down, wrap, pack all frames/artwork

4. Call Good Will to pick up give aways

5. Work on desk and organizing documents

6. Organize a moving crew (hopefully friends) when close to finishing packing - goal 29/30 Jan

7. Pack up clothes and remaining room items

8. MOVE - storage/casa a la Campbell

9. Clean and figure out what needs to be fixed

*10. (b/c you can't stop a list at 9) pop cork, feet up, glass of red wine in hot tub a la Campbell!

Well, it's a start... We'll see how it goes. Is anyone watching this game?!? Holy cow... a great BCS Championship game as far as making it competitive! Good night all...

The reason I'm not in bed... asleep.

2011-01-09T20:26:00.000-08:00

So I was about to sign off and head to bed but I took one glance at the guide on tv and this is what I saw...

...This scene makes me laugh every. single. time. Hard to believe this movie came out over five years ago. YIKES! I remember when it came out... I'm pretty sure I saw it three times IN the THEATER. "What? I'm just expressing myself."

Cheers to you 2010... here I come 2011...

2011-01-03T17:54:00.000-08:00

.... as if you were waiting on me.

I suppose I should put something up here about the fact that somehow the 2000's* have passed me by in what was seemingly nothing more than a long exhale after a deep breath and that I'm ready for 2011 to give me it's best shot. And that would be true. I'm excited for 2011 and where it will take me as I put one foot in front of the other. But I need to know if I'm the only one that is in disbelief that it is ALREADY 2011?? I mean I'm still bumpin' Outkast, J-Lo (don't judge me), and Ashlee Simpson's 'Pieces of Me' when I feel like rolling back the sun roof and belting out a few songs that I know ALL the words to. I'm not sure I should've admitted that, but it's true. The point of me telling you that (other than the fact that yes, sometimes I listen to bad music if it puts me in a good mood) embarrassing fact is that time is a movin' and it's not stopping! So here are a few moments from 2010 that I have conjured together and will post on here in case my memory goes quicker than it should, I will have something to remember at least snap shots of 2010. Because honestly, if I were to try and tell you about my 2009, I'd have to look through my facebook albums to 'remember' where I was and what I did that year...

Feb 2010:

My first real vacation to Hawaii (other than a bball tourney). I got to hang with Melissa, surfed (kind of), had the best shaved ice I've ever had, laughed, ate and laughed some more, saw some whales, got to see Melissa preggers, got our toes done, saw Hawaii rainbows and laughed some more... then got to visit with some of the friends I made while over in Iraq. Decided I need to make it back there before 2012. oh and how could I forget the Blizzard of 2010?! Enjoyed a few snow days as all of the metro area closed down due to 36'' plus of snow! We had a ball!

April 2010:

Girls weekend in Miami with Hamm, J and Ashley. Relaxed, laughed a LOT, girl talk, had some fruity drinks, saw Jeremy and Sofia, romped around Miami for a night or two (I could never live in that city, we ate dinner at nearly 9 or 10pm every night), hung out at the pool, hung out at the beach, girl talk and more fun. THEN I went to San Diego for Chief and Melissa's wedding... (I'm starting to see a theme for 2010- travel, friends and beach destinations) which of course was like a mini reunion in getting to see some of my peeps from my time in Annapolis. And we all know how fun that always is... nothing but laughter and good times, especially when celebrating a marriage!

June 2010:

Surgery. um... yeah, I don't have much to say about it being that I'm still not fully recovered. Next time, I'll opt for more rehab.

Summer 2010:

Filled with lake house fun when my cousins came to visit, Megan came back from China for a short stay, almost the whole family was there and it floods my heart with sappy songs like "through the years" and "that's what friends are for."

Fall 2010

September/October:

My trip to NY.... Started off with a swing and a miss but then got to celebrate wedding nuptials with one of my favorite couples, Carrie and Sean, in one of my favorite cities. I loved it so much I came back the next month to visit Janetta and JJ... met up with another friend from college and realized just how fast time has flown. Amy and David Preggers!!! - My roommie moved out. Sad. Day.

November:

More lake house and family gatherings which lent time for us to catch up, play, watch football, eat... a lot, play some more and just hang out as a family.

December 2010:

Christmas in VA! Mom and Dad's surprise 40th anniversary party. Celebration of their love and commitment with old friends! lots of cookies. Matthew growing up way too fast.

Well these are just a few things that stuck out to me... 2010, you were a fun but trying year. You exposed me in more ways than I was ready for but in that helped refine me and showed me more of who I am... Flawed and messy. Redeemed and loved. So 2011, I'm pretty sure I have not a clue what you have up your sleeve but whatever it is I'm praying it leads me to more truth and more of Him. Cheers!

*and yes, I realize that TECHNICALLY the 2000's passed me by last year... EXACTLY MY POINT.

Laughter is the Best Medicine

2010-12-17T21:43:00.000-08:00

Some of my fondest memories while in Annapolis were around this table, with these guys, the people you can hear laughing in this video and good food.... the 3 F's - Fun, Food, Fellowship. It doesn't get any better.

"Back in the day when I was young, I'm not a kid anymore but some days I sit and wish I was a kid again." -- Ahmad, 'Back in the Day'

The Smallest Decisions...

2010-12-14T12:38:00.000-08:00

Most of you know that I sleep VERY well. I normally don't like to brag, but I am really REALLY good at it. I mean, yes, I sleep with ear plugs because I like complete silence when I drift off into my peaceful dreamworld. "Horizontal narcolepsy," is what my brother-in-law has named it. As soon as I am in a full horizontal position, I. Am. Out. That is, unless I have something on my mind.... not just something though, it takes more than just tomorrow's "to-do" list (I am not a mom yet, remember? my to-do list can change with the wind if I so desire... for the most part) or "did I remember to lock the door," to keep me from slumbering. You know, something like a boy, or in this case, WHAT I'M GOING TO DO WITH MY LIFE COME THIS SEPTEMBER.

This is a BIG decision... and I'm not particularly stressed about the actual decision itself, it's just my mind WILL NOT shut off when thinking about the endless possibilities. And it is SO annoying. I am trying not to rush into this decision as to carefully AND prayerfully start turning the page in this next chapter. But a few more nights of tossing and turning, may turn ugly for me. And nobody wants that. Trust me. A good friend of mine use to always say "CHALT" when making a decision.... And by that she meant never make a decision when you are Crazy (aka pms'ing and emotional), Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired. I think she stole that acronym from AA and added her own twist to it... I think it's supposed to be HALT when making decisions. The C is sooooo crucial. I like her version better. But I digress.... point is, if I don't start sleeping again, I'm going to be TIRED, CRANKY and ANGRY... probably lonely too because people generally don't like to be around people who are tired, cranky and angry.

All that being said, I am excited about what's up next! Even though I am not sure what that is going to entail. It could be anything from moving to Texas (I'm not buying my boots quite yet), to going back to school and starting a new career... there's a lot of middle ground there and it's a bit daunting at times. When I think about making the decision to "at least go interview" (with some prodding from Dad) for an asst coaching position at the Naval Academy and how taking that job altered my life's course, and the way it is STILL effecting it now, I am amazed. Saying yes to an interview seemed like such a miniscule decision at the time. But it wasn't. It was life changing. For so many different reasons. And all because I went to an interview for a job that I really didn't think I wanted. This post could easily morph into a "freedom of choice" vs "predestined" debate, but that would require way more time and brain cells than I can expend right now. So I'll save that for another day (maybe). If you're reading this post and are the praying type, I would not be opposed to you asking God to give me clarity, patience, diligence (there is lots to be done) and guidance, as I walk through this process. Oh and some SLEEP would be fab! Thanks everyone!

"Sometimes it's the smallest decisions that can change your life forever."

--Keri Russell

THINGS.I.LIKE.

2010-12-10T08:00:00.000-08:00

Babyliss Pro Nano Titanium 1-3/4 Inch Flat Iron Straightener

I got this for Christmas (yes, this year...don't judge me) and it is incredible. It cuts the time it takes me to straighten my hair in half AND my hair actually gets straight and stays straight. It's unlike any other straightener that I've used where I have to go inch by inch, over and over every piece (that doesn't get pulled out as it rips through my hair) to get it semi-straight and then if any type of humidity hits it... forget about it. This thing is awe-some. I love it... and yes, I will be wrapping it up and opening it (from my parents) on Christmas morning. Thanks Mom and Dad! :)

Quote_To_Ponder: Q-TP #1

2010-12-07T07:15:00.000-08:00

Words. They can so easily effect (or is it affect, I never know) me. They can encourage and they can destruct... They can ease my spirit after a day full of mishaps. Or hurt my feelings worse than being sucker punched in the gut. Who ever said "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me," was FULL OF IT. Who were they kidding?? It can be the way words are strung together that strike something in me. As they roll off the tongue they can sound so good together (in a song, poem etc) or the meaning of those words may pierce my heart with an unforgettable mark. Which ever the case may be, words carry weight in my world. In my effort to record my daily musings and remember things that move me I am NOT starting a Quote of the Day, for the simple fact that a "quote of the day" SOUNDS overwhelming to me. To think about posting a quote or words that strike my fancy daily is just. too. much. Instead I will just post a quote to ponder. A Q-TP, if you will!

The other day I was reading something by Beth Moore and her words hit me hard.
"If Jesus gives us a task or assigns us to a difficult season, every ounce of our experience is meant for our instruction and completion if only we'll let Him finish the work. I fear, however, that we are so attention-deficit that we settle for bearable when beauty is just around the corner."

How many times have I settled with bearable rather than beauty? How often am I impatient and unwilling to stay attentive or open to what God is trying to do because it hurts? PUKE. More often than I'd like to admit. I don't like being uncomfortable or pain, whether physical or emotional. Who does? But sometimes I think I fear it more than I trust God and His (greater) plan. I long for redemption and when I don't get it at my first cry for relief, I settle for "bearable" rather than sitting in that tension of my soul aching and trusting that God is good and His glory is being revealed in some way or another. Maybe not in the way that I envisioned it to unfold but in a beautifully surprising, katie-is-not-the-center-of-the-universe type of way. I too easily forget that choosing God in a broken world means that I constantly must remind myself that my comfort is not the priority. That I am not the priority. God's glory being revealed IS the priority, and THAT is a beautiful thing when we are open and given the opportunity to witness it. I'm hoping to grasp and put to action the heart of that thought consistently before the end of this lifetime. But until then, I'm thankful God gives me more than my fair share of chances of choosing more of Him and less of me. Over and over and over again. Even if it hurts sometimes.

Random Thought

2010-12-06T22:09:00.000-08:00

Just for the heck of it, I checked to see when I started my 10 Day Blog Challenge (for the life of me I can't decide if "Day Blog Challenge" needs to be capitalized or not.. but I digress)..... Nov 8th was when I began. NOVEMBER 8th, people!!!

Realization numero uno - it took me almost 30 days to finish a 10 D.B.C.

Is there any wonder as to why my blog has less than a meager following?? A friend of mine today asked a group of people I was with, if anyone blogged... I said "I do!" She responded, "you do? oh wait, that's right, I think I follow you... but you don't really ever post right?" LOL... Touché, my friend.

Day 10 - Challenge Complete!

2010-12-06T20:53:00.000-08:00

This is supposed to be the post were I finish my 10 Day Blog Challenge and get a nice big pat on the back from the blog world (or not) and then continue posting to this blog with some kind of consistency. Right? ... right. I started this blog almost as a means of communication with my family because now that we are all adults, we are kind of spread out (China to the US, so maybe "kind of" is an understatement) and I thought it was a great way to stay up on the goings on of each other's lives. And it was. I jumped on the blogging bandwagon with ideas of grandeur... the only problem was, I don't always FEEL like writing. Some days it's because I'm being lazy and other days its because to write about what's going on in my life means I actually have to think, and process. And sometimes that's just not fun.... The thinking or the processing.

I want to be better at this blogging thing. I really do. Sometimes I feel like if I had a switch that could just shut my mind off, I'd be better off because I think a lot. I analyze things that don't need to be analyzed, worry about things that can't be controlled and think of ways to control those said things. All to no avail. BUT there are days that something happens or someone's words dig their way into my heart and I find myself, my perspective changed. Then a month later, I can't exactly remember why... More often than not it seems the things that I want to remember are fleeting and hard for me to recall because I may have the world's worst memory. When I do remember some thing, a lot of times the details are foggy at best and it's like sorting through a bunch of muck. Out of necessity and a longing to grow, I NEED to get better at this... I like the idea that this is kind of turning into more than just an update for my family but somewhere I can process and record my thoughts. A place I can look back and have some sort of stream of conciseness and order to my thoughts, heart and life happenings. Like I said in my last post, I feel transition knocking at my door. I want to be able to look back on it and recall what I was feeling, how God was moving, what He was teaching me, how He was changing me, and just a record of where this escapade called life has taken me. As for the Challenge....

DAY 10: ONE confession.....

(drum roll please)

I have not shaved my legs in over two weeks. gah! It's starting to get to me.... tomorrow is a new day. I will be baby buttery smooth in the morning. Look out world, here I come!

My life... Day 9

2010-12-02T07:58:00.000-08:00

Day 1: Ten things you want to say to ten people right now.
Day 2: Nine things about yourself that most people don't know.
Day 3: Eight things you couldn't live without.
Day 4: Seven things that cross your mind a lot.
Day 5: Six things you wish you could change or wish you would have never done.
Day 6: Five people who mean a lot to you.
Day 7: Four turn offs.
Day 8: Three turn ons.
Day 9: Two words that describe your life right now.
Day 10: One confession

Two words, huh? That's all I get? You, my little Ten Day Challenge are really getting on my nerves. I mean, really. I'm supposed to sum up my life in two words? Did you mean two blog posts?? I think it would actually require less thought for me to just let my fingers speed away at the keyboard talking about where I am in life right now. But nooooo, you want two words. Well then, here you go, my two words that describe my life right now (am I at least allowed to explain my two words? ...yes.) Okay great, here goes:

1. Transient- Sometimes I feel like I live out of a suitcase... my job keeps me traveling and when I'm not traveling for work, I'm normally traveling to see fam/friends at least one weekend out of the month. And now my life feels particularly more transient because I have been in MD/VA for a little over 8 years (has it really been that long?) and am feeling a nudge towards movement. I don't know what that nudge is toward (ie-going back to school, moving to San Antonio next fall with my job, changing careers, or ... who knows?) but I do know it's something and right now feel like that something is calling for transition... whatever that transition may be. It's an uncomfortable feeling because I like security and knowing. But right now, I really don't know... Anything. All I know is there is a change in the air and it's going to be here in the blink of an eye so I need to be ready!

2. Overwhelmed- Do you remember when the most nerve-racking decision you had to make was who to pick up on your team for a neighborhood game of Capture the Flag? Which was in fact, a stressful situation at times. But I digress to now. NOW, I would be ever so delighted if who was on my team for Capture the Flag was my biggest concern. NOW, I get to make decision between keeping a stable job with great flexibility for my lifestyle (which would mean moving) or stepping out on faith, going back to school (which has a whole bunch of variables in itself), or getting a new job (that may or may not be as secure) here in the NOVA area. Please hear me when I say this. I am not complaining about having to make these decisions... this is life, there are always decisions to be made. But sometimes, some decisions are harder to make than others. I am thankful that I have options and the opportunity to make a decision rather than feeling backed into a corner and having a decision about my life, by means of circumstance, made for me. Trust me, I am grateful. But I am also overwhelmed. This is a big decision that will change my life for at least the next couple years but most likely more than that. I'm excited but overwhelmed too. I pray that my heart is open to God's leading and that as I walk forward in this decision, His hands are all over it and it would be clear what my next steps will be.

DAY 10 is almost here!!!!!!! :) Thanks, Meggo, for the kick in the pants to start blogging again. It may have taken me longer than 10 days to finish... but it's given me some motivation (Lord knows I need it!)

Cheeseburger Doritos.... my life just got a little better.

2010-12-01T09:40:00.000-08:00

WHERE have you been all my life? And why couldn't someone have invented you when I was 10 so I could eat a whole bag in one sitting and not worry about still being able to fit into my wardrobe?? Seriously. I know they SOUND gross. But. They aren't. They are delicious. And I want to eat them for every meal. But. I won't. Drat. So if you walk by these in the grocery store, depending on your goals over the holiday season (to gain weight or to not gain weight), pick a bag or two of these up. or don't (if you're not trying to gain weight). But if you don't, you will be missing out!

Attraction... Day 8

2010-11-30T07:04:00.000-08:00

There are a lot of things that draw me to the different people I meet.... I could go a lot of different ways with today's topic, but the phrase "turn ons" sounds more like this survey or challenge, if you will, is requiring me to tell you what gives me butterflies...

Day 1: Ten things you want to say to ten people right now.
Day 2: Nine things about yourself that most people don't know.
Day 3: Eight things you couldn't live without.
Day 4: Seven things that cross your mind a lot.
Day 5: Six things you wish you could change or wish you would have never done.
Day 6: Five people who mean a lot to you.
Day 7: Four turn offs.
Day 8: Three turn ons.
Day 9: Two words that describe your life right now.
Day 10: One confession

Three turn ons:
1. A big, pretty smile. This, people, can make or break an attraction with me. I can see some ordinary looking guy, who hardly catches my eye but then smiles and his smile brightens the room while causing me to smile, and he's in! And contrary to that, if there is a guy who walks into a room looking like a tall glass of water and then his smile is jacked. UGHHHHHHHHHHHHH .... I'll say no more.
2. Relentless Pursuit. of me. We're talking "turn ons" here right?! So don't go getting all spiritual on me here, saying don't you mean relentless pursuit of Jesus, Katie? Just stop it, that is a given ... yes, that is attractive but I don't consider it a "turn on." It is a turn on to me when a man pursues ME and to pursue by definition means:
-to chase (ok, chase may sound a bit stalkerish, but that's not the intent of what I'm trying to get accross) somebody: sometimes for a long time, in order to catch or capture her (HEART) (and break through the walls of insecurity and fear that she has built around her heart. Letting her know that love may not be safe, but it's good and it lasts, by leading in a manner that allows her to trust and slowly let down those walls)*
-to carry something out: to work at something or carry it out
-to continue with something: to continue with something or follow it up (continuing to pursue and encourage who I am even after he has captured my heart)
3. Manly forearms. Yes, I know that sounds so weird. But I love a set of strong and masculine forearms... I don't know if it's the fact that a nice pair of biceps, nice shoulders and a nice chest come with those forearms is was does it, but goodness I just love it! Buh-tter-flies.

*Italicized and bolded = my emphasis

And there you have it. 3 turn ons. Take 'em or leave 'em.

Behind the Power Curve - Turn offs - Day 7

2010-11-29T12:34:00.000-08:00

Would you believe that the dog ate my computer (and every other computer I was in possible proximity to while I was on vacation)? I'm not even going to apologize anymore about not finishing this in 10 days. You know me and my blogging tendancies. So without further ado... onto Day 7!

Day 1: Ten things you want to say to ten people right now.
Day 2: Nine things about yourself that most people don't know.
Day 3: Eight things you couldn't live without.
Day 4: Seven things that cross your mind a lot.
Day 5: Six things you wish you could change or wish you would have never done.
Day 6: Five people who mean a lot to you.
Day 7: Four turn offs.
Day 8: Three turn ons.
Day 9: Two words that describe your life right now.
Day 10: One confession

Four turn offs:

1. SELFISHNESS --> We all have our moments of selfishness... but when someone is so self absorbed that they never ask how you're doing or even realize all they do is talk about themself, I lose interest. fast.

2. LACK OF INTEGRITY --> If I notice that you're always trying to "get over," cut corners to get what you want, don't follow through on things you say you're going to do, or constantly catching you in little white lies, I'm not a fan. I want to be able to stand on the fact that your word is your word and you are doing everything in your power to hold true to that (especially if I'm considering entering a relationship with you). I don't want to be wondering if I'm getting the whole truth in a situation, whether it be big or small. TRUST is so important.

3. ARROGANCE --> I don't deal well with people who have inflated sense of self, think they are better than most (intolerance) and can't admit when they are wrong. "what you made the Varsity football team your Freshman year but can't believe the coach wouldn't play you even though the guy in front of you was Mike Vick!? just ludacris." *yawn....and I'm fading. oh by the way, you're 30 years old...GET OVER IT!

4. DEMEANING SENSE OF HUMOR --> Words of encouragement is one of my main love languages so when I'm around someone who is constantly cutting down other people to amuse themselves or others around them I get annoyed. Super annoyed. And in dating terms, if the 'clowning' is constantly at my expense you can rest assured that relationship is going no where fast.

Breakdancing into Christmas... we got skillz

2010-11-29T08:36:00.000-08:00

Just thought we'd start your Christmas season off with some new moves we put together over Thanksgiving.... enjoy!

People, people, people.... Day 6

2010-11-22T13:14:00.000-08:00

I know. My 10 day challenge has drawn out to more like two weeks. or so. But who's counting... Since I'm making excuses, I'll throw Meggo under the bus and remind you all that she has STILL not finished her last day and she started WAY before me. So technically, I'm winning. Wait, this wasn't a competition was it? Ok, well then I'm only kind of winning. I'm making a rule for my post today... I am not allowed to include people that I've already talked about in my 10 Day Challenge. So pretty much all my fam is out and a the handful of friends I mentioned in the first couple days. Here goes:

Five people who mean a lot to me-

1. Carrie (McKee) Cramm. She's one of those people to me that if you really want to know me, meeting Carrie is a must. I have known Carrie since the latter part of my adolescent life and I can't say enough about her and how her love and wise words have helped me as I've stumbled along this bumpy road of life. My parents sent me out to visit with her my freshman year in college... We laugh about it now because when she tells me about the phone call she received asking if I could come visit, it came across to her that I needed saving from some of the decisions I was making in my life... I wasn't at that time making any crazy decisions about the lifestyle that I would lead but the visit was in fact life changing in my life. It turned out to be a week in my life that I experienced, grace, truth and love all in the same breath and started to understand God's love for me on another level. Carrie was a catalyst to part of this discovery. And I'd bet on the fact that this is not the first time she's sparked someone's heart in the direction toward God.

2. Aunt Julie. I love her spunk. Aunt Julie is the woman who was diagnosed with cancer and throughout her fight, I'm pretty sure her house or hospital room was rarely empty if ever. But what sums her up is the fact that when people would come visit her, I'm pretty sure every person left encouraged. and at a loss for words. Because you see for Aunt Julie small talk wasn't enough for her. This woman is the prayer warrior that you have NEVER known. She wouldn't let people leave with out either joining her in prayer OR if that was uncomfortable for them, she told them "well you can just sit there and I'll pray for you." :) That's Aunt Julie. She's got fight, she's got spunk and she's got God... and she's not afraid to let people know. Oh, btw she fully recovered from stage four ovarian cancer and the doctors said they had never seen something like her case. Gone. Completely. Gone.

3. The guys (Walt, BBC, Chief, Marcus and Shal) - They bring joy to my life through their sense of humor, their infectious laughs, listening ears and protective love. I can't help but think about any one of these guys and not have a smile on my face. Their friendship is true, respectful and giving. I hear girls talk about how they wonder where all the good men have gone, I get sad for them because I know a lot of good men who love and cherish women in general, these five in particular!

4. Nikki (Curtis) and Carrie (Hewitt). These two girls have got to be two of the most encouraging and supportive gals I know. I've gotten to walk through adult life with Carrie and Nikki and they always listen to me vent and talk things through while processing the craziness going on (whatever that may be at the time). Thanks ladies!!

5. DJOB - She makes me laugh. We've been through ups and downs and over a decade and a half of friendship. I am thankful for her loyalty and that she let's me be me. We've been through it all over the past 15 years and I think that says a lot. You can't be friends with someone for 15 years and not walk through all different types of things... Thanks DJ for enduring it all! :)

whew... that was hard to narrow it down. If you were not on this post, please don't get your feelings hurt. It only let me pick 5!!!!! I'll write a post about you and only you if I have offended you ;) But I'm almost positive that if you are reading this blog, you have been mentioned at some point in time on my blog! :)

What if, shmut if... Day 5.

2010-11-17T17:12:00.000-08:00

Day 5: Six things you wish you could change or wish you would have never done.

To say that I wouldn't change anything or wish I hadn't done something would be somewhat of a fabrication. Because, you see, I hardly ever get things right the first time. It may even suffice to say that I more often than not, I do not get things right and need a so called "do-over." But isn't that part of life? Isn't it our trials and failures and whatever other cliche word you have for the not-so-fun moments on our journey that mold us and give us character and all that other crap? So I'm not sure even if I had some magic wand, that I would go back and change any of the big trials that I faced in my life... I do, however, know there are most definitely things I wish I had never done, starting with that crack pipe back in the day. Ok, not really... but here goes:

I wish I had never....

1. been concerned about what other people thought of me

2. smelled one of (name eradicated)'s farts... so not kidding (you know who you are)

3. wasted time in college

4. stayed with someone for longer than I should've because I wasn't brave enough to let it go

5. said something hurtful out of spite or mal intention

6. decided getting tan was more important than wearing sunscreen when I was younger (sun spots are the worst!!)

That's all for now.... Half way there! woot woot!!!

I'm back.... Day 4

2010-11-16T08:25:00.000-08:00

Sorry to all my blog followers (all three of you), for the pause of my 10 day challenge. I guess you could say I failed, but not as miserably as my Skins last night... Good gracious. Back to the drawing board, minus the $40 Million that they just handed over to McNabb... I wonder if he had an issue looking himself in the mirror this morning? Probably not. Maybe I can get Danny boy to sign ME for a few mil. I mean, why not?! I'm perfectly capable of playing miserably and would look better doing it, I'm sure! But back to my blog... I may have failed in consistency but like the Redskins, I gotta get back on the horse and finish this thing out... hopefully with a little more excitement than their season seems to be headed (which btw, I am not attacking the players... it's a competition, sometimes you have games like last night, where nothing clicks... BUT Dan Snyder is quite possibly the worst thing that has ever happened to the Redskins).

Day 1: Ten things you want to say to ten people right now.
Day 2: Nine things about yourself that most people don't know.
Day 3: Eight things you couldn't live without.
Day 4: Seven things that cross your mind a lot.
Day 5: Six things you wish you could change or wish you would have never done.
Day 6: Five people who mean a lot to you.
Day 7: Four turn offs.
Day 8: Three turn ons.
Day 9: Two words that describe your life right now.
Day 10: One confession.

Seven things that cross my mind:
1. Where I will be this time next year? For those of you that don't know... who am I kidding, if you're reading this blog, you already know that my job will be moving to San Antonio, TX next Sept and if I want to stay I have to move to TEXAS... I'm not convinced about this move, more over I'm not convinced of anything concerning my next step professionally. Look for a new job? go back to school? live in Amy and David's basement while I figure it out? Move to Texas? I don't know.. but it sure does cross my mind a lot these days.
2. Relationships. Do I need to clarify?? I'm 31 and dating... how fun does that sound?? You be the judge.
3. Family/Friends... since Christmas is around the corner when I think of my loved ones I've been trying to figure out what gifts I'm going to get them or if I'm going to get to see them over the Holidays!! yay!! Fun fun fun!
4. Am I in the right place and going in the direction I was called to be heading today (or just in general)...
5. Do I love the people in my life well and how can I love them better?
6. Food!! What's for dinner? :) I LOVE good conversation/company over a good meal... so dinner plans cross my mind almost daily!
7. Working out. I sure do THINK about it a lot :) Soon I hope to be thinking about how sore my body is because I've actually been ACTING on the thought!

There you have it... 7 thoughts that cross my mind. The list could go on for days... thank goodness (for your sake) the challenge put a number to it!

Pause....Outta town!

2010-11-11T19:10:00.000-08:00

Day 3.... Chik-fil-a, what?!!?

2010-11-10T15:44:00.000-08:00

Day 1: Ten things you want to say to ten people right now.
Day 2: Nine things about yourself that most people don't know.
Day 3: Eight things you couldn't live without.
Day 4: Seven things that cross your mind a lot.
Day 5: Six things you wish you could change or wish you would have never done.
Day 6: Five people who mean a lot to you.
Day 7: Four turn offs.
Day 8: Three turn ons.
Day 9: Two words that describe your life right now.
Day 10: One confession.

Eight things, huh. Here goes nothing....

1. the internet

2. forgiveness - giving and receiving it (grace) - and the Ultimate Forgiver

3. exercise (this is becoming painfully apparent)

4. family/friends and the time to spend with them

5. music

6. my camera

7. love

8. laughter

Keep it Rolling.... Day 2.

2010-11-09T06:31:00.000-08:00

Day 1: Ten things you want to say to ten people right now.
Day 2: Nine things about yourself that most people don't know.
Day 3: Eight things you couldn't live without.
Day 4: Seven things that cross your mind a lot.
Day 5: Six things you wish you could change or wish you would have never done.
Day 6: Five people who mean a lot to you.
Day 7: Four turn offs.
Day 8: Three turn ons.
Day 9: Two words that describe your life right now.
Day 10: One confession.

NINE THINGS THAT YOU MAY OR MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT YOURS TRULY....

1. I sleep with ear plugs. yes ear plugs. in my ears. It's a long story how it started, but thanks to Megan, I can't sleep without them.... Although I have been trying to ween myself off of them lately. Wish me luck.

2. I'm not a huge fan of small talk on the phone. In person it's ok but via phone, I get distracted and would rather just text or get a text saying "hi, I've been thinking about you."

3. I did not read a single book all the way from start to finish until I was in college.... again, I think that had something to do with my attention span and the fact that I HAD to read them. But now I enjoy reading quite a bit when I get to pick what and when I read.

4. Someone asked me how old I was last week and I told them the wrong age. on accident. and didn't realize it until I was thinking about the conversation later. Great. My memory is already failing me.

5. I've had 6 surgeries in 12 years.

6. I am moderately psychotic when I'm on a plane that is flying through turbulent airspace. And by moderately I mean I might suddenly grab the armrest or your hand if you're sitting next to me and ask you "is this normal, should we be shaking like this??" so many times that you'll start to wonder, "I don't know... is THIS normal?" Ambien is my friend.

7. I'm thinking about getting my Masters in counseling. Possibly.

8. I just got my closets re-done and had to remove every. single. item. In doing that, I found 3 *new pairs of shoes. sweet.

9. I am the replay queen. When I hear a song that moves me (physically, spiritually or emotionally), I will listen to it over and over and over again for however long I feel like it.

*new = I bought them and forgot I had them.

Day 2. check.

Need. Motivation.

2010-11-08T11:09:00.000-08:00

I have left my blog hanging high and dry for quite a few months.... sorry, blog. With all my travel and crazy work schedule, I just haven't had the time, energy it takes to be creative and quite honestly the motivation to write. So I found some motivation or challenge per say, that I saw up on Meggo's page. And here it is:

Day 1: Ten things you want to say to ten people right now.
Day 2: Nine things about yourself that most people don't know.
Day 3: Eight things you couldn't live without.
Day 4: Seven things that cross your mind a lot.
Day 5: Six things you wish you could change or wish you would have never done.
Day 6: Five people who mean a lot to you.
Day 7: Four turn offs.
Day 8: Three turn ons.
Day 9: Two words that describe your life right now.
Day 10: One confession.

Let's see if I can blog for TEN days in a row.

Day 1: Ten things you want to say to ten people right now.

1- Happy Birthday Megan!! I am so proud of you. Truth is, I was a little worried when you said you were moving to China, not because you'd be far away and would miss you, and not because I didn't think you would be great at your job over there.... But more because you were going somewhere that was further than I could get to if you needed your big sis to come rescue you! ha. Sounds silly, I know... but you, my dear little sister have proven that you don't need your big sister to come rescue you, and you're probably thinking, "duh, Katie, I haven't needed your super-hero-rescuing-powers for years." But I guess sometimes I just like to worry (go figure). You are so strong and have grown so much over there. One of the most valuble things we have in this life is to know who we were made to be and I have seen the light bulb come on in you as far as knowing yourself. You are just shinning like the flood lights over a football stadim. It's awesome to see you walking with confidence in who God has made you to be :) I love you, Megan.

2-Melissa, please bring Siah to VA so we can go to Sweet Water Tavern ASAP! I miss you and need to meet your little man! :) Thank you for being there whenever I need you most. I love how we can go months without talking (yeah, I know... we need to get better at that part) and then pick up right where we left off the next time we talk!

3- Shayla, goodness I miss you. I can't think about our friendship and your crazy butt without smiling! lol...see what I mean? God crossed our paths at just the right time! My twin. I am sad you had to leave VA but am so excited for you and know that you are right where you need to be for the time being. Do it BIG and keep following your dreams, they were put inside your heart for a reson, my friend!

4-6 My older sibs, I know we all have different relationships and I am so thankful for each one of them. But what I want to say to you all is thank you. Thank you for being there for me at different times in my life and listening. and praying. and even when you thought I wasn't listening, thank you for sharing and advising. I was listening. I love you guys and pray that I will one day have a family that has a solid foundation and that loves each other just like all of yours. (4) Jules, you are so creative, so calm cool and collected, a FUN mom and one of the hardest workers I know... (5) Amy, I AM SO EXCITED for you and David! I love living so close and getting to be a part of your family and the support you and David give me. Matthew is lucky to have you guys as parents. (6) Adam, I miss you and am thankful you're coming to SC for Thanksgiving with your fam!

7-9 Janetta, (8) Hambone and (9)Summer, seems like we've been through it all as friends, huh?! I'm thankful for our history! It's been over 10 years that I've been able to call you guys my friends and my heart is filled when I think about the moments (UPS AND DOWNS) we've shared and memories we've made. I love you guys and can't wait to walk through another 10 years of friendship and sisterhood with you all! (J- YOU'RE GETTING MARRIED!!!! SO. EXCITED.)

10- Mom and Dad, where do I start? Thank you, for always loving, always giving and always sacrificing. You done good, mom and dad :) All the soccer games, band concerts, awana nights, basketball games, calls from our teachers (oh, was that just me??), tears and laughter, game nights and tables full of good food, friends and family were worth it. You're leaving a legacy through which God's glory can be revealed. I can't tell you enough. I love you and thank you. thank you. thank you.

Day 1, down... 9 days to go. *gulp*

Unbelievable....

2010-05-03T13:21:00.000-07:00

Here is a blog a friend wroteThis is someone our nation deems an advocate for Health.... SMH (Shaking My Head, for those of you who don't know). What has happened to us?? "Save your figure, adopt??" Please, stop the madness.

Wordless Wednesdays - Friendship needs NO words

2010-04-28T19:15:00.000-07:00

NO WORDS.....

Bring Your Own Towel

2010-03-10T09:44:00.000-08:00

There's nothing like a great work out to start your day (or at least I'm trying to convince myself of that). Nothing says WAKE UP like a good 30 mins of cardio, some lunges, push ups and abs and a hot, no cold, no hot, no cold, low water pressure shower! I must say I felt good about myself this morning as I finished my workout up and hit the locker room. I normally work out after work but Shayla and I decided we were going to motivate last night and work out in the morning today. Normally I work out and go home. Shower at home so I don't have to hassle with all my toiletries. I guess I could use the soap-shampoo-conditioner all in one that they provide, but I like my hair and my skin so like I said, I don't bring my stuff and just shower at home. But today I brought all my stuff so I could shower and get ready for work. Of course I didn't bring a towel because I figured I'll just use some of the ones they provide. (Don't I pay a monthly fee that includes towel service?) LESSON. LEARNED.

My suggestions to you, if you are going to post work out shower at the gym:

1. If you don't like using an object deemed a towel but feels like sand paper and exfoliates to the point of minor abraisions --> BRING YOUR OWN TOWEL.

2. If you are neither a child nor under 5 ft tall and 75 pounds, towels MOST fitness centers provide are not big enough to cover all your goodies. Either use multiple towels or --> BRING YOUR OWN TOWEL. please. (that could be a whole separate post)

3. If you want to be sure you have a clean towel, you know, one that has been washed, sanitized and is in fact clean, i.e. no make up smears, no random person's hair clinging to a piece of thread (excuse me, I just threw up in my mouth a little bit), or anything of the sort --> BRING YOUR OWN TOWEL.

I learned a valuable lesson today. If and when I work out in the morning again, I will bring my own Gain-sented, fabric softened, LARGE towel. And I would suggest to you, unless any of the things that are numbered above sound appealing to you, that you too should BRING YOUR OWN TOWEL!

In case you were wondering....

2010-02-26T18:59:00.000-08:00

Currently I am....

*Watching*

The Olympics (Duh)

But more specifically Apolo Ohno!!! (I'm taking up speed skating starting Monday, they just look so cool in those suits. Maybe I should rethink the suit idea ... for everyone's sake)

*Eating*

Potato Skins (yes, that's it and yes, that's dinner)

*Listening to*

You've Been So Faithful (yes, it's true... even though sometimes I forget and don't trust)

Pieces of Me (By Ashlee Simpson. What can I say? It's my jam)

Save the Last Dance for Me (remind me again, who am I saving this dance for?)

*Feeling*

Much better (after processing through some things with my good friend Carrie)

Patriotic (U! S! A! Let's go!!!!!)

Stressed (Watching them try to pass someone makes me so tense b/c I actually do it with them while their racing... be quiet, you probably do it too)

Disappointed (Apolo Ohno just got disqualified...Good try dude)

*Looking forward to*

A Clean House (this weekend will partially be dedicated to that)

Sleep (this is nothing new)

QT with Abby and other friends this weekend (coffee and pancakes and other sorts of shananegans)

Shayla moving in (do YOU have a friend that can act 12 with you at the drop of a dime?? I do)

*Wonderings*

Are those suits (speed skating) hard to get on? (I really want one, I feel like it'd be slimming)

Is it too late to find a sport and start training for the next Olympics? (I have the eye of the tiger)

Is it the speed skating that makes the bubble butt or the bubble butt that makes the speed skater? (seriously... have you seen their bubble butts?! I think I found my sport!)

Until next time.....

JUST A FEW THINGS ABOUT HAWAII

2010-02-20T09:34:00.000-08:00

I've been in Hawaii for 6 days including today, which i don't really count because I was supposed to fly out last night but to make a long story short, I didn't and am here this morning as the sun is breaking over Diamond Head and spilling onto the rest of this beautiful place. Now to remind you, I came out here from Northern VA just after that "little" blizzard of the century we had a couple weeks ago. So needless to say this breath taking island was a sight for my snow blinded eyes. After being on the island for 6 days there were a few things I realized, some quicker than others:

1. There is a secret ab program over here that probably 90% of the island has discovered. Never in my life have I seen so many 50 year old men with abs of steal. Don't worry, I'm working on finding out what the secret is and I'll let you know when I do... I'm hoping it has something to do with pineapple or their shaved ice (snow cones).

2. It does rain in Hawaii. poo. BUT normally when it's "raining" (more like a spitting or misting), you'll more than likely see a rainbow somewhere or another. pretty.

3. Can you say illiterate? That's what happens to you when you're a "main lander" trying to read the traffic signs out here. You literally can NOT read the signs without sounding like a kindergartner learning how to read for the first time. Likelike.... so you know, is pronounced leeky-leeky not LIKE-LIKE. just so you know. And that's an easy one by the way.

4. They. Have. No. Chick-fil-a. How is that possible??? I mean it's bad enough they aren't open on Sundays, but not one single establishment on the whole island. These people have it rough ;)

5. There are more shades of green here than I ever knew existed and some how, some way they all coordinate with each other.... God can be such a show off sometimes.

6. You can eat fish for every meal. and it's a-maze-ing!

7. Being 10 minutes away from a beach is "far" from the beach.

8. The snow cones here are to die for. TO. DIE. FOR. I would gladly give my right arm for another Hawaiian Delight! mmmmm mmmmm mmmmmm.

9. Flying in and out of HNL is almost never an on time thing... I was delayed coming, cancelled, going, delayed going etc... Let's just hope I make it home by Monday, or I may just have to take another week of leave!!

The final thing I've realized while being here in Hawaii....

10. SIX DAYS IN HAWAII IS NOT LONG ENOUGH!!!

Me Time - Commuting in Northern VA

2010-01-28T13:27:00.000-08:00

Everyday it happens. I get in my car, plug in my ipod, start my car and begin my morning commute. And I've gotten quite use to my 40-60 minute commute. Here's why. If you would've told me 4 years ago that I was going to be commuting at least an hour and a half daily to and from work, I would've told you to kick rocks. 90 minutes in a car EVERY DAY....ludacris. But alas, I have come to not just tolerate this time of the day but really enjoy it.... well, other than the fact that on the way to work it's morning time, and I hate mornings. Coffee anyone?? mmmm.

Now I know MOST of you are thinking I'm nuts or just a pathological liar. But I'm niether of the two. Here's why. This obligatory tires-to-road time that I have been doing for the past four years, some how morphed into what I like to call me time. I'm not sure how or when this happened, but it did. Now there are days, like last Wednesday that I imagine my car is an MRAP so I can just drive over cars in order to get home, but that was more because I needed to be somewhere and everyone in VA must have drank something that made them forget how to merge with out coming to a complete stop, making sure the wind was blowing at the right speed and that they color coordinated with the cars that were already on the interstate. You get the picture. But most days, I enjoy sitting in my car, sippin' on some really sweet coffee, letting the music playing from my ipod move me or take me back through time or be the background to my solo debut...in my car. This happens frequently so I'm not sure I can call it my debut anymore. Sometimes I wonder if the people driving around me feel the need to call the police but I just don't care... it's MY me time and I'll do whatever I like! I'm not making them pay to watch me, so get over it people!

It's funny because I hardly blink anymore when someone cuts across four lanes right in front of me, slams on their brakes, making me slam on mine, spill my coffee AND my purse, only to decide they don't want to turn right anymore so they get back over in the other lane and they don't even throw up a shameful "my bad" wave after all the havoc they just created. At least they used their blinker....after the fact. *sigh* As soon as my heart crawls out of my stomach and I regain feeling in my legs, I fall back into the immersion of my music and all is forgiven. It's almost theraputic, as strange as that sounds.

---

edited 2/25/2010

Okay, so I wrote this blog at the end of January... before the insane snow storms of 2010. I, and the other commuters in NOVA must've been having a few good weeks when I wrote this because I now must add to this blog by saying, the initial post CAN be true SOME of the time....But not ALL of the time. Not 1. on the days that something is bothering me. And not 2. on the days that my heart is aching for a good reason or no reason at all (see #3)... or 3. on the days that I'm PMS'ing. On these days, it seems that just the littlest indiscretion of even a minor traffic law can make me want to run my little car up into the trunk of the culprits unsuspecting car. Is that wrong??

So there is the adendum to my commuting bliss (some days) as I travel all over the Northern VA/DC area!

Shameless plug for mom

2010-01-02T10:39:00.000-08:00

Check out what Mom is doing!! Put her on your blog and help her advertise.... These quilts are awesome!!! :D

Road Tripin' - 2009 Blizzard

2009-12-30T12:02:00.001-08:00

As most of you know, I went down to SC for Christmas. I was going to blog about the whole adventure but my sister Amy already did, so I'll let you read her recap of our dangerously memorable Road Trip! Unfortunately, the cameras were smashed in the back and as you'll read we couldn't stop to get them out and snap a few pics of the madness! Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Mom!!!

2009-12-17T19:18:00.000-08:00

You didn't think I'd let the day go by without telling the whole blogging world that it's your special day today did you?!

To the biggest Husker fan I know,

We may not have always been the tidiest kids on the block,

but we sure did have a lot of fun.....

.... who is that young lady, looking oh so cute below?!

....yep you guessed it...

The BIRTHDAY GIRL!!!!

Happy Birthday, Mom!!! I Love you! :D

1000 gifts - A heart of gratitude

2009-12-14T12:44:00.000-08:00

Gratitude - a positive emotion or attitude in acknowledgment of a benefit that one has received or will receive.

"Let them praise the LORD for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them." -- Psalms 107:15

Today my heart is full of gratitude because.....

0037 - .... You have given me amazing family and friends with tremendous wisdom

0038 - .... You have given me so so so much. Way more than I will ever deserve

0039 - .... Megan will be here at this time next week!!!!!!!!!!!

0040 - .... I live close family (some) and get to love on my little nephew whenever I want to!

0041 - .... You are the redeemer and reconciler of all types of relationships

0042 - .... I know You don't need me, Lord. But even more humbling than that, You amazingly, choose me. again. and again. and again!

1000 Gifts - God's handy work :D

2009-12-06T18:17:00.001-08:00

(I know the plan is to do this every Monday but for some reason, I always have too much to do to sit down and put pen to paper, or fingers to keys.... so I'm doing it on Sunday night to start my week off giving gratitude and praise to our God, who is oh so worthy!)

"We give thanks to you, O God,

we give thanks, for your Name is near;

men tell of your wonderful deeds." -- Pslam 75:1

This week I am full of thankfulness - Here's why:

0027 - Spending Thanksgiving on a most beautiful day.....

0028 - ...With some of my favorite people (and missing some too)

0029 - Being on the road for work but getting to see the Candetos and the encouragement they bring JUST at the right moment.

0030 - Community inspiring worship through the season and Christmas Carols being played in every Mall across our country!! (When else does that happen other than CHRISTmas time?!?)

0031 - A fearful, nervous heart made calm when God used the littlest and most peculiar of things, like a Nebraska sweatshirt, to move someone to reach out and give me the words God knew I needed to hear.

0032 - Traveling mercies and LITTLE turbulence!

0033 - The beauty and peacefulness of a first snow as the earth rests and underneath it all is preparing to bring new life....

0034 - Reconnecting with my friends in northern va after traveling for 6 out of the last 8 weeks.... SO FUN (Have you ever played ROCK BAND? I think I know what I want for Christmas!) ;)

0035 - Getting to help Mom with one of her favorite things, decorating for Christmas.

0036 - Being reminded of God's goodness and faithfulness with the sweet, captivating smile of a newborn.... my new nephew of course!

1000 Gifts - Provision

2009-11-02T16:06:00.000-08:00

0021 - A job that God uses to provide for me... over and over.

0022 - Getting to see the fruits of my labor in the end and enjoy some nature in the process.

0023 - Dear sweet friends that call at just the right time!
0024 - Technology that gives me the ability to do my job on the road so I'm not completely overwhelmed when I get back to the office.
0025 - Having a job that gets me out of the office sometimes... and takes me to new places!
0026 - .... and be outside!

Seasons - A Fall Breeze

2009-10-26T08:59:00.000-07:00

I know I missed blogging last week's 1000 gifts, but I couldn't get to a computer to do it. I thought about it though. I love this time of year. After being in Iraq for six months and seeing more brown than I'll ever care to see again in my life, I have noticed this fall especially, how I have been amazed at the beauty God displays throughout his creation. There are days like this weekend that a group of trees will literally take my breath away for a second. Fall seems to be a season, for me, that I can not escape God's presence no matter where I go. It's like He's showing off all over the place! Everywhere I turn I see His handiwork and I can't help but thank Him for being present in this broken world we live in.

0009 - God's revealing His presence through nature....

"Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there." - Psalm 139:7-8

0010 - A call from my sister saying she's coming home from China for the holidays! :D

0011 - Witnessing a blind double amputee competing in the Marine Corps Marathon with the help of four friends (self sacrifice and service).... "uncommon valor is a common virtue" stood to be the resounding theme that day.

0012 - A day off to catch up on "house stuff," relax, workout, and see some loved ones before I leave on a work trip!

0013 - Pumpkin Seeds... Yummo!

0014 - A stroll through the city on the perfect day to enjoy the history and crisp fall weather

0015 - An unexpected reunion with friends made in Iraq.... in my old neighborhood!

0016 - Baby's first night out with little to no crying! Success!!! :D

0017 - Dad healing well and getting back to his old self slowly but surely.

0018 - The comfort of knowing Mom is willing and able to give Dad the TLC he needs and be his outstanding nurse!

0019 - Friends who are willing to come rescue me when my car breaks down (or I run out of gas...eh hem)!!

0020 - A chance to take the said friends out to dinner to thank them for their superhero-ness!!!

"Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say REJOICE!" -- Phil 4:4

Did you see her?

2009-10-22T08:00:00.000-07:00

....Did you see the girl that ran out of gas and got stuck in the MIDDLE of the road because there were cement barricades on both sides of the road and no shoulder to pull over to safety?... at rush hour no less. What an idiot. Who pushes their car to the limit, thinking they can make it home when the gas light is CLEARLY on BEFORE they start their drive home for work because judging on how far the last tank of gas, they should have another 50 miles before needing to fill up?

Oops. That idiot was me. I was on my way home last night and I as pulled out of my work parking lot I thought to myself... "My gas light is on. But on my last tank of gas I got at least 50 more miles so I should make it home easy... hope I don't run into traffic." And so the story begins. Traffic was actually great until I hit 495 after the exit for 66. It was backed up all the way from the toll road. I did what every normal person would do and since I knew somebody flying into Dulles (one of my marathoners for the weekend), I decided I had a completely justifiable reason to get on the access road, right? right. I'm feeling good about this decision because I am flying (obeying the laws of the road, mom) past all the cars sitting on 267 because of an accident up about 4 miles towards my house. As I'm talking through my blutooth stereo to Melissa I all of the sudden feel my car do this weird kind of gentle jolt. I thought it was kind of strange but kept talking... my other line rings. It was my marathoner saying he had arrived. My car jolts again. I click back over to Melissa.

"Melissa, I think I just ran out of gas."
"What?!"
In an octave higher than my previous statement..."OMGosh, Melissa, I can't make it to the shoulder... I'm gonna get hit I'm in the middle of the road!!! I gotta call you ba....." click.

I hang up the phone and think about who can I call to bring me gas so I'm not stuck in the middle of the road. Did I mention it was rush hour?! Wait, forget the gas... I realize I need to call 911 to get a cop car behind me and keep me from getting rear ended... do I get out and THEN call the police or do I call them from in the car?!! Oh Lord Help me!!!!

911.... "Hi... um, I ran out of gas and I'm on the toll road where there's no shoulder to pull over to. If I stay here much longer I'm sure I will get hit."
Apparently my voice reaches extreme octaves when I get a little (or a lot) nervous because the dispatcher was having a little trouble understanding me "Ma'am....Ma'am!! I cannot hear you... Do NOT get out of your car and please tell me again, where you are and what's going on."

I took a breath and repeated what I had just said. As I was doing this a cop with his lights on pulled up behind me. Never have I ever felt relieved when looking those flashing blue and red lights in my rear view mirror. Oh but I was. He got out of his car, came up to my window as I was telling the dispatcher that there was a cop there now. I told him I ran out of gas and that I was such an idiot and how sorry I was. The dispatcher heard me and tried to comfort me "You're not an idiot. That just happened to me yesterday."
"You ran out of gas and your a cop?"
"I'm not a cop, Ma'am."
"oh. right." Ok, yes I realize that dispatchers are NOT cops but all of the adrenalin must had gone to my brain and for a second I forgot.

The DISPATCHER got off the phone with me as the, now 4 cops were pushing my little blue car up the hill to get past the barricades and onto the shoulder. Ok, so I know at this moment as these older, a little overweight (being gracious in that statement) cops is not most appropriate time to find humor in a situation but again all of the adrenalin in my body had to go somewhere now that I wasn't scared for my life. I looked again in my rear view mirror only to see these sweet cops giving everything they had to push my car to safety. and. it. was. funny. I put my hand over my mouth to cover my massively uncalled for smile. But I could not control the giggles. They finally got me to the shoulder after about 50 meters of pushing up hill and I put the car in park (but didn't turn it off) and got out to thank them... I must say they looked like they had just gotten done with a preseason work out. Bent over, hands on knees or over their head, breathing heavy, face red, and foreheads sweating.... and of course they couldn't even mutter the words your welcome as they gasped for air intermittently......

More to come....

You asked for it....

2009-10-16T15:42:00.000-07:00

So you will get it... In all my non-MJ-dancing glory... Here is the much awaited Michael Jackson dance off in Mosul, Iraq. But just so you know. I DID NOT VOLUNTEER TO GET UP THERE... I was drug up there like a child being carried into a doctors office who know she's about to get shots. Unbelievably, it only took two of the band members to wrestle me up there...

1000 Gifts

2009-10-12T07:32:00.000-07:00

Gratitude. It's something I don't verbalize enough. One of my blogging friends starts every Monday off with a post of things she's thankful for and I love following it. I've wanted to start doing the same thing because I think it's a great way to start my week off.... Expressing things that I'm thankful for and starting my week off with a heart full of gratitude. So here goes.

Things I'm thankful for this week:

0001- Reds, oranges, yellows, greens and browns all around letting me know that a new season is HERE!!

0002- The mystery of how God can make something dying more beautiful each and every day.

0003- The cool crisp air of fall while on a morning job during my day off.

0004- HAVING THE DAY OFF ON COLUMBUS DAY!!!

0005- Having two parents that love and support each other through the ups and downs that life brings their way... coming out stronger and closer when those tough times come.

0006- A humble Dad who's picture and team is in the Navy Lax Hall of Fame... and getting to enjoy that moment with him and Mom.

0007- Football games, fresh air, found memories and more....

0008- New parents starting a new season in their life... and all the adventures he will bring!

Thank you Lord, for all these gifts.

Wordless Wednesdays - Go Navy!!!

2009-10-07T06:49:00.000-07:00

BEAT AIRFORCE!!!

Lesson learned - #2 from the delivery room...again.

2009-10-06T12:51:00.000-07:00

I must say, I never thought I would stay in the delivery room when Amy was giving birth. There is just too much "extra" going on that I never thought I wanted to be a part of until I was the actual person giving birth. I'm not sure, maybe I assumed it would scare me to death and my poor husband (figuratively speaking right now) would never be able to convince me to have one of my own.

I decided to use some of my comp time (or call in sick, whichever makes you feel better) to be with Amy and David on Matthew's grand debut. It was my FULL intention to snap pictures of this special day so they would remember every moment. every. single. moment. Well that is except the actual "pushing time." I would simply give the camera to David and he could snap away until his little heart was content. As the time got closer, my heart picked up pace as I heard the dr say now david you're going to stand here and hold her leg to help her push... "hold her leg??? how will he do that AND take pictures?" I thought for no longer than a split second.... Answer - he won't.

But guess who wasn't holding anything and more than able to take pictures?? Yep, you got it... yours truly. I asked Amy if she wanted me to leave and she gave me about as definitive answer as a woman in labor could give.... "sure, if you want to. I don't care." right. If I want to? Is this a trick question? Of course I don't want to, but then who would capture the moment? ugh. no one. Poor little Matthew's arrival would be undocumented.....

So guess what, I strapped up, hid behind my camera, the IV's and Amy's round belly and started recording the moment. Matthew's moment. The day that the Campbell's life changed and will never be quite the same.

We cheered, encouraged, shouted and waited for a couple hours. At one point (I'm not sure what I was saying), the doctor looked up at me and said "you guys must come from an athletic family. I can tell by the way you're cheering." LOL. Then one of the nurses says, "who do you think will cry first??" I answered quite confidently almost in unison with Amy, "I'm not really a crier." Well, another hour went by and that little guy finally decided to make his grand entrance into this world.

While I was busy making sure to get this all on film (wait, what is it called now, digital, digits?), a bunch of thoughts whipped through my mind about Amy before David... and then her meeting David, and then marrying David and then when they told us they were pregnant... and now this beautiful, perfect boy is here waiting to be cleaned so he can be put in his mother's arms. My eyes felt hot. WHAT IS THAT?!?! Wait, am I... I turned to look at Amy and she had a tear running down her cheek. So I did what all normal (I mean what is normal anyway) sisters would do... I pointed at Amy and shouted "She's crying first!!"

eh-hem. I'm sorry, was that inappropriate? I'm gonna have to plead ignorance. I've never been in a delivery room while a mother is delivering a child. Plus, they wouldn't have known that I won if I hadn't pointed it out, right? :) Ok at this point, Mom's eyes should be about to pop out of their sockets because she can't believe how insensitive I'm being. Obviously, I realized that my comment was completely unsuitable for that moment, hence the whole point of this bl0g. I really didn't mean to say it, it was a knee-JERK reaction as I felt myself starting to cry (see, I do have a heart). So my lesson learned #2: Witnessing the birth of a child is almost an indescribeable thing that words really can not do justice. 2b: don't point at the new mom just after the child is born and shout that she's crying... it's just not nice. :) Sorry Ames! Love you!!! Congratulations Campbell fam, is what I meant to shout!!

(isn't he beautiful??)

Lesson learned - #1 from the delivery room

2009-10-01T13:05:00.000-07:00

There are certain questions that one might not want to ask the delivery nurse if you or the parents-to-be aren't expecting blunt honesty.

Example numero uno:

Me: wow, I just can't believe all these contraptions you guys have for delivering babies.
Said nurse: Yeah, they really are great.
Me: So what did people do back in the pioneer days when they didn't have all this stuff?
Said nurse: A lot of women died (with a sympathetic shake of her head). Giving birth was very dangerous, that's why if you go to a cemetery and look at the head stones, you'll see a lot of men had 3 or 4 wives.
Me: Awkward silence... (thinking) not quite the answer I was looking for but for some reason I feel like I should've known that she was going to say that, doh!

Wordless Wednesdays - "A Gift From God"

2009-09-30T19:35:00.001-07:00

Matthew Kemp Campbell....

"A gift from God"

No Place Like Home

2009-09-02T02:48:00.000-07:00

I. Am. Back. I don't know where to start about how good it feels to be back in the U.S. of A, but some how the grass seems greener, the water cleaner and the air fresher. Maybe it's because 1. there is actual grass, 2. the water really IS cleaner and 3. well, I'm not breathing 30% sand when I take a breath of air deep into my lungs! I missed so many things about home while I was in Iraq but honestly after a while of living out there, you just kind of forget about the little things (or you make yourself forget about them so you aren't constantly thinking about what you're missing out on back home). So now that I'm home, I get to revel in all the little things that I missed.

And yes, I did just completely ignore the fact that I haven't written on this blog in almost two months in my intro paragraph. I really have no excuse other than the fact that I was tired. Any time I was laying in my bed (which is normally when I write), I was either sleeping, about to fall asleep, or trying desperately to fall asleep because I knew I needed the sleep. So there was no writing go on. But now that I'm back, I plan to catch all my readers (if I still have any lol) up on my trip. I figure I'll start with my trip home on my next entry and go from there as I see fit! :D

Thank you for all the prayers and support while I was gone. I had an amazing experience out in Iraq and met so many wonderful people whom I am hoping to keep in touch with! Iraq, as strange as it sounds, will always have a special place in my heart after my six month journey to the sand. It was eye opening and heart warming to daily walk along side of these Soldiers who sacrifice and defend our country whenever duty calls! Some of them are still kids, but they man (or woman) up and do what is asked of them to serve our great Nation!

Here are some pics of the Soldiers I worked with while I was there... I miss them already!!

Happy 4th of July from Iraq!!!

2009-07-04T09:30:00.000-07:00

This song says it all. You can't let the 4th of July pass without listening to it at least once!!! :D

Thank you to all who have gone before us, are serving now and will serve after. Happy Independence Day, America!

Iraq in all it's glory....

2009-06-27T12:38:00.000-07:00

A sand storm. There's really no describing it, especially if you're caught outside in the middle of one. So I will post pictures of the aftermath.... Enjoy.

Michael Jackson...

2009-06-26T12:28:00.000-07:00

...died today. It's one of those things that I think I'll probably remember every moment of the minute I found out. Not that I was a fanatic until the day he died but he was such an icon of my generations history. I loved his music that he produced. He was a showman like no other. Sure he was weird and misunderstood, and no one quite knows what went on in his private life. Do you think you wouldn't get driven to crazy if a BILLION people knew your name and felt like it was their right to disect your life and point out every flaw you had? My guess is we all might be a little "crazy" if we were in Michael's shoes. I'm not defending or supporting anything about his private life. Honestly I don't know what he did behind closed doors. But I do know his music brings so many fond memories to my mind and today I am sad that he is no longer here. This entry won't be long, I just wanted to jot a little something down to remember the day we lost the King of Pop. There will never be another quite like him.... he has left some big patent leather shoes to fill.

I like how.....

2009-06-16T13:57:00.000-07:00

....I just had the week from hell....Got back to Speicher exhausted....Went to play basketball after work but the court was closed due to volleyball (VOLLEYBALL?!), so I ran instead and had to walk home from the gym only to get caught in a sandstorm, literally... But can't stop smiling and because I got to see and talk to Mom, Dad, Amy, David, Julie, Beckham, Ainsley and Megan on gmail's video chat tonight :D

That's enough for tonight. I should've been in bed two hours ago... But somethings are worth staying losing sleep over! I love you guys! Thanks for chatting. It made my day!!

Army Navy Fun :D

2009-06-09T02:30:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am aware that I had not posted in a month or so and now have posted 3 times in one day... I'm catching you up of the little things that I haven't been able to post over the past chaotic month.....

I found this when I came back to my desk one day.... Do they work??? Who has time to cut all those things out?

Go Navy! BEAT ARMY!!

A Whole Different Level - It's Summer Time in Iraq.

2009-06-08T23:53:00.000-07:00

Before I came to Iraq I imagined it to be hotter than I've ever felt but I still wasn't really sure whta that actually felt like. When I arrived in March, I was pleasantly surprised by the temperate weather. I thought to myself, it's beautiful here... For about 3 weeks or so it was in the 70s and 80s, no humidity and just beautiful. I knew the 120's were coming but for some reason the spring weather was clouding my judgement on what that would realistically feel like.

Well, I know now. It's been getting hot here for the past month or so but yesterday, whew, yesterday is when I realized that I am glad I didn't live here in Jesus' time. It is freakin' hot! And when I say that, there really are no words to describe it. We picked up a band in Balad yesterday morning and it actually started off eerily cool (and by cool I mean in the upper 80s, lower 90's). I thought to myself, "we may get a break from the heat today..thank God b/c we're going to 3 different FOBs and we have an afternoon show outside (why I don't know)." Little did I know that with in the next 3 hours the temperature would go up at least 20 degrees and get to just about blistering by the time we were unloading and setting things up for the first show. perfect. It was hot enough that I didn't even ask "What's the temp today?" I didn't want to know. I knew that it was hot enough that there wasn't an inch of my clothing that wasn't sweated through, dried and then sweated through again. I thought our poor entertainers (The Effects) were going to pass out on stage... We went through a 24 pack of Gatorade and about the same amount of waters with in 2.5 hours.

The "breeze" that they like to call it here is not a breeze at all. It's what I would imagine a breeze from Hell to be. It's hotter than a blowdrier being blown all over your body. Honestly, you feel like you're sitting inside a convection oven (yes, mom I know what that is, aren't you proud of your me?!). Oh, and don't forget to add when we're on the Birds to travel around, we get to sit in the "breeze" WITH our kevlar and flac vests on. I thought it was hot a few weeks ago, but I realized I didn't know what hot was until yesterday. And it's only June. When people say "it's hotter than Hell outside," I don't really think I've ever grasped that cliche.... until yesterday. It's stifling and miserable and almost feels like torture.

On a brighter note, The Effects were great last night. They performed the second show at FOB Grizzly and it was amazing to me that they had even more energy than they did the first show! They are more of a classic rock group can really jam. One of their songs, "Desert Rain" couldn't have come at a better time in the show. Joel introduced the song as one of their own and literally as he was talking a few rain drops fell out of the sky almost as if it were planned ahead of time. It rained for that one song. And that one song only. It was too perfect! The Soldiers had a great time and were thankful we brought them to here. Grizzly has become a home away from home for me here in Iraq. It's one of the smaller FOBs so I've gotten to know a lot of the people here (although one unit just went home, so there's new people I don't know yet) and they are so hospitable. Of course for some reason, as the weather would have it, I'm stuck here today... again. Hopefully we'll get out soon because our next tour starts tomorrow, in Kirkuk ironically enough. The other place I almost ALWAYS get stuck! Well I'm off for now... gonna go check on the weather and see if there's a window of green weather for us to fly out and bake on those Birds! Til next time... (hopefully it won't be another month) :D

More than overdue - I believe this was my "1 month in Iraq update"

2009-06-08T23:47:00.000-07:00

I wrote this and meant to post it over a month ago... I am so bad at making time for this out here! So this was from 26 April.. If you're on my email list you got this already but I wanted to put it on here too :D

I know it's been a while since I've emailed or blogged but I have been CR-AAAA-ZZY busy! I can't believe I've been in country for over a month! Where has the time gone? I've gotten my legs under me here and feel like a vet at this Iraq thing.... kind of. I could do without the sand/dust storms (which at this time of year seem to happen at least once a week here in Tikrit), but other than the weather I can't complain! Do you remember what it felt like your first day of middle school or maybe even at a new school? You were so excited to start something new. Then you walk through the doors of your new school and you meet hundreds of new people, need a map to get to the bathroom, feel out of place, maybe even a little akward and aren't really even sure how to open your locker. The excitement starts to fade as you realize you aren't "home" anymore and you're having to adjust to this new life at your new school. Suddenly getting to change classes doesn't seem as cool as it once did b/c you dont' know how to get from the c-pod to the a-pod without being a nerd and asking a teacher for help....b/c you can't ask an 8th grader, then they'd know you're a SEVIE (what a term for 7th graders). All that to say, things are overwhelming and not really what you expected them to be at all. But eventually you start to settle in and actually start to enjoy your new school rather than dread it. You know where you're going and even have time to hang out in b/w with some of the friends you've made in your new classes b/c you instead of taking 5 wrong turns you only made one wrong turn and that has cut your travel time considerably. So that's kind of what I felt like my first couple weeks. There was a lot of things to learn and get under my belt... I wasn't sure my belt was big enough at first. But yesterday when I was at the DFAC (dinning facility) waiting in line, I saw a now familiar face and it dawned on me. I'm not the new kid anymore and I feel at home (as much as possible) here on Speicher.

I am loving my job, the people I meet and the opportunities God is walking me through. There have been some challenges but I don't mind, it makes life interesting! I meet some of the most amazing people out here. And I'm talking more about the Soldiers than the entertainers (but they have been amazing people too). The thing that has hit me the hardest is how YOUNG some of them are (yes, I sound like an old fuddy duddy right now). They all have different stories of why they joined the Army but when it comes down to it, they are sacrificing. For you, for me, for their families and our country. Some of them are on their second or third tours and are will choose to come again. wow. if that doesn't humble you, I dont' know what will. I absolutely love that I get to serve these Soldiers by bringing them the entertainment we are assigned. Most of them thank us repeatedly while we are on their base but even IF they never uttered a single word, I would know. The smiles that break through their normally grave faces tell me over and over again. And that's all the thanks I need! I love my mission out here! This is someting I won't soon forget!

I hope everything back in the States is well with all of you! I do miss you and think of you often! I will try and post pictures when I have time to download from my camera! Feel free to write anytime... I love hearing how everything is going and catching up with my people from back home! Til next time!!! :D

Honoring Those Who Serve - KingBilly

2009-06-01T11:04:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't been posting much, but there are days I'm so busy I don't have time to think about anything but what's right in front of me and needs to be done at that moment. Bare with me as I try to catch you up with some pics over the next few days recognizing the entertainers who are taking time to honor those who serve.

This first collage is from KingBilly, an amazing Country/Rock (bluegrass) band that came to Iraq at the beginning of May. These guys were a blast from start to finish and were incredibly talented musicians. We ended up getting stuck at FOB Grizzly for 3 days so they made the best out of an almost bad situation and did their main show the first night and then two acoustic shows the next two nights. The Soldiers absolutely loved interacting with them, some of them even got up and sung with them on the last two nights. It was something I don't think anyone who was there will forget and I would bet money that it will be one of the fondest memories some of these Soldiers have from their deployment. Thank you, KingBilly :D

Husker Nation....

2009-04-27T13:23:00.001-07:00

.....Even in Iraq! I walked into a brief in Ashraf and this colorful reminder of home caught my eye! Mom, I had to take a picture for you! They still don't hold a candle to your love for the BIG RED... but I knew you'd appreciate their loyalty!! GO BIG RED! :D

Stuck in Kirkuk

2009-04-09T00:41:00.000-07:00

I have been stuck here going on 4 days now. Apparently air travel in Iraq is not very reliable....at all. I showed up this morning to get on a Fixed Wing Aircraft (which is supposed to be more reliable than a Rotary Wing) for them to tell me the flight was delayed until XXXXhours tomorrow morning... she may have well said cancelled.

Sgt Bostic just came and tapped me on the shoulder asking me how I'd like to go out at 1300 today!? duh... When and where!? I'm there. I don't know what happened, but I'm signing off so I can catch my flight!! Wish me luck!!!

UPDATE.... flight was delayed and in turn I was going to miss the connection to Speicher. I'm still here. overjoyed.

Update - Iraq

2009-03-30T03:24:00.000-07:00

I've been touring around the MND-North with a tribute band called No Duh (obviously a tribute to No Doubt) for the last few days. Yesterday I was supposed to get to Balad and pick up our new set of entertainers, Catchpenny. Weather wouldn't allow that to happen so we pushed the tour back and picked them up today! I'm now on Caldwell and will be back at Speicher with Catchpenny at some point tomorrow. Both groups have been a lot of fun so far. Very different, but a lot of fun. Catchpenny is a rock/pop group of guys that was the reciepient of the Armed Forces Entertainers of the year this past year. They are a great group of guys who really want to give back to the Soldiers/Marines out here serving and protecting our country. They are so low maintence and really down to earth guys from Minnesota. Well, I gott get back to them for now... I'll write more about later but we've got a sound check to get to!

ps- I promise I will get some pics downloaded eventually. Don't have my camera cord yet and internet is slow as far as picture uploads and stuff. Alright, gotta go just wanted to give you a quick update on my where abouts... and why it's been hard for me to call at a normal hour! :D

The Journey Has Begun... Take it all in :D

2009-03-22T03:33:00.000-07:00

I am in the morale section of our office building where people can use computers to check email/facebook/blog, whatever they like on break. There are four computers and two phones that we can use for "morale." How AWESOME is that?! Way more than I expected and I am so thankful for the provision. The only problem is, I'm sitting here writing and all of the sudden it reeks!!! There is a guy two computers away from me and I KNOW he just farted and it is rank!!! ugh. Seriously?!? I guess he didn't have enough break time to check his email AND go to the bathroom. No apology, no regret, nothing. He's sitting there like nothing happened, while I sit here trying to take short breaths through my mouth (which grosses me out too but at least I don't have to smell the awful stench) so I don't gag! The smell is starting to fade so I digress.....

It took me two and a half days to get to Camp Speicher but I have arrived! I was in Balad for a couple days, which really got me spoiled (as mentioned in my previous blog). But Speicher is nice and I am getting settled in just fine! My helicopter ride in was awesome. It was about 1:45 -2:00am by the time I finally got on a flight Wed night/Thurs morning, which ever you consider it. They put me on a Chinook (big helicopter). I was the first on from our group although there were already people on the "bird" sitting in their seats. One of the crew told me to come with him (I totally thought he was going to tell me I had too many bags and had to wait until the next flight). I followed and he started signaling something to me. What, I had no clue at first. I thought he was saying he was going to sit up in this seat next to the pilots and I motioned, ok and went back to what I thought was my seat. As I turned to sit down, I saw he had followed me and motioned to come back. I walked back over with him as he tried to scream over the roaring of the helicopter blades and engine turning in the background. I heard nothing but again thought he was saying he was going to sit up front. I yelled OK with a big thumbs up. He held out his hand as if to help me into that seat. "OOOOOH, you want me to sit there??" He sighed in relief and nodded his head. It was obvious I was not going to be able to talk this one out with him and explain that I am scared of heights and a nervous flyer. So I complied and climbed up to the front with the pilots.... very reluctantly.

I sat there after I put on my seat belt and made SURE that it was secure and wondered how does this stuff happen to me. And then I said "Katie, if you don't die this is going to be an unforgettable ride, so ignore your fears and take it all in!" It took me a while but we made 2 stops before Speicher so by the last one, I was able to let go of the bars in front of me and talk with the pilots. They had given me a head set after the first stop because they noticed I was, well, frantic. Have you ever been in a Chinook while taking off ... to me it felt like the God was lifting us up by the tail with a string, so the nose (where I was sitting) is looking straight at the ground. Almost like Drop Zone at Kings Dominion but you're looking down at the ground. Probably fun for people that dont' wonder how however many TONS of metal can fly through the air with no problem. But for us laymen, who are scared of heights. Not my idea of a "quick flight" to Speicher! Maybe God is teaching me trust ;) But all in all, it was an awesome experience. I talked with the pilots the rest of the flight and by the end of it I was enjoying the ride..... Until they thought it'd be funny to jerk my chain a little. Here's how it went:

Pilot 1 "There's a strong cross wind out tonight, could be a rough landing."
a few seconds later
Pilot 2 "UH OH!! Oh Crap!!"
I shut my eyes, grasped the bar in front of me and stopped talking so they could concentrate on keeping us alive. All of the sudden I hear them laughing and I could tell they had huge grins underneath their masks. I pressed my little talk button "You all are NOT funny." The chuckled a little more and then said that everything was fine and we'd be on the ground in 20 seconds. If they hadn't been flying the helicopter I would've hit 'em both in the back of the head.

That ride will be one I won't soon forget! I have more stories and pics but I left my camera cord at Victory and have to wait for them to send it to me so I can download them to my computer. So for now, I'm signing off and getting back to work!!!!

I like how.....

2009-03-17T08:23:00.001-07:00

.....it took my 10 minutes to sign into my blogspot because the top of it is in Arabic and I couldn't read where the sign in button was. I kept trying the top right where I "remembered" it being, but alas, it's at the top left here in Iraq. Weird.

So I am here, in Iraq. But not quite at my final destination. I'm in Balad and should be flying out to Camp Speicher tomorrow afternoon. Needless to say I've been doing a lot of waiting for my flights in order to get to where I'm going. But it's ok, I'm learning patience! I waited yesterday/last night from 2:30pm to 12:30am to get on a helicopter to my Speicher only to find out that was a no go and I had to wait until today (which didn't happen either btw). So SGT King (a fellow Air Force MWR worker) hooked me up with a single "wet" CHU for the night (turning out to be two nights)... but let me just tell you when I found out just exactly what a "wet" CHU was, I about wet my pants! I had a trailer to myself that shares a bathroom with someone on the other side!!! Glory, Hallelujah!!! I have taken TWO, count 'em, TWO showers today! I feel like a million bucks!

The weather is beautiful here right now... I'm sure I won't be saying that in a month or so but right now it's in the mid 60s with no humidity...clear as can be! I've been outside a lot today, just walking around taking it all in. I'm in IRAQ, people. CRAZY! I got a work out in b/c they told me I wouldn't be flying out today so there was no sense in waiting ALL DAY in the hangar like the prior two days. Traveling in Iraq is definitely a little more complicated than in the States. Shocker.

Last night when I was walking from the DFAC (dining facility), I had to laugh at myself when my half-empty gatorade bottle dropped out of my backpack and hit right next to my feet... I heard the noise jumped and then took cover... a little paranoid, ya think? I looked around and saw that it was my hollow bottle that startled me and not an explosion. Thankfully no one was around but I couldn't help but be embarrassed that I'm so jumpy. Having choppers and C-130s landing all around can make one a little antsy I guess. I'll get use to it eventually, I suppose.

I'm sitting here at the outside internet cafe in the middle of the food court (BK, Pizza Hut, Subway, Cinnabon and Seattle's Best Coffee), so I'm feeling right at home for the moment! lol. Kind of. But I miss all of you already and have loved hearing from you when I get a chance to open my email or facebook account! Thanks for writing. Hopefully I'll be in Tikrit (Camp Speicher) by tomorrow and will be able to download some pictures to put on here! I'm gonna go eat so I'm outta here for now! :D

The Journey Begins - I'm Ready To Go!!!

2009-03-12T12:28:00.000-07:00

Well, it's almost time for me to get on the plane... we leave tomorrow at some point and then starts the adventure. I'm not sure I can give tons of details about our flight, partially because they don't tell us anything (security purposes?) and I know almost nothing myself! This past week has been extremely long. I'm up at the crack of dawn to hurry up and get to formation (those of you that know me, know I don't do mornings) and then start a full day of rushing to get to places to either stand in line and wait to fill out paper work or sit in a classroom and listen to briefings ALL DAY LONG!

The group of people that are in-processing with me are a very eclectic group of people. We have military, some linguists, Civilians, Red-Cross, and other contractors (which include a million different jobs). I've made friends with the MWR people, some auditors, linguists and a couple military folks since the time I've been down here. It makes me laugh as we have to "march," if you can even call it that, in between our barracks and training. If you could only see this motley crew TRYING to march. People are all out of step, out of line, falling behind (we have some older and some out of shape people...just to give you a visual), and whatever else you can think of that would seem to be the exact opposite of what an Army unit would look like marching.

All I know is I'm ready to be done with this week and thank God that for the most part it's over. We have one more brief later tonight and then we're off tomorrow!! I've packed my 3 duffle bags that I'm allowed to bring (by the way... they issued us A LOT of crap and I'm pretty proud of the fact that I got that stuff PLUS the stuff I brought smushed into them!!) and am hoping the butlers here will help me get them to and from the airports....oh wait, we don't have those here. I guess I'll be luggin' those things in between myself, huh. Well, it's time to knuckle up and get my hands dirty I guess!

I'm not really sure what to expect or even if I'm ready for everything that's about to happen. But I have confidence that God is in control and that I have a lot of amazing people praying for my safety and the journey that's about to start in my life!! Thanks to all of you!! I will keep you all posted as often as I can. I will miss everything back here but am ready to go and hopefully bring some joy with me! :D

Here's a picture of me trying on my gear they issued us! Nevermind the helmet cover being on backwards!!

Riding the Roller Coaster of Emoooootion... WHHEEEEEE!

2009-02-24T17:56:00.000-08:00

I can't believe how quickly my departure date has come. I feel like it was just yesterday that it was decided I was heading over to Iraq and now I am leaving in less than two weeks! It's funny because I, as well as most people who know me, would not categorize me as an emotional or dramatic person....BUT man, the past week or two I have been on the roller coaster of emotion and at times have felt as if I'm having out of body experiences, watching myself overreact to the smallest of things. Who knew I could be such a GIRL. I guess it's to be expected being that I have had more than a lot on plate the past couple weeks, a lot of change on the horizon and a few hormonal spikes causing me to go certifiably crazy at times.

Thankfully my friends are pretty stinkin' wonderful and have not "unfriended" (such a facebook term) me because of my recent emotional instability. Actually my friends are so magnificent that they threw me a going away/early birthday party this past weekend and it was just what I needed. I mean really, what girl doesn't love being celebrated and told she's going to be missed?! I was overwhelmed by it all and felt so very undeserving of all the love they showed me by coming out and celebrating with me!

The night started at Wu's Garden, a Chinese restaurant in Vienna with dinner and conversation. It was perfect becuase we were able to be in a room pretty much all to ourselves for dinner and then we stuffed our faces some more with an amazing cake that Amy made from scratch!

Next on tap for the night was Karaoke!! Loads. Of. Fun. :D I have not laughed that hard in a long time. We had a few superstars in the group and a few (eh hem) not so much stars, but more super-entertaining.... and when it comes to karaoke that's all you need! I have a new found respect for rappers as Julie and I were out of breath by the end of Young MC's "Busta Move." They must have to be on some training regimen in order to stay in shape and be able to spit on lyric on top of another during their shows... or maybe they just don't have the moves that we have so they don't waste as much lung capacity shaking their money maker?! I don't know.. but I was out of breath and sweating by the end of our debut.

All in all, it was a memorable night and the most perfect send off I could've asked for! I love my friends and family, and am so thankful for each one of them and the joy they bring to my life! I will miss all of you while I'm gone but will carry you within me as a travel. Thanks to everyone who came out and made the night a blast!

Things that make me laugh

2009-02-09T19:38:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txqiwrbYGrs&feature=related

I don't know why I find this so hilarious, but I do. Enjoy!