lately.

 Beach trip with my mom.

 Being goofy with Gina.

 Learning how to play guitar.

 Fourth of July.



This is coming soon!

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There's been a lot of stuff happening lately. A lot to keep me busy. A lot to bring a smile to my face. And certainly a lot to remind me of how blessed I really am.

01. Last monday my Mom and I were dragging our feet around the house, wiping away the sleep from our eyes, when she said, "Want to go to the beach?" Honestly, how could I resist? My schedule was almost completely cleared, so we did just that. We packed a light and healthy lunch, slathered some sunscreen on and hit the beach. It was a gorgeous day. Low tide, quiet, the water was the perfect temperature. Plus, I got to spend it with my mom. She's the best!

02. This past weekend my Floridian born-Michigan living friend Gina was in "town". I say "town" because she lives about an hour south of me, but in "town" is better than in Michigan. I drove down on Friday afternoon, and stayed until Saturday evening. We got caught up on each others lives, played games together, became frustrated from said games, spent time with friends, hit the flea market, sweat until we couldn't sweat anymore, grabbed ice cream, when to the Chik-fil-a, learned some guitar. We had a great time together. It always a great time when I get to hang with Gina and her family.

03. Like I said, Gina taught me how to play a little bit of guitar. It's something I've wanted to learn how to do for a while, but haven't had a guitar to do so. I recently aquired a guitar, so what better time than now to learn?

04. Last week was the 4th! How exciting! I spent most of my day doing homework, but was able to get out for some fun in the afternoon and evening. My church was doing a picnic, so I got to eat some yummy food, and hang out with my good church people. Then I met up with some friends from my young adult bible study group and we went to the city fireworks. My friend Felicia knows some of the city cops, so we were able to get the hook-up and had ourselves some really great seats. We could literally see where the professionals were setting the fireworks off from in the road. It was incredible. And loud. And smoky. And we got rained on by firework debris, but it was still amazing, all the same. Afterward, I went to IHOP with my friends Kelsey and Felicia to keep the party going. It was awkward and weird. And I got really bad heartburn because I ate a bunch of food that I shouldn't have, but other than that, it was a fine night out.

05. The Jason Gray concert that I've been planning is a month and a half away! Crazy! Things have really picked up over the past couple weeks with that, and I am getting pumped. It will be here before I know it. As much work as this whole concert planning gig is, I'll be very sad to see it end. Plus, the planning is part of the fun, right?

Also, I'm taking an oceanography class right now, and last week I got a B on my first test!

The Lord has been blessing me left and right. Not only has he been blessing me, but He's been blessing those around me as well. It's so encouraging to see the hand of God in every little detail. Wow! I'm just blown away. 

thursday night ramblings.

Please note: Ramblings is in the title for a reason. I have no idea where this post is going to end up going. 

1. Today was intense. When I say intense, I mean intense. My planner showed next to no homework for most of the week...until yesterday when I entered in all of the math problems that I had to do to study for my math test next Tuesday. Then I started to panic. Then I realized that I have a paper due on Monday for my Communications class that I hadn't started on yet. And I had accounting homework to do. It was like everything just piled on top of everything yesterday. It had me going all day long until about 8:45. Let me just mention that I had class at 8:00 this morning. You do the math. 

2. On top of this crazy day that I just had, I barely slept a wink last night. We turned the AC off last night, so my room was super stuffy. Then there was the looming list of things I had to do hanging over my head, an itchy throat, AND I was super thirsty all night long. My word...I think I slept for maybe 5 hours all night. 

3. I cheated on my fast and broke down today and bought a cup of coffee from Starbucks. I wouldn't have, but I felt like I was going to fall over after I got out of my algebra class. I don't feel guilty about it at all. I've done well other than today, and it probably won't happen again. 

4. Spring Break starts two weeks from today. From the looks what I've already written here you'd probably assume that I can't wait another second. You'd assume correctly. 

5. When Spring Break is underway, I would appreciate if there were no questions about how school is going, what my plans are, and how math is treating me. Thank you ahead of time. 

6. I went for a run yesterday. It was a good one. I ran for 25 minutes straight (two and a half miles), and lived to tell the tale. I am running my 5k on March 10th. That's NEXT WEEKEND!

7. Uhm...just in case you weren't aware, it is March 1st. What the heck? How did that happen? That means I'll be 22 one month from tomorrow. Yikes! That also means today marked the first day of Spring, right? It feels like summer here already. 

