Oh Twelve

So what will it be this year? Lose weight? Eat better? Get a job you hate less? Get a boyfriend? Do a cartwheel? Whatever your new years resolutions may be, I think this is your lucky year! How do I know that? I don't, I just have this feeling, for myself atleast. Maybe it's because 12 is my favorite number, but I have great feelings towards twenty twelve. I'll be 26! That's more than halfway to 50 and I start telling people who can't guess that I'm in my "upper 20's." So just incase you hated 2011 and can't wait to start over and plant that garden, I've supplied you with several reasons why 2012 will be the best year yet. Good luck.

1. Movies. Examples: Dark Knight Rises, the Avengers, the Great Gatsby, the Hunger Games
2. Pretty Little Liars. Premieres Monday January 2, 8:00pm
3. It's a leap year.
4. Summer Olympics. July 27-August 12 in London
5. Weddings. Amanda Mathis and Justin Bear get rings, I get a new black dress. June 8.
6. Technology. I don't know anything about this, but I predict the iphone 5, the ipad 3, and the kindle earth
7. Super Bowl XLVI. Can't wait to meet all the new Packers fans
8. March. Why are the Christmas decorations out?
9. The President. We get a new one
10. The World. Isn't it going to end one day this year? that's cool, more Jesus

quote of the day

Brittany: "I think this lady is going to die in a little bit."
Me and Grace: "Lady? What?"
Brittany: "LANE!"

Brittany: "I spent 3 hours on pinterest! #grownuplife! I burnt a candle and cooked dinner! #grownuplife!"

quote of the day

Laura: "He told me he was going to take me to Hardees for breakfast and we would watch the sunrise."
Me: "Wow. High School Musical called, they want their date back."

quote of the day

I love us.
















Erin: "I think we're going to Monticello, you know, Thomas Jefferson's house."
Me: "Oh I went there in 8th grade, it's really cool."
Erin: "Did I go to that? I know I went on that Civil War trip in high school."
Me: "Did Thomas Jefferson have anything to do with the Civil War?"
Erin: "I don't know."
Me: "Uhh Kesler, did Thomas Jefferson have anything to do with the Civil War?"
Kelser: "No."
Me: "Then no, you didn't go."
Erin: "Well he invented Virginia or something!"

quote of the day

Me: "That guy is still stalking Laura and she hasn't told him to back off."
Amanda: "Yea she's all like STALK ME!"

You Came Down

I miss my Mom the most at Christmas. Man, she was great at Christmas. She absolutely spoiled me and Scott and Dad with gifts and everything was wrapped perfectly. I loved coming home at Christmas because she had the house decorated perfectly, inside and out. She was always cooking, cleaning and getting everything perfect for whatever party she was throwing and for family to come over. Last year was really tough because it was the first one without her, and I'm sure this year will be a little better, but I think it took until the past couple of years for me to really GET Christmas. For 23 years, not only did I get exactly what I wanted from my parents, but really great things that are far beyond what I deserve. I hate that it's taken me so long, but I finally realize that Christmas isn't about what's on my list or what date the tree gets put up or the Christmas day schedule. All those things are great and I'll always appreciate gifts and family traditions but this beats it all:

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this." -Isaiah 9:6-7

I know my Christmas traditions will change throughout the rest of my years. Presents that I got just 5 years ago are already forgotten about (or chewed up thanks to the dog). But the greatness of what happened when Jesus came down for us, there is no end to that. When I give more attention to Jesus, other things matter less. And If I ever have kids (God help me) I can't wait to make Christmas as awesome and beautiful for them as Mom did for us. But more importantly, I can't wait to talk about Jesus with them at Christmas time and tell them the story of how He was born. It's a story I feel like I re-learn the weight of every year. Love it.

quote of the day

Me: "Maybe Justin will surprise you."
Amanda: "I hate surprises."
Me: "ok nevermind."
Amanda: "That's why I hate balloons."

quote of the day

Erica: "I like my black and white otter box. It's like me. Mixed. "

Friday Favorites

I think my favorite color is red. To be perfectly honest, I think it always has been. Not that I've had trouble accepting it or anything, it's just that blue has always kinda been the default color in my life. Blue is awesome, it's the color of the sky, it's why the Bluedevils are what they are. It looks good on people. Blue eyes are awesome. But red. Red is bright. It's one of the Christmas colors and everybody likes Christmas. Every time I wear my red TOMS out in public (I'm not kidding about this. Every time) someone positively comments on them. I didn't get them for that reason, I just got them because I didn't need any more black shoes and red shoes don't necessarily match anything and that's cool. I don't think I've gone my whole life not having a favorite color, I just think that maybe your tastes change over the years or that I was never really stressed out about it. But I've always, as far back as I can remember as a kid, been partial to red. Hmm. There's some self reflection for ya.

Good Times, Great Oldies

Imma bout to get all sentimental up in here. It’s just that I listened to an old podcast of the Gratie McClock Radio Hour the other night. 2 of the best friends a gal could ask for, Katie Brock and Grace McClellan had their own radio show in college. They had a contest promising that whoever could prove they were their biggest fan would be a guest on their show. Of course I accepted the challenge and wrote them a song. I hope to God that song can only be accessible through a strong Government agency or only on that particular podcast which I will not be sharing with anyone. Being the only entry into the contest (and because I re-did a Beatles song) I won and got to be a guest on the show. That show was so much fun to be on and now to go back and listen to. Topics that were discussed included: Ktb’s expectations of seminary, the existence of a UniHorse, Brittany’s live trip to Target, the female doctor, and Joe calling in while on the road home to Maryland to go to the Doctor. After listening to all of our goofy ridiculous comments and what we thought drama was, it made me miss all of my Winthrop crew so much. It also blew me away to think about how much has changed since then, since I was a senior in college. Ktb is a REAL pastor, 4 of the 6 Casa-mates are married, 2 friends have a BABY, Brittany is a teacher, I lost my Mom, Grace and Brooke and Maggie and Brandy all moved away (and I still talk to all of them regularly. whaddup!), I got a dog and a Master’s degree, my dog cost me more than my Master’s degree, and Winthrop now has a Starbucks on campus. I couldn’t be more proud of the Nancers, really. Some of us have had (or are having) really hard years since then. Some of us love our jobs, some of us don’t love our jobs. All of us have moved a lot of boxes. But not only did every single one of them help me grow in Jesus, but they made me laugh SO much. In college, God really showed me what it meant to mature, not by the world’s definition of the word, but actually seeking maturity as He defines it. Turns out there’s a gigantic difference. Anyone that ever went to college will say that college was the best years of their life and they talk about all the crazy times they had with their friends. The only difference between me and those everyone else’s is that my college friends actually are the best AND we actually remember all of our crazy times together. So all this is to say, good job on growing up, my dear friends. Let’s keep doing it in style.

quote of the day

Laura: "He texts me everything. It's like an AIM away message."

Best Friends

So I was really interested in the latest issue of Garden & Gun magazine because it had a picture of a Black Lab on the front. This magazine is really cool because it mostly highlights southern things from southern foods to party decorations to hand-made knives and in this latest issue, a unique dog kennel in Oxford, Mississippi. This kennel breeds hunting and adventure labs, and it really is amazing how the guy trains them. I mean these pups are the definition of a companion. They come when you tell them, they run after things when you tell them, they swim across fast-moving rivers, are comfortable in boats, and the kennel trains them all before they are a year old. Oh and they cost over a thousand dollars. The reason you might pay that much for an animal is dumb to a lot of people. But the reason this article caught my attention is the same reason I got a dog. They are amazing little things. They can learn things so fast, they are the most loyal creatures EVER, they're fun to play with, and they're cute too. Some people get dogs just so they can carry them around in purses and buy them pink collars and get them to lay on their feet when they get cold. I guess Cali is good for all that stuff too (except she won't fit in a purse). Getting Cali was the best decision ever, even if sometimes I'm too busy to play with her. The only thing she hunts is acorns and the occasional squirrel she thinks she can catch, but she really is a best friend. She follows me around the house constantly, except of course when I'm at my Dad's house because she follows him around. And her favorite outside toys are the frisbee and the soccer ball, just like Mom. I guess I just don't understand people who aren't "dog people." It's true, Cali is likely to jump up on everyone with muddy paws as they walk through the door and that's annoying. But it's only because she missed you. And the mud washes off.

Black and Gold Blues

For those of you who would like to see the entire world of sports come to an end, I thought today was your lucky day. I was working at ChristmasVille for a good chunk of the day, so I was unaware of everything that was crashing down around me. The one that hurt the most was my hometown Gaffney Indians losing in the state championship. That's no big deal except they were a perfect 14-0, had beat Byrnes in the regular season, and hadn't allowed more than 27 points against them all season. With that kind of record, I would've just given them the ring without even having to play the game. So then, when I finally got home to my cable, I find that Georgia is beating LSU in the SEC championship game. LSU is undefeated, #1 in the nation, and had TOTAL 12 yards of offense in the first half. LSU ended up winning big, but 12 yards? That's about the length of my living room. Also Houston (who was undefeated) got beat in their conference championship by Southern Miss. Who is Southern Miss? exactly. I'm currently watching the acc championship game being amazed at how bad Virginia Tech is playing. And there are more penalty flags than fans at the game. It's funny how sports can make or break your day. Atleast my Rock Hill team, South Pointe, won their championship today. Now let's just hope whatever is in the air will help out the Panthers tomorrow, because getting a win for them really is an upset.

quote of the day

Intern Simone: "I'm about to have a soulful Christmas over here in the corner. The Jackson 5? Katie, you're gonna be a whole different color by the time I'm done."

True Life: a speeding ticket.

There were lots of things to be thankful for this weekend. Several good meals, good naps, no alarm clock, my Dad who takes care of my dog, Gaffney High football, Krispy Kreme, etc. I needed this 5 day break so bad. I needed a break from my small apartment and my crazy neighbor and my job. Being away from work at any given time does make me that much more thankful for it, though. A job is hard to come by these days. A job you love is pretty much unheard of. And a job that pays you enough...well I don't know what that feels like yet. I've watched a lot of Parks and Recreation this weekend as I've been all sinus-ish and laying in bed and I got season 2 for half price at Target. There was a whole episode about Leslie wanting to be the first female director of the parks department one day and she just went on about how much she loved her co-workers and the parks and her town. It was scarily similar to the way I feel on any given day. Working in City Government where nothing can get done and progress moves like a snail, really isn't so bad. It beats the crap out of being in a pointless lockout for 149 days where lots of people lose their jobs and selfish people don't care. Example: I now owe the city of Cowpens a few pennies for speeding home Friday night. I felt like I let my country down or something. I thought to myself, "I'm a public servant, I shouldn't be breaking the law." I can't imagine how awful I would feel if officer Stinson, my fave police officer in Rock Hill were to pull me over. I would probably bake him an "I'm sorry" cookie cake or something. Anyways, that's how much I love my job. So THANKS City of Rock Hill, for paying me what you can, so I can in turn, pay the City of Cowpens all of my money. I wouldn't say I've missed you over the past 5 days, but it'll be good to be back in the K-cube.

quote of the day from Amanda:
"This is why we're friends. I have zero tolerance for stupidity."

quote of the day

Laura: "It's really windy, rainy, acorny..."

quote of the day

Brandi: "Hamsters are like decorations."

Christmas Cheer?

There are lots of issues that divide us as Americans. Republicans and Democrats. Clemson and Carolina. Evolution. The worth of Twilight movies. There are mostly two sides to these issues and you're on one side or the other. But there's one that I haven't figured out yet, and the outspoken hatred for the other side has grown more and more over the years. Yes, it is the issue of when to start celebrating Christmas. Do I wait until after Thanksgiving? Do I just listen to music but not put up decorations? Do I listen to music whenever I want because it makes me happy? Is Halloween the only thing keeping Christmas away from July? As if you needed one more of my opinions, here we go: I love Christmas and everything that comes with it. I love presents and trees and colors and shopping and food just as much as the next guy, but I just can't get in the spirit until it feels right for me. If I were in charge, stores would not be allowed to put up Christmas things until after Thanksgiving. But then there's the argument of why is it Thanksgiving that holds everything back? If stores can make money off holiday things at any time, why not start as soon as they can? As much as I love it, I just can't listen to Christmas music for very long and if we start playing it in July, we'll all be sick of it. There's a reason for that song "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year." Key word: time. Christmas wouldn't be so wonderful if everyone just celebrated it as soon as they felt like it. Do you people agree with me? However, I do realize that those who beleive in post-thanksgiving celebration are doomed. As the human need to put worth into presents and commercialized events grows stronger, this holiday will come earlier and earlier. That being said, stop getting upset, people. Don't act surprised when you walk into Target next March and find that St. Patrick has been replaced by a waving Santa. It takes more energy and bad emotions to tweet about it than to just let it go and high-five Santa on your way to the groceries. I've decided this Christmas to just go with the flow. To crank up Justin Bieber's Christmas album in the car on the way to work and smile at the blow-up Santa in the Wal-Mart garden section. Not because I agree with it, but because that's just how it is. I will never win the fight to hold Christmas back by myself, and I have better things to do. Haters out.

Faithfulness

It was quite an emotional weekend. I stood next to my best friend as she got married and lots of speeches from her family and friends happened and people cried a lot. I cried A LOT more than I thought I would, I never cry at weddings. I was full of all kinds of emotions because they are starting a new life from 2 states away and I know our friendship won’t ever be the same, but also because I was so thankful and proud to be standing next to her and my other 2 best friends all weekend. The friend who has loved me and prayed for me through many years was taking this huge step in life and I was so proud of her and so excited to be a part of that. At church yesterday, we took communion. As I sat waiting my turn to take the bread and juice, I got to thinking about what it would’ve been like to be there that night. To be at the last supper, sitting at the table with Jesus as he explains that He is about to go and die the worst death in history and fulfill something that no other human could do. And to top it all off, I’m the reason He had to. To hear Him talk about how He would go to the cross for MY soul…that would be overwhelming. One thing I’m sure of is that things come and go in life. Some days are way better than others, and there are certain things that happen that I’ll never understand. That’s just how life works. But the really cool thing is that God is trustworthy. We can trust Him with anything our life brings (or doesn't bring) because He went obediently and perfectly to the cross. I cried as Erin came down the aisle to “Great is Thy Faithfulness” because that is the truth, and especially in Erin’s 25 years. That was the song we sang at Mom’s funeral and even on my worst day, it was true then. So it was a beautiful weekend....the scenery, the company, the event. All of it was good.

quote of the day

Erica: "So I got them that $11 towel or whatever is in that box they wrapped up. But I think I need something else"

Bellyard

As Barney from How I Met Your Mother would say, "Everyone I know is getting married or pregnant. I'm just getting more awesome." Most of that is true of me, but marriage can be cool too. I say this because it is marriage week for my best friend Erin and Jonathan, a super rad dude who I approve of. It's not easy for a guy to be approved by me, not even on the texting friendship level, much less on the marriage rest of your life level. Not just any guy on the street is even close to good enough for my best friends. But Jonathan impressed me from day 1 as he asked several questions about my job and my life, we shared stories about our matching labs and had very in-depth conversations about Carolina football. Most importantly of course, we both think Erin is wonderful. Even though I've checked off on the husband, they both have good jobs and are stable, and I fit into my bridesmaid dress, this doesn't mean it won't suck a little bit come Saturday afternoon. His new stable job has moved them to Charlottesville Virginia, far far away from Rock Hill. And as much as people fight the idea, marriage changes every other relationship in a major way. Me and Erin have been friends since 7th grade. We started off in Debutante together and I didn't like her very much. But as time has passed, I realize that I would've never made it through these past 10ish or whatever years without her. Homegirl has seen me on my worst days and best days. I swear I never laugh as hard at any other time as I do when I'm with Erin. Since college we've all gone several weeks without seeing each other, but as soon as we're reunited, Erin is all up in your space asking about life and wanting to spend time with you like nothing has ever changed. She is SO much fun to be around and it's been such a blessing to watch her grow up and mature into the Jesus-lovin' woman that she is. Jonathan is a lucky dude. But he knows that. Go Team Hillyard!

How to be my MVP

This is Dylan, my favorite kid on my team this season. From day 1, he would run to the field for practices and games, mostly because he was always late, but also because he was just excited. The first day of practice, he said "Hey coach Katie." and shook my hand. He's 8 years old! He had the BEST attitude on the team, always excited to play wherever I put him on the field. We found out over halfway through the season that he is a star goalie, he saved us a lot of goals. My coaching theories may or may not be different from other coaches, but I'm always watching my players off the field compared to how well they actually play soccer. With Dylan, he's not the best player, and honestly he probably never will be. But his attitude every Tuesday and Thursday and his hardcore desire to yell "Shark Attack!" as loud as he could in the team huddle impressed me every time. That's why Dylan played all 4 quarters of every game. He was always my team captain, and he always got to play the position he asked for. And he's really cute, just look at him. Yes his shirt is on backwards.

Fun quotes from last night's game and team party:
Yainer: "I know why it's so cold."
Me: "Because it's November?"
Yainer: "No, because it's going to snow."
Me: "When?"
Yainer: "I don't know, sometime."

Me: "Are you playing for me next year?"
Dylan: "Yep, and I'll be a professional by then."

Friday Favorites (Halloween Edition)

Halloween isn't my favorite holiday or anything like that and if you remember, sweaters and colorful trees don't change my life, but Halloween weekend is always good. I mean right? I somehow always have a slammed schedule in October and the weekend of Halloween is peak fun if you play your cards right. I ran a 5K, went to a ghost story telling event and hung out with a green dinosaur, had some AWESOME bagel time with Grace, made homemade mac-n-cheese with Brandi for the Crott's BIG pig party, and dressed up as our Director of PRT at work today. Ed's a pretty quirky guy, so that one got a lot of laughs. I don't know when I'll grow out of loooking forward to occasions where I get to dress up. But in any case, you have to dress for the job you want, right? Also in exciting news, the Slutty Pumpkin returns on How I Met Your Mother tonight. If you watch the show, this is a big deal. Happy Halloween!

Quote of the Day. Girl talk for Grace and Katie.
Me: "Andrew Luck, he's apparently the best quarterback in college football, so you think he'd be cute, right? He's so not. He has a half-beard."
Grace: "Ew. Half-beard. That even sounds gross."
Me: "Right? It sounds like a pirate that sucks."

Money Ball

If you know nothing about college football, you can stop reading now. But for those who are mostly Gamecock fans or just want to learn more about how much money effects the sports industry, stay with me. They announced this week that Missouri will be joining the SEC conference. I'm assuming this is only in football, but I'm not totally sure. SEC stands for the South Eastern Conference and last time I checked, Missouri was neither Southern nor Eastern. Also, I don't think schools should just get to pick what conference they want to be in just for fun and switch when they think they deserve more money. The BIG 12 conference is actually looking at adding a couple more teams as well. How can the BIG TWELVE have more or less teams than TWELVE? exactly. And if the SEC keeps allowing any and every team in, they'll get too big and every school in the nation will try to join.

Example. Past 5 national football champions:

2011: Auburn
2010: Alabama
2009: Florida
2008: Florida
2007: LSU

I mean duh. Who wouldn't want to join such a great conference? The reason you see so many of these teams in the championship each year, is that their schedule is so strong. That's why Boise State, no matter how many games they win, will never go to the championship. They play teams like Utah while Florida, LSU, Alabama and South Carolina all play each other. So Missouri and Texas A&M (who also just joined the SEC) want a big peice of all this action. I hope all SEC fans like me out there are hoping these new teams don't bring down the level of awesomeness that already exists, which could happen. Do you feel educated yet?

Jobs on Jobs

“The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle.” -Steve Jobs

I haven't publicly noted anything related to the death of Steve Jobs, I mean, I didn't know him like that and I only own 1 Apple product. But this here quote is something he said while speaking at a graduation ceremony one time. This shouldn't be any new information to us, and Steve isn't the first one to think this idea up, but I most certainly agree with it. I have luckily found work that I love to do. This weekend was the Special Olympics Fall Games and this year I got to be a partner on our Area 11 Unified soccer team. We had a really great time, played some hardcore soccer, got some injuries and sunburn, and brought the silver medal home to Rock Hill. Something that I NEVER thought I would get to do with my life is work with the special needs population regularly. I actually never spent any time with them before I started working at PRT except for 1 week in high school on a summer mission trip. One thing I've noticed about Special Olympics is that everyone who volunteers or works with these types of people don't do it for a pat on the back. Just hanging out with folks with certain dissabilities is exhausting, it's a LOT of work. The amount of love and effort that you have to give makes me realize it's not about self-fulfillment. And it's also one of those things that puts you in a humble place and the more I work with them, the more I get put there. When I'm bowling or playing soccer or helping kids ride horses, it can't be about me. It's all about the high-five and the "good job!" and giving them the self-confidence that most people are naturally born with. It's pretty cool that I got a job in what I was wired for (sports) and then through that, I found a whole group of people to love on. God's plans work every time.

quote of the day

From the office next door. Another reason why I love working at PRT.
Hope: "I'm seeing how long I can go without brushing my hair. Day 6."

Running

Fact: You can tell how dedicated I am to something by how early I'll wake up for it. My really cool office-mate, Karen, is a runner. Her husband coaches cross-country, her daughter runs for Winthrop, and Karen runs every day. Karen is probably the happiest person I know. I don't know if this is a direct result of her running, since excercise produces endorphins, making you generally happier about life. But I do know that when I ran cross-country in high school, I took great pride in running 5-6 miles after school and then coming home to down an entire little ceasers pizza by myself with no shame. As of today, I have registered for the Rock Hill Great Pumpkin 5K road race. Sounds cool right? I've also talked my two Burns pals into running with me and I have to think we're all really excited. Laura and I have both been trying to run every day. Some days were more successful than others. For some reason running/biking/triathlon events are really in right now. Lots of my friends, after graduating college, decided that being addicted to healthy food and/or running was going to be their "thing" of choice, which is cool. I support health and the running culture is a great way to stay in shape, meet new people, and spend your adult money on new shoes. I'm doing it, I guess for all of those reasons and because I miss it. And because it's a cheap sport (and we all know how I feel about participating in sports/competition). I'm also scheduled to run in the Reindeer Romp 5K in Decemeber and obviously the Come-See-Me race in April. If one day you wake up and decide to take on this sport (just like I did) then let's get up. It means some early mornings and a lot of soreness in the first training days, but it's all worth it I think. Come on folks, let's beat the US obesity rate, one cool race t-shirt at a time!

"There are three things I've learned never to discuss with people: religion, politics, and the Great Pumpkin." --Linus

quote of the day

Felicia (explaining the new personal assistant app on the iphone): "You can tell it to remind you to e-mail someone and then it will as soon as you walk in the door to work! Our minds are slowly deteriorating, I can't wait."

quote of the day

3 people on a couch...
Me: "As of now I don't have anyone to feed Cali this weekend."
Erica: "Oh no! What are you going to do?
Heather: "I'll do it."
Me: "Hey I'm Katie!"
Heather: "I'm Heather! Nice to meet you."

I love my new church already...

A Few Thoughts on Compassion

This week has been cool (and its only Wednesday). God has reminded me in lots of different ways that He spends His time on me. He loves me with a love that I’m not capable of producing back for Him while in this life. I’ve been reminded of His compassion for people, that He is a Father, and that He wants to answer us. A lot of times when people say these general statements about God I usually let it pass through because I’ve heard those things a lot. But I’ve actually THOUGHT about that this week and let it sink in a little. I was reading in Hosea 11 and thinking about how ridiculous the Israelites were. They were being proven over and over and over God’s faithfulness, but they’re still a bunch of screw-ups. They still turn their back on Him, they still sin like crazy, they question everything. And then I immediately realize how well I relate to that. God has proven his faithfulness in my life about a million times per day and I still question His ideas. Over and over we mess it up yet God still says to us like He did to a whole nation, “How can I give you up?” “How can I hand you over?” I mean what the junk! I walk around demanding grace from Him, acting like He hasn’t been absolutely merciful to me. I love that He doesn’t stop coming after me, but just like with Israel, He won’t relent until He has all of my attention.

Why my dog is awesome

I had several parental expectations when I decided to take on a puppy 7 months ago. I wanted my new black lab to be the most well behaved, hardcore, social dog there ever was. Well, the more she grows, the more
I'm amazed at her social skills. This weekend, I had several different people over spending the night and such. Also spending the weekend downstairs was neighbor Steve's weimeraner, Ada. Calster woke me up several times throughout the night, once because she wanted to go sleep with Grace, and then again because she heard Ada went outside and this meant she should too. Every time someone spends the night, she forgets her bed in my room and HAS to sleep with whoever is on the couch. And if I won't let her, she wakes me up earlier than normal the next morning to go make sure they're still there. As inconvenient as her social life can be at times, I love this about her and I think it's what makes us a good combo. I could never have a dog that didn't like other people/dogs because I love people/dogs. It's really fun to watch her interact with other dogs because she demands their friendship, whether they're into it or not. This may get her in trouble one day. And while you're here, take a trip down memory lane and look at how cute she was the day I brought her home (see above). Can't decide if Cali or Savannah is the cuter one in this picture.

Giving In

I do not love the fourth season as much as everyone else seems to. Why not you may ask? I tell ya what, let's just focus on the things that are good about fall as to not offend anyone. Here's a Fall Top 10:

10. Football season.
9. Baseball post-season.
8. Things get haunted and I pay to go in them.
7. My dog is black, which is very similar to having a black cat....spooky.
6. Halloween Oreos.
5. Trick-or-Treating...I buy candy for kids.
4. 13 nights of Halloween on ABC Family.
3. Did I say football?
2. It's hot in the day and cool at night. Comfy.
1. Plaid.

Event news: The Rock Hill Parks and Recreation Department holds an annual ghost-telling event every year called Firelight Fright at Fewell Park in Rock Hill. This year it's on October 29th at 7:00. Bring a picnic, blanket, flashlight, your dog, and leave your money at home cause it's free. I'm in charge of the fog machine.

quote of the day

Believe it or not, there are still existing humans that have yet to see Dirty Dancing. Luckily, 3 of them were brought over this weekend. We gathered several gals together and watched the movie, the special feature music videos that were rediculously 80's, and then spent another good hour learning how to cha-cha thanks to the tutoring of Janna Reid. Was a swell night....

Janna: "Are you like, organizing our fridge?"
Natalie: "I'm making a sandwich!"

Me: "Every time you fall asleep I'm going to tweet so you'll wake up."
Grace: "I had a tweet in my pocket just now and I didn't wake up."

Rachel: "She has sleepy eyes because she had hungry eyes the night before!"

Shark Attack

I remember my first soccer team. I was 8, we had grey and black uniforms, and our team name was the Knights (no doubt the boys on the team picked that name). Our first practice was in an overgrown grass field way out in the country behind an elementary school I think. I got my first real crush that season of soccer, too. His name was Jay and he was at the top of all the 9 year-olds in my mind. I've used several of my early soccer days to help me cope as a coach with my current U-10 soccer team. We're named the Sharks, but to everyone else I call them the misfit toys. We only have 11 players because 3 of them quit before the season even started and only 6 of them showed up for the team picture. We had our first game last night and everything I ever taught them about passing, dribbling, spreading out, and the overall point of soccer went right out the window. But after our 4-2 loss in the season opener, 8 year-old Dylan said "It's not about winning, it's about having fun." 8 year-old Dylan has a heck of a lot more wisdom than the 8 year-old version of myself. But it's true, I don't remember how many games I lost or won or tied in all of my years playing soccer. I do remember being so nervously excited every saturday and how the snack after the game made up for everything. These are good memories and reminders when my competetiveness kicks in (pun) and I want to yell at the 14 year-old referees for not calling fouls. Because on the bright side, even as a coach, the parents still offer me a snack after the game. Go Sharks!

quote of the day

Laura: "Who do you think I'm going to marry?"
Me: "I have no idea, why would I know that?"
Laura: "I mean, do you think it'll be a US citizen?"

During bible study...
Erica: "I have a story that goes along with that. I was looking at the ground the other day..."
Cheryl: "Oh this will be profound!"

Friday Favorites

So much good TV last night. The premeires of the Office and Parks and Recreation happened and one was way more funny than the other. I also stayed up until 1am to watch the USA womens national team play Canada. Who knew game time was at 8pm in Portland, making it 11pm here? It was worth a few lost hours of sleep though. Soccer always is. Folks always ask if the show Parks and Recreation is like my actual job. There are similarities actually, but there's no way real life is that hilarious. The character of Ron Swanson could only be written into a script. On last night's show, Leslie Knope, the main character and deputy director of the department gets asked to run for City Council. This got me thinking harder about something I've been thinking of doing for a while now. Katie Simmons for Rock Hill City Council (or Mayor, whichever comes first). You may say, "Katie, you don't care about politics." Well, you're right. I don't. But I just have so many opinions about things! Example: I would give the Rock Hill Parks and Recreation Department anything they want. But that kind of already happens anyway. And "Simmons 2030" is too long to go on a button so I'd have to get married to someone with a bit shorter name I think. I am well on my way though, seeing as how current City Counciler Kathy Pender (up for re-election in 2012, so vote for her) personally asked me to join the Kiwanis Club. I'm not going to because I'm poor right now, but it's pretty cool that we're down like that. In the mean time, if someone wants to come up with some cool campaign pen and poster board ideas for me, that'd be cool. Make sure it's something that looks good in your yard and goes with any outfit. Maybe one of those trendy shadow outlines of my hand giving a thumbs up. That says it all I think.

The good, bad, and ugly

Today's thoughts, summed up in 3 categories:

The Good:
I got free lunch today and a peice of cake. I got an article published today. I feel way less sick today. GLEE season 3 premieres tonight and there's a party going down. Needtobreathe's new album came out today and as far as I can tell, it freakin rocks.

The Bad:
I've never complained about facebook, because really, the design of a website is the least of my problems. But facebook is literally like digging through the trash these days. There's way too much crap on the home page and there's this stupid sidebar that tells you when someone comments on their 1st grade teachers comment of a photo that someone else commented on. It needs to go back to the days before there was a movie about it and the most high-tech thing you could do was click a thumbs up button. Everytime you post an album of pictures, it takes up the entire screen and it chooses the worst or most boring one of the whole batch to display so that everyone can see it. And suddenly it felt like I had more friends, but I really don't. It's just that facebook has decided to tell me when friends of friends of friends update their status. But if I cared about that 3rd generation of friend, I would request them myself. Thumbs down, facebook.

The Ugly:
If you've looked up at the sky the past almost 5 days, you know what I'm saying.

Just another day at the office.

This weekend I took some of our Youth Council kiddo's down to Chucktown for the annual SCRPA conference. Since no one knows what that is, it's probably not that exciting. And honestly, it would've been more exciting for me if I got to stay at the conference all week and learn about how to be a better parks and recreater. But we spent some good time at the beach on saturday and went out on the town saturday night. The 6 teenagers that we took are literally some of my favorite people, and that's weird because not a lot of people like teenagers. But I'm lucky and get to spend a great deal of my job hanging out with the best teens in Rock Hill. I can honestly say I don't laugh that much around people my own age, it's so fun to be around young people sometimes. And high school boys are just hilarious, that's a fact. They did so well on their presentation on sunday and I was so proud. As I sat in the floor and clicked the powerpoint for them, I got really proud about the city I live in (which happens very often) and I'm super glad to be a part of a community that really offers a lot for kids and youth. My job so rocks.

Weekend Quotes, obviously:
While driving behind a truck with a blown tire...
Ginny: "I'm so hungry, I thought that smell was food. Then I realized it was tar."

Ktb: "Dude! Did you watch the Phineas and Ferb 2-dimensional movie?"
Me: "No."
Ktb: "umm yea me neither...."

Anna: "The fried green tomatoes are served over grits. So then if you get the shrimp and grits, that's too much grit!"

quote of the day

Me: "I'm actually writing a book called Crap Katie Says."
Caitlin: "I would read that."
Me: "It's pretty much my blog."
Grace: "Anne Frank published her diary. You could publish your blog."

Edge of Glory

It's a good thing Monday is labor day so that I can recover from my weekend so far. This weekend I lived life as the ultimate sports fan would. Yes I went to 3 football games, 3 nights in a row, to watch my 3 favorite teams play. I left work early Thursday to have dinner with my fam then to catch the Panthers/Steelers game with Dad over a Blue Moon (im talking about the beer, not an artsy term for the sky). As far as Friday, there is nothing better to do in Gaffney than cheer on the Indians at the Reservation, as they wipe the floor with teams like Greenwood. My old yet current pal Erica and I braved the storms and cheered on our old school but left at halftime when the rain got to be annoying. And on Saturday, the best game of the weekend went down in Charlotte when the Gamecocks not-so-easily beat ECU. This all was a swell way to spend my labor day weekend and the start of the football season. As you can tell, me and Cal are ready for another heart-wrenching season of Gamecock football!

Now let's talk about something that's greater than football: In my ever-growing need for Jesus, I love to learn over and over that nothing about life is actually about me. I get psyched to think about what Christ did for us. Not to prove that He can die on a cross and be awesome, but that He loves me enough to get me out of the sin I was born with and will never be able to get out of by myself. I like almost everything John Piper says, but I came across this: "There is only one explanation for God's sacrifice for us. It is not us. It is the riches of His grace, it is all free. It's not a response to our worth. It's the overflow of His infinite worth. In fact, it is what divine love is about in the end: a passion to enthrall undeserving sinners, at great cost, with what will make us sepremely happy forever, namely, His infinite beauty." I mean, not even the fact that He came to die for us is actually about us. I've been thinking about that this week (yea just thinking about it, because I sure don't understand it). And I tell ya it's much better than all the stuff I tend to think/worry about that won't matter past next week, much less close to eternity. Everything He does is for the purpose of making His name greater than mine. Lady Gaga, you don't know nothin' bout glory.

Also, the QOTD:
Me: "Today is Bickell's birthday! Let me text her!"
Erica: "Oh cool, September 4th?"
Me: "What's today?"
Erica: "September 4th."
Me: "Then yea."

quote of the day

Johnathan: "I dropped my first phone in the ocean and now some dolphin has it."

Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I think I blog about this topic every year. And I think the people who actually read it care even less every year. But football is among us, folks. Last night my fantasy football league had their draft party. I have to say I’m very pleased with my team as I have Matt Ryan, Sidney Rice, Ledanian Tomlinson, the Steelers defense, Deangelo Williams, and several other promising players. This is the first year I’ve actually played in a hardcore league and I’m stoked. I mean I keep up with all the teams and their stats anyway, so I figure I might as well trash talk some people from my church while I’m at it. My Panthers probably have the same chances at winning anything as they did last year, but at least we’ll get the #1 draft pick again next year. Not that Scam Newton is currently doing us any good, but you never know. The Gamecocks also kick off their season this week at the Panthers stadium against ECU. Everything about that seems odd to me, but it should be an ok game I guess. Ya know, college football gets more and more sketch every year, as we have several teams trying to join different conferences, we’ve got players going to jail before the season even starts, and Clemson still has a team. It’s getting pretty ridiculous. But college football will probably always be my favorite worldly thing ever, besides Cali the black dog and finding out who’s killing everyone on Pretty Little Liars.

Here’s a fun joke my Dad shared with me…
A Georgia fan, a Clemson fan, and a Carolina fan hiked up a mountain one day. When they got to the top, they decided to have a little competition over who was the most loyal fan. So the Georgia fan screams out on the top of the mountain, "I'm a Bulldogs fan and will always be a Bulldogs fan!" and then jumps off the mountain. The Carolina fan then says "I'm a Gamecocks fan and will always be a Gamecocks fan!" and then pushes the Clemson fan off the mountain.

Happy football season everyone!

Friday Favorites

Confession: I don’t like babies. They don’t function enough to enjoy them and they are terribly confusing because they cry all the time for sometimes no reason. Few of you understand this. Everyone else probably considers me less of a woman or a dark lord with no soul or something. But I think it’s just because I haven’t had enough practice with them, ya know? I’ve never actually babysat for a baby, only older kids. I love kids 4+ because I’ve hung out with them more and can be silly right along with them. But babies are a foreign thing to me. And let’s be honest, if I haven’t mastered the knowledge of something, I usually don’t like it. But with all that said, there is a little bundle of sin that I’m already in love with after 1 ½ days of Earth life.

Her name is Savannah Kate Fox, the baby cub of Chris and Brandi Fox. It’s wierd that friends my age are having babies but I think I’m ok with it. As long as Savannah will still let her parents hang out with their friends every once in a while and do fun things, I think this will work out. I hope the Foxes never leave Rock Hill so Aunt Katie can teach her how to play soccer, tell her to stop texting boys, and secretly teach her to pull for the Gamecocks.

QOTD time:
Me: "She was in labor for 27 hours."
Nicki: "I've never done anything for 27 hours."
Stephen: "That's just shy of a work week for me!"

quote of the day

After being confused/creeped out by the ending of Pretty Little Liars last night...
Me: "WHAT WHAT WHAT WHAT!?!?"
Amanda: "You sound like Lil John."
Me: "Only you would say that!"
Amanda: "Quote of the day? idk but probably."

Friday Favorites

Medical records show that one of the coolest people on the planet, @ltotheburns was born exactly 25 years ago. For today's Friday Favorites, here are 25 of my opinions as to why Laura is one of the coolest people on the planet (and in no particular order).


1. She puts up with me.
2. She has the second cutest dog in the world.
3. She just bought a cool new house.
4. She's awesome with directions. Public transportation and her own.
5. We talk almost every day, even though there's hardly ever anything interesting to say.
6. We like to be recreational at the beach while everyone else lays out. We think that's dumb.
7. She likes to take road trips.
8. She always has her camera so I don't have to.
9. I don't feel as lame about going to bed early because she goes to bed at 9.
10. She pretends to be interested in sports when I talk about them.
11. I'm REALLY close to convincing her to start watching Pretty Little Liars.
12. We see dumb movies together (High School Musical, Hannah Montana Movie, Step Up 3, etc.) and we like them.
13. She loves Jesus a lot.
14. She had a lot to do with why I love Jesus now.
15. She's a fun travel buddy. Boston was a great idea.
16. She has literally the coolest family ever. They should have their own reality show.
17. She loves the kids that other people typically don't.
18. I think I'm responsible for her taste in rap music.
19. She listens to bands that no one has ever heard of.
20. We go to USC football games and she doesn't have to ask me what a touchdown is anymore (sometimes).
21. She goes to way too many concerts.
22. She updates me on daily Gaffney life, which I really appreciate.
23. When it comes to clothes, she can pull just about anything off. Still haven't figured that one out.
24. She is one of 3 that reads this blog.
25. She is a regular contender for my quote of the day:
Laura: "We should have a joint birthday next year. 26! That's halfway to 30!"
Me: "We were halfway to 30 at 15. But whatever."

quote of the day

Janna: "You have to judge a tree by its fruit. And that fruit is creepy."

#mythoughtsontwitter

In my book "Crap Katie Says" (release date TBA) there will probably be a chapter dedicated to social media. I think I wrote in a previous blog post about why sports teams need twitter accounts. Actually when twitter first entered the world, I didn't know why anyone needed a twitter account. But as more and more people join, I can see it now. There was that dark period in my life when I didn't have cable this summer and unfortunately the Women's World Cup was happening at the same time. Twitter helped me keep up with all of the scores and each play of the USA games. Similarly, I know every time the Panthers gain 5 yards and who's starting at Quarterback. But if you're not into sports, just pick a favorite celebrity or President to follow, dead or alive. It's cool I know every time Lauren Conrad designs a new outfit, when the cast of Glee is in dance rehearsal, that Obama is using Foursquare, and what Cameron Bunce is growing in his garden. Truthfully if it weren't for twitter, I wouldn't know about some of the world's happenings such as the recent riots in London or when we killed off Osama. Some tweets are hilarious and some are just quotes or website links that I couldn't care less about. But overall I have good feelings toward this form of social media. It's less of a headache than facebook most days and the 140 character limit is a really good thing for some people. So if you haven't joined the twitterverse yet, I think that you should get at it. Have me, your mom, your favorite rapper, and the Twilight vampires all sent to your mobile phone throughout the day. Who knows, maybe I'll start a twitter for the black puppy that lives with me. @iliketochewthings has a nice ring to it don't you think?

Quote of the Day

Amanda: "What if we just did a flash mob of Bad Romance right here in Krispy Kreme, stop I'm just kidding!"

KtB: "I love my TOMS. Don't buy BOBS though. I've got a sneaky suspicion that the same kids that are receiving those shoes are also making them."

Friday Favorites

I don't know if Jon Acuff has added this to his list of "Stuff Christians Like" but this Friday's Favorite definetly applies. Yup, I finally gave in. I bought TOMS. I've always been impressed with the business model and story of TOMS shoes, giving a kid in need a pair of shoes for every pair you buy. I guess it was just that everyone was wearing em and you could only buy em online and I just never put that much thought into it. But I figured for my birthday, a shiny new pair of TOMS is just what I should buy myself. So I did, and shocker, I love them. For as style challenged as I am most days, I do love shoes. And these bright reds sure are comfy. But ya know I've only seen mostly Christians sporting these flats in funky colors. Christians are more likely to back this "One for One" cause as we typically love underprivaledged children in countries we've never been while being stylish at the same time. So next time you're in a crowd and want to spot your future Christian mate, stop your wondering. Just look for their flat feet and a guitar case with the TOMS sticker placed among about 75 others.

Dang it.

Feet.

This weekend I volunteered with Shoes for Hope, sponsored by Samaritan’s Feet and the Rock Hill School District. Basically, underprivileged kids and youth could come and get new shoes and new school supplies. I didn’t know exactly what I was doing when I got there, but I volunteered to be a foot washer. I think some of the kids thought it was weird that some stranger was washing their feet, but that’s actually the best part of it. I was washing people’s feet, having no idea where they come from, where they’ve been, and will probably never see some of them again. Those kinds of situations are the best reminders for me though, about why we should serve people and who we should serve. Because it’s super easy to serve my family or even my best pals, because they love me so much and I love them enough to do whatever I can for them. But kids off the street don’t know me and have nothing to offer me. But that’s the best kind of service, the kind of service I believe Jesus is pleased with. It was really cool to be able to give kids a new pair of shoes to walk into school with on the first day. New shoes was always my favorite part of going back to school, I felt really good about myself if I had cool new shoes on. One girl’s face lit up when I put her new pink converses on her feet because it was her favorite color and I have a feeling she’ll wear those things out! It was also an awesome reminder about how rich I am. I wish I could do something like this every day, just to bring me back down a few knotches. It’s easy to forget how much I’ve been given when I spend most of my time walking my dog in one of the nicest neighborhoods in rock hill. When I go to my super fun job and get surrounded by people who love me and always want the best for me. It’s really easy to forget that some people have nothing. Every kid that sat down in front of me is loved by Jesus just as much as I am and He died to save them too. Our stuff and our status gets us nowhere in the end. That puts us all on the same level when you look at people that way and what a cool thought, how much He loves us.

"How God thinks of us is not only important, but infinitely more important. Indeed, how we think of Him is of no importance except insofar as it is related to how he thinks of us. It is written that we shall “stand before” him, shall appear, shall be inspected. The promise of glory is the promise, almost incredible and only possible by the work of Christ, that some of us, that any of us who really chooses, shall please god. To please God…to be a real ingredient in the divine happiness…to be loved by god, not merely pitied, but delighted in as an artist delights in his work or a father in a Son-it seems impossible, a weight or burden of glory which our thoughts can hardly sustain. But so it is."

-C.S. Lewis, "The Weight of Glory"

Fat Weekend

Every year since we were freshman, Brooke, Maggie, Erica, and I would save up all our money and go to Outback to celebrate the end of the school year. Our biggest problem these days isn't finding the money to treat ourselves with good food, it's finding a weekend when all of us are free to be together. Well this weekend, we all arrived successfully at Brooke's pad in Raleigh. Not only was it Outback weekend, but it was my birthday on Saturday, so we ate. We ate a LOT of freaking food. On friday night we went to this awesome place that had grilled cheeses and milkshakes. We ate at the Cheesecake Factory for saturday lunch and got our half-priced cheesecake (in honor of National Cheesecake Day! Convenient huh?) Then we played a hardcore game of laser tag and together won 300 tickets in the arcade. Our Outback night included but was not limited to: bloomin onion, cheese fries, wine, steak, wedge salads, mashed potatoes, and Carvel icecream cake, our favorite thing ever. I love it when friends find time for each other. Even after 7 years and several miles apart, some silly traditions are just too special and fun to give up on. It was a swell 25th birthday!

Quotes happened, of course...
Maggie: "I think I'm autistic."
Brooke: "Don't take this the wrong way Maggie, but you could totally be on the spectrum."

After taking her inhaler...
Maggie: "Now I have to go wash my mouth out so I don't get a yeast infection in my throat."
Brooke: "See, on the spectrum."

Maggie: "My boss is one of those people who are devestated by the fact that she's getting older. I'm like, don't hate me cause you aint me!"

Friday Favorites

I'm just not the kind of girl that avoids things just because their popular. I like what I like, whether other people say I should or not. When Amanda told me about this book series, "The Hunger Games" I figured I would give it a shot. Apparently it's the newest book/movie series fad, with the first movie coming out in March. I just finished the 2nd book this week and am going crazy to see what happens in the 3rd. In all fairness, the Hunger Games is not a classic peice of literature and I know this. The writing is really simple, the 2nd book progresses really weird, and the main character is not that lovable. It's just a fun little book series that will turn into movies every summer for the next 3 years, people will get all excited about how hot the guys are, and then it'll be forgotten. Not that I have to explain or redeem myself in any way for buying into Hollywood's next big thing, it's just that some things in my life are soley for entertainment purposes. So you should go read them. I'll bet money you like it too!

Last night the Cabin was reunited.

Britt: "Is that guy wearing a mask?"
Grace: "Umm he's bald and wearing sunglasses."

Grace to Cali: "Remember when we first got you and you were sweet as hell? Now you're just black."

Story of the Day

This morning I went outside during my usual routine of bringing Cali inside from time in the yard. The fence was open and and I didn't see her anywhere. I didn't bother to actually go inside the fence because as soon as it opens, she runs straight out, so I figured she was half way to Charlotte by then. I drove around my neighborhood 4 times looking for a little black blob in someone's bushes but no luck. Finally as I was starting to call my landlord who knows everyone in the neighborhood, I go into the fence and laying calmly behind the air conditioning unit, is the the little black blob. Chewing a stick with the thought of "Mom why do you look so crazy?" surely going through her head. She'll be 5 months old on Thursday and she puts the term "puppy" into a whole new category with all her shenanigans. When my boss sent me the above picture today, I got jealous because I realized that my puppy doesn't sleep. Atleast I've never really seen her sleep peacefully like this. It's been a really fun 5 months but raising a kid is hard. Good thing she's cute.

I Think I Need a New Town

See what had happened was, my awesome co-worker gave me free airline tickets that had to be used before the end of July. I don’t need many reasons to travel somewhere, so when she asked me if I could use them, of course I found a US map right away. My best pal Laura is always up for an adventure, so after much debating and a little bit of fate, we ended up in Boston this weekend. Laura thought Boston was near the great lakes and because of the Red Sox I thought I hated it, but it is a delightful city. There’s lots of water around and I’ve never seen so many sailboats in my life and all that made the whole place beautiful. The cool thing was that we had no idea what to do or where to go or how to get there, but everything we did ended up being the best idea we’ve ever had. We toured the Old State House and saw some really neat historical stuff (I’m a nerd so that was my fave part of the city). After eating at Cheers, we took a stroll through the botanical garden park and drug our feet through the frog pond. We walked along the Harbor (where the sunset is amazing!) and came across Quincy Market which is super cool and lit up really cute at night. Every time we got bored or lost, we just stumbled across the next little gem, like the Harbor Islands. We decided we wanted to be on a boat so we loaded up and went to Georges Island, where theres a really old Fort that you can walk through and get creeped out and go into all these little holes in the walls and stuff. The building was a photographers dream because of how old everything was, and Laura took some really awesome pictures. Before we took to the airport to spend the night on a bench and sleep for 3 hours, we walked around Boston University and sat on their sailboat dock for a while with our feet in the water. If I went to school there, that would be my favorite place to go without a doubt. The sunset was amazing there, too. Go figure. So Boston is beautiful. It’s also full of nice people such as Boston College football players, Asians on public transportation, and fun bus drivers. I would not be opposed to living in Boston, but only in the summers where their weekend heat waves reach a big 103 degrees. Suck it up New England, the South has that beat on a Tuesday.
Quotes by Laura.

At the haunted Fort:

“Katie I think you’re stepping on a dead body.”
“Crawl in there and see what happens.”
Sleeping on a bench at the aiport:

“I woke up because I heard that huge tour group of Asians come in! And I knew they were taking a picture of me!”

Friday Favorites

Harry Potter 7.2 was the best movie of the year. Yes it will beat every movie that will come out from today till December 31, 2011. It was rediculous and action-packed and adorable and creepy and epic and I want to see it a thousand more times. I am pretty upset that it's all over, however, I still need to read all the books (which I will do one day soon, promise) and it'll feel epic to me all over again. Thank you J.K. Rowling for your brilliant mind and pen over the last several years. You go girl.

Now a few quotes of the days:

Chris D: "Hollywood does sacrifice children on the alter of entertainment."

Grace: "But if we sacrifice real children, we get yelled at."

Me: "My goal is to write a book one day. A book just about all of my opinions on things."

Pastor Ken: "It'll be called "Crap Katie Says."

Pastor Ken: "Bickell freaks me out because she shouldn't sound the way she sounds."

Soccer, Surf, and Journaling

I was in California this past week and I really don't want to write about it all. It was just that cool and I love that place a lot, so I'll spare you all the details. Just know that God is working on yet another batch of college kids out there this summer and they have some cool stories to bring back East. Woot! In other news, how many of you watched the USA Women's World Cup game yesterday? Holy crap, talk about a heart attack. I had about 3 of them. They beat Brazil 3-2 in penalty kicks, exactly 12 years after beating China in the 99 World Cup in penalty kicks. I remember watching that game in 99 and thinking that would be me one day. Playing in the World Cup, being as awesome as Mia Hamm, playing soccer all over the world. But I think coaching my little kids in soccer is just as cool, so it's ok. When we got to San Fran on Sunday night, the santa cruz shuttle picked us up and the driver was this really awesome ex-professional surfer named Mattie. He told us about all the places he'd surfed in the world (including the exact spot we surfed in Ireland!) but how he spent most of his life being a surf journalist. After quitting the pro world tour, he just went around to all these surfing competitions and wrote about em. After having that conversation, and being kind of obsessed with the World Cup this year, I feel like I wish I would've stuck to journalism with my career. Actually I love my current one so not really, but man I loved writing about sports. I did it all through high school and I'm constantly watching the news and reading articles and watching highlights and I don't even think about how I could actually do that with my life and make money for it. I could totally love my life going around talking to pro athletes about how awesome they are and what they do for fun and what's playing on their ipod. Just a thought. Now it's time to cheer on the women's team as they play France on Wednesday to advance to the championship. Party in the USA, girls.

quote of the day

Cali plays with Erica...

Erica: "No girl! I'm not trying to play amputation with you!"

Speaking of chickens...mad props to the Gamecocks for winning their 2nd straight College World Series! It killed me not to be able to watch all the games, as I was without cable. But they pulled it out without me which is ok too. Way to put South Carolina on the map, Go Cocks!

Home is where the chickens is

Starting on Friday I no longer have to be homeless! For the past month I've been living with 2 Crottsies, a dog, 2 chickens, and 1 bunny that me and Cal see every night in the yard. Turns out married people are really good hosts and not so tough to live with. I've loved getting to live with Erica again and Stephen can grow a mean garden. The guest room perhaps is too small for me and a 4 month old puppy but I really enjoy having my own bathroom. The conversation that has happened in the house is probably my favorite part about living there, we all had some good talks and you know I love talking about stuff that actually matters. God reminds me very often about how lucky I am to have such awesome friends in my life and even ones who'll give me and my dog a roof and a bed when we're homeless for a few weeks. I aspire to be as hospitable as those Crottses. I also aspire to have my kitchen be that coordinated, but that will come later. With homelessness behind me, I'm ready to move into my new place. To decorate it the way I want (which I will NEED help with), to play my music as loud as I want, to let Cali run laps in the fenced in yard, and everything else that is good about living at your own place. Everyone should come over a lot.

quote of the day

A bunch of 25 year-olds at a cook-out...

Johnathan: "So what's the difference between an egg that has a baby chicken in it, and one that you scramble?"
Me: "Well hens lay eggs everyday."
Nicole: "Oh I know this! My Mom explained it one time. There has to be a male chicken to fertalize the egg."
Johnathan: "How does that happen?"
Nicole: "And I think it's after the egg is layed!"
Me: "That aint right. How?"
Erin: "He pees on it!"

quote of the day

Sarah Hinson: "I have this friend who's on the radio. The other day I heard her say, "Hi I'm Leslie and today I smelled a baby." Wait...I said it wrong."

Friday Favorites

My favorite after work activity.

It's amazing how much your dog loves you, isn't it? I mean I'm constantly punishing Cali for peeing in the floor, chewing my clothes, barking at 7am, yesterday she knocked my whole pizza and my coke off the coffee table. But every day when I get off work, her little tail is going a thousand miles a minute and can't wait to get out of her crate to jump all over me. I'm usually only gone for about 7 hours a day but I can't wait to get home and play with her, she's so fun. She's even more fun now that she's not chewing everything in site and fetching really well. Who says I can't be a working mother?

Ridin' Solo

Let's get real for a second, being one of the few single people in your group of friends sucks. NOT because I'm up all night thinking about some perfect guy that I've made up in my head or what my wedding colors will be. The natural need to "fit in" and to feel a part of something is always inside humans and not one of us is free from it, whether you'd like to admit it or not. So of my closest friends, I can literally count on one hand those without a wedding ring, engagement ring, or in a serious relationship. Side note: when you're in your 20's, every relationship seems "serious" for whatever reason. Anyways, so I have this really great old best friend who talks to me when I get whiney about things. She told me about this quote that she found on the back of a record she just got that said, "comparison is the thief of joy." Thanks Theo Roosevelt, how freaking true is that? I've been handed the single card for almost 25 years from a God who sees it best that way, and if I sit and compare myself to all of my friends who aren't single then I'm literally destroying myself. I get really mad at how I think the world views relationships and being in love and all that. It seems that what everyone should be working for in life is to fall in love and get married and be perfect and until then, you just have to deal with whatever else there is. But in all reality, that's just an enemy feeding me lies and telling me that I have to be like all of my friends to fit in or feel good about myself. I hate that crap. Singleness can do stuff like fly to California for vacation if you want to. I think I will.

Things I Love

I was talking with some co-workers last week about how I should start consistently bringing my lunch to work. We all know that city goverment parks and recreation isn't the best paying job in the world so this is a smart idea. I was telling them how if I had a cool lunch box, I would be more motivated to bring my lunch. That makes sense right? Well the very next day following this conversation, I came into my office to find a new shiny red lunch box on my desk from Kathy, the Recreation supervisor and best boss in the world. She said "That was the closest thing to Carolina colors I could find." And those are the people I get to work with. Today I brought in my ham sandwich (and I think from a local pig, thanks stevo) and will carry around my lunch box because I'm cool now.

Other things I love:
1. Rory Mcilroy for winning the US Open Championship. He ended the day 16 under par and single, which makes him a brilliant golfer and future husband. I need help planning our Ireland wedding, folks.
2. Gaffney for showing me a good time this weekend. Me and Dad hung out and ate a lot, I saw my best friends and a hilarious movie, and Cali got to run around our neighborhood like a fool.

Friday Favorites

This is Laura. She is a new homeowner and my best friend since 7th grade. Today's addition of Friday Favorites is dedicated to her house. It's my favorite house in the whole world. It has newly painted walls, a wireless door bell, some light switches, and a shiny red door. My favorite thing about the house is Laura, actually. I'm so proud of her being a grown-up and spending lots of grown-up money on a new place. She's got her cute black lab in a fence and is ready to take on the world. What makes Laura really cool? Well, she does stuff like buys a house, takes road trips late at night when she's not supposed to, listens to her ipod while grocery shopping, has to stop to take pictures in a big field of sunflowers, etc. She's adventurous ya know. She's one of my most fun and favorite friends and we've had lots of fun together (seriously, go look at our friendship on facebook, it'll blow your mind.) And if you're ever in town, stop by and give her company. But I won't tell you where she lives because that's creepy and who knows who reads this blog. Thanks LB, for giving us all a new place to hang out and crash while in Gaffney.

and for the quote of the day...

Amanda: "The first thing you did in the morning was check AIM. Not get ready, not eat, not pee, AIM. Oh and you KNOW that away message was pointed at somebody!"

quote of the day

Janna: "It was called a blind date because he literally blindfolded me."

Camp Camp Camp

It's scary how awesome my 3 best friends are. Not only are we absolutely adorable, well educated, and employed, but we can conquer the outdoors too. We've all been lots of places with and without each other, but never ventured to the great outdoors together. I'm thinking there's a reason for that. Not that we all didn't have a fabulous time, it's just that we're lucky we ate on saturday night. I don't think we were quite prepared to build a fire lasting long enough for dinner and dessert, but our hobo's were really yummy. Erin burnt two fingers, Laura got the most bug bites, and me and Erica tied for the least amount of showers award. Saturday's 5am raccoon visit was probably the main event as me, erin, and erica screamed and dove head first into the tent while Laura slept through the whole thing. I truly believe God gave us to each other so that He could get a good laugh every now and then. As stressful and busy as my life has been so far this summer, a weekend in the woods and at the beach was exactly what I needed, with my 3 favorite people in the world.

Quote of the day(s):

Erica: "I be lookin like Davy Jones Locker up in that picture!"
Laura: "Our music minister?"
Erica: "That giant squid."

Erica: "Laura, do you want to go swimming in the ocean?"
Laura: "no."
Erica: "me neither."

at chickfila...
Laura: "OMG good thing you have a placemat!"
Erica: "Leave me and my drippy sandwich alone!"

right after the raccoon attack:
Erica: "I bout went all blair witch on that thing!"
Erin: "I can't find my chapstick!"

Erica: "At first I thought, oh that's Laura. And then I thought, oh that's too weird."

Friday Favorites

Most people don't know that breakfast food is my absolute fave. Pancakes, waffles, bacon, eggs, french toast, syrup. You just can't beat that crap. I don't like the time of day that breakfast is set for, but I'll eat it any time of day really. A breakfast food that is kind of underappreciated and I just recently started to love is bagels. Why are bagels SO GOOD? Confession: I had never had a bagel until college. Story time: In Santa Cruz, my freakin awesome discipler, Dawn Kirk would wake me up against my will on Tuesday mornings to have bible study. She took me to Noah's bagels in Santa Cruz for our first meeting and I had to look like an idiot and tell her I've never had a bagel and wasn't sure I was ready to give cream cheese a chance. But she forced me to eat a bagel from that morning until 5 weeks later when she left. It wasn't really forced, I ended up loving them. So one night, me and the roomies found Bagels that had been sitting on the shelf in our room for 4 weeks. They were totally green and smelled horrible. Instead of throwing them away, why not put them on Dawn's door step at 3am? She loved us.

Now a few years later, Grace and I go to Panera every sunday morning between worship team practice and church and eat bagels. Thanks Dawn.

quote of the day

From the office next door.

Amanda: "Yes?...."
Donna: "This is Donna."
Amanda: "I thought this was your cell phone. I was confused."
Donna: "I'm in the closet."

quote of the day

Grace: "When things are numbered, aren't they usually called highways?

Me: "Can I draw a picture of who I think is a fox?"
Chris: "No. We don't want a picture of Zac Efron on Savannah's mobile."

Friday Favorites (monday edition)

The first rule for someone who works with youth is that you’re not supposed to have favorites. But let’s be honest, there’s always a favorite. Since my job is youth programming, I get to hang out with some really fun and silly young people. Out of all them, I have to say Tara (see left) is my favorite. Tara joined the Youth Service League (which is the summer program I run) 4 summers ago, the first summer I worked for PRT. She’s now a junior at Northwestern and this year joined the Rock Hill Youth Council so luckily I get to see her a lot. This weekend, Tara came along on our annual YSL retreat with 32 middle schoolers as a "junior chaperone." Some high school kids have maturity issues and don’t really know how to handle certain situations or know how to be in charge. But this was no problem for her. She was telling girls to go to bed, to get over themselves, to clean their cabin, and she was MVP of capture the flag. She’s pretty mature for her age overall, and just so much fun to be around. I love kids who are overly positive about life and can always find the good in situations and laugh about things. That is totally her and I can learn a lot from youth like that. Thankfully I have a couple more years to hang out and be silly with her, we’re really good at that. And I mean look at her. She’s precious.

quote of the day

"If all you're doing is taking the Gospel in and not giving it out, think about what that does to your soul? Someone once told me it's like having spiritual constipation."
-Kim Schmidt

quote of the day

Attention boys:

Laura: "If you're gonna go on a date with me, don't get me flowers. Give me a gift certificate to Wal-Mart or something. Something I can use."

Friday Favorites

Let's talk about shoes. I kind of love shoes. Not for the fashion part of owning shoes and matching and all that, but they're just fun. I like the way new shoes feel and more importantly I love how my Chacos feel. They're not new or fashionable but I love them a lot. You can take them on and off easily, they can go in the water, the mud, a long walk, while staying on your feet the whole time. As someone who likes to be outside and camp and play as much as I do, Chacos are my friend. I just recently bought Chaco flip flops since my rainbows got a hole in them, and dude. They are just as comfy. Cali will be getting a Chaco collar when she gets full grown. And yes I'm aware of how nerdy that makes me. But you should save up your bucks and let Chacos make your feet feel happy too. Have I EVER been wrong?

Chaco shoes are not to be confused with Choco Tacos, which are probably my favorite icecream treats. One are for your feet and the other is to eat. Both are good for the soul.

quote of the day

Tom responds to a picture of Cali...

"That is freakin adorable. You got hooked up."

Timing

We talked in Bible study this week about how girls can go from zero to psycho in no time. Breaking up with someone turns into "Crap I'll be single the rest of my life!" overnight. And that job that we're miserable in is surely where we'll be buried when we die. When we have desires, they HAVE to be met or the world ends. I mean I get that way with the small things. My puppy knocks over my lamp and I claim she's from the devil and will never grow up or learn how to behave. Slow down crazy. More importantly, we looked at Galatians 4 this week. It's slam full of good stuff and we got off on verse 4: "BUT when the time had fully come, God sent his son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons." Before verse 4 it tells us how we used to be slaves to the law and stuff. And that magic word "BUT" means to keep reading because more important stuff comes after that. When the time fully comes, that's when God acts. He probably couldn't care less if it's what we had in mind, His idea is better. Just a sweet little reminder about God's provision. When I'm anxious, He's patient. He's so patient with me.

quote of the day

Youth Council dinner...
Tara: "We raise Chinchillas! You didn't know that?"
Me: "That sounds like a mexican dessert."
Johnathan: "That's a churro. But they're kinda like mexican rats. They should be called squabbits, actually."

quote of the day

This is what a normal text convo looks like when you've been friends for this long...

Erica: "Whatchu doin?"
Me: "At the vet with my sick puppy."
Erica: "Oh no, still poopy? Do you know what's up yet?"
Me: "She has a crazy stomach bug. We got meds."
Erica: "Maybe it's like when I eat too many fried pickles. Well yall are on your way to her feeling better."

Friday Favorites

With Pirates of the Caribbean fresh out in theaters, I thought I’d share on my favorite bout of mischief. I’ve done lots of harmless, not-so-legal activities including late nights and black outfits. But my favorite, some of you may or may not know about. Don’t worry, Campus Police has already forgiven us. On the eve of the 2007 Winthrop Day, a day in which all potential freshmen come to tour Winthrop, Grace, Courtney, Kevin, and myself decided to make a statement. That upcoming year (my senior year) Winthrop was implementing the new rule that freshmen and sophomores had to live on campus their first 2 years. As upperclassmen, we were mad. This meant that I couldn’t live with Brooke and Maggie, Grace couldn’t live with Katie B, and Courtney and Kevin…they just wanted an adventure I guess. So at 3am, Courtney drew this:

We printed off what had to be 500+ of these flyers and posted them all over campus. Now when I say “all over campus” I literally mean it looked like it had snowed. We stuck those suckers on every parking sign, building sign, statue, door, squirrel, and trashcan. The 4 of us spread out and as we were approaching our last few flyers, just as we were sticking them on the Rutledge building sign, a car door slams. Campus police get out and yell something, but us girls took off running inside Rutledge. Why the crap did we do that? Anyways, we ran through the ceramics room, just running from the cops. We finally made it to the women’s bathroom (surely they couldn’t find is in there) and the woman cop came in and busted us. No handcuffs or anything, just a disappointed/confused look at us dressed in all black with tape all over us. She gave us the option of being arrested or to take them all down, and since my criminal record is still clean, we chose to take them down. This took about another 3 hours and then we went to Waffle House. Getting a good hard talk from my RA boss a few days later wasn't my proudest moment. But it kinda was.

Obedience School

I thought that once I graduated I'd get a little more sleep. I was wrong. I was so wrong.

This homegirl wakes up at 7am with no alarm and no shame, ready to pee, eat, then play. God may use the length of this furry critter's life to teach me things. Things like patience, not to put value in tangible (chewable) things, what a sunrise looks like, and forgiveness. I wish I could forgive humans as easily as I forgive Cali. Like tonight, I guess because it's raining, she has peed in the living room floor atleast 5 times. First of all, who or what has to pee THAT much? And second, why doesn't her getting in trouble over it every time cause a change? But she is learning how to not only grab the object that I throw, but to bring the object back and fight me over it. And learning how to sit for a treat took about 3 days. She wants that thing so bad I think she'd do anything. I can only hope that one day, Cali will value sleep as much as I do. She does about 1,000 things wrong per day, but then again so do I.