8. Speaking of summer, this one coming up here in a few months will be my first that I've spent at home in three years. I am content with that fact. 

9. I saw this video yesterday and loved it! Two years working on a project. Incredible! It kind of makes me want to explore NYC again. You know, now that I'm no longer a frightened 4th grader.

Metropolis - A New York City Timelapse from Will Boisture on Vimeo.

10. It's time for me to go to bed. If I ramble on any longer you won't want to read my blog ever again. ;-)

Over and out.

ten little things.

1. Pinterest is amazing in many different ways. It sparks your creativity even when you don't think you have any (thaaaat's me!). Buuuuuut it has put these expectations of this really awesome home in my head. My future home. Like this bedroom. Seriously...how can I re-create that? Someone tell me!

Source: hgtv.com via Kaitlyn on Pinterest

2. Speaking of pinterest and how it sparks your creativity, I think at least once a day about how I need to dig through my huge crocheting bin. My Grandpa gave us all of my Grandmother's yarn after she passed away because he knew I had picked up crocheting. I started work on a scarf a few months ago, and really want to pick it up again. And other projects that have nothing to do with yarn or crocheting needles. Seriously...I'm not artsy at all, but I just feel like I want to BE more artsy. I've had semi-large canvasses sitting in my closet for years and have never done anything with them. I want to make stencils, paint something on them, and hang it on my wall. For reals!

 3. My great friend Michael and I headed out semi-early this morning and hit up a bunch of thrift stores. She knows where all of the really great ones are, and she's definitely got the art of thrifting down to a science. She was giving me tips all morning. We had so much fun!

There's a mercantile store nearby that we made a stop at. It's the oldest building in the town and they have some of the greatest antiques. Old signs, glasses, bowls, books. I wanted to buy up the whole store. Seriously. This brings be back to that whole future home thing. There WILL be old books and dishes in my house, no doubt about it. That means I have to move somewhere with some really stinkin' awesome thrift stores.

4. Let's talk about farmers markets. Don't you just love them? Yeah, me too.

After the mercantile shop today, we went to the the farmers market down the road. Green, orange, red, yellow. Fresh...aaaaaall fresh! Now, THAT'S what I'm talking about. It was like a breath of fresh air after the real southern barbeque I had just eaten. Counterproductive? Most likely.

5. Today I went on a run that made me want to keel over and die. Everything about it that could have gone wrong...well, it went way wrong. Like the fact that I realized, after I had started my run, that I didn't put a sports bra on (I sure hope only girls are reading this post, because it's about to get all TMI up in here), but I kept running anyway. Like a champ. So I ran inside as I was running by my house and took care of THAT problem, but then when I started back up again I started burping up my real southern barbeque lunch. That's where the keeling over part comes in. My stomach started cramping, I felt like I was going to barf, and my head felt like it was going to explode. So then I gave up on that one and quit it. I learned my lesson. I'll drinks my waters, eats my vegetables, and succeeds.

6. As some of you may know, I have a pet peeve (who doesn't?). I wrote a little bit about it here. Well, the unthinkable happened this week. I was walking Trinity near that same empty lot, and I see a man coming up on the corner with a big dog. He stopped, I stopped, Trinity is sniffing...completely oblivious to the fact that there is another dog there, and that man turned back around and walked away. Smart man. Us big dog owners get each other. We see another dog, and we KNOW to turn around. Those frou frou dog owners don't get it. They can pick their little bowed up dog in their arms and keep walking. Meanwhile, my dog is trying to amputate my arm. I wanted to run up and give that man a hug for his kindness and understanding. Instead, I turned around and smiled.

7. Camp has been on the mind. There's something about this time of year that just reminds me of camp. This is the time that I have sent in my applications the past three years, so it's just weird to not be doing that this year. I know that my summer camp days are over and I'm totally okay with that. That doesn't mean I won't miss it. Camp is this undeniable force in ones life, and it's impossible to not long for it after you've been.

8. Today is my Mom and Step-Dad's 5th anniversary. I can't believe it's been so long. A lot has changed since then, and I'm so grateful they found each other. Brad's a pretty awesome guy.

9. Remember how I said that I wanted to plan a concert? Well, it's happening folks! Jason Gray is coming to play some music in August of this year. I'm so excited about this! I've got great feelings about this event.

10. I needs me a haircut. I'm not a snob about diddly squat, but I have to admit that I'm a haircut snob. A good haircut is about the only thing I'll dish out a lot of money on. And I ain't gots no money. So, until then, I'll be hanging out here with my split ends.

Whew! This took me for-ever to get done. Two hours...say what?!

Anyway, Happy Friday...night!

I'm linking up with Elizabeth at E Tells Tales on this post.

dear winter vacation...

You are my favorite because...




1. I can read The Help all day long if I feel like it.
2. I can sleep in until 9:30 in the morning just because.
3. I can stay up until midnight and not feel guilty.
4. My Mom can ask me if I want to run errands with her. And I get really excited about it and don't have anything else on my mind.
5. I can skype with all of my friends from far away places. 

6. I can do things at my own leisurely pace.
7. And I can say "Oh, I'll do that tomorrow."

8. There is no stress.
9. I can sit on my couch, sip a cup of tea, and read and comment on my favorite blogs. In my PJ's.
10. I can shower at 1 o' clock in the afternoon.
11. I can keep my bedroom clean for longer than a day. Yay!
12. I can think and think of things to add to this list with no other priorities calling my name.

Thank you for your beauty and relaxation. You are my fave, and I look forward to enjoying you much more over the next few weeks.

Love, Kaitlyn

wednesday ramblings (better known as "i'm sitting in the library with over an hour to spare").

I have an hour and a half left until my next class starts, and I have absolutely nothing to do. I suppose that's not such a bad thing. That means that I have all of my homework done so far, except for the reading and note taking for my history class. That's a good place to be. I'm hoping that means I won't completely stress out tomorrow afternoon when I get out of class over all of the homework that I have to do over the weekend. It's nice to be in the middle of a week way less stressed than I was when I began it. Is that even possible? Is that really how life works? I suppose it is. Right now, atleast.

Tonight my brother and his girlfriend are coming over for a birthday dinner. My mom is cooking up some baked ziti, and throwing a salad together. It's his favorite, and I'm a big fan, too.

Last night I was having a conversation with my pastor's wife. She's awesome, and I always love talking to her. She said something along the lines of "Goals aren't meant to be road blocks, but guide posts." It was just what I needed to hear last night. I've been confused about what I'm to do for the summer, but I realized yesterday that my plans may not be what God's plans are. There isn't anything I want more than to be in the middle of God's total and complete will for my life. In order for that to happen, that may mean that I have to back off and let God work. I'm totally okay with that, too. Plus, right now it might be more fun to be where God wants me instead of where I want me. Seriously...camp is WAY more fun and exciting than taking four classes over the summer. Just sayin'. ;-)

Thank you for letting me ramble and for reading my silly nonsense.

How are you doing? Anything you want to ramble about? I'll listen. :-)

I feel like writing a blog, so I suppose that is what I'll do.

The new semester started a week ago. I like all of my classes, and all of the professors who teach them. It was a bummer to show up to my favorite class (I think) yesterday, to find out that all art classes were canceled. Fingers crossed for class to be in session tomorrow.

My English teacher is the bomb. She's funny, and she makes it worth it to show up to an 8 a.m. class. Speaking of English, I was so worried when I saw the huge literature book that I had to read for this semester, but this stuff is actually really good. Seriously, I'm sort of excited to go and take my reading quiz tomorrow.

There are over 70 students in my American History class. It's really intimidating. That's all.

And I have the same instructor for Math that I had last semester. She knows what she's talking about, and I'm hoping for another good grade in her class this semester.

It's chilly here. I'm thankful it's not as frigid as it is across the rest of the country. Did you know that 49 of the 50 states have snow on the ground right now? Can you guess which one doesn't? Hint: I live in it. ;-)

Pertaining to the cold weather, my mom made potato and leek soup for dinner tonight. It was the best to get home from my class, plop my books on my bed, and scurry into the kitchen and ingest some of the best soup I've ever had the pleasure of eating. My mom also made pumpkin/cranberry/walnut/oat bread. That was pretty amazing, too.

Tell me, how have you all been spending the past couple of days in the snow/cold/chill?

since yesterday i've been dog sitting for a sweet lady from my church. this is my first time ever doing something like this. babysitting is way more fun. i mean, these dogs just aren't much for conversation. ;-) so i've been lounging around on the couch, wasting my time on the computer, or reading, or watching t.v. if i ever wanted to call myself a couch potato, now would be the appropriate time to do so. my big adventure for today was taking a trip to my house for things that i forgot. like my pillow. oh, sweet pillow. yesterday was a big enough adventure in and of itself. one innocent trip to the bank and the grocery store can turn into a bigger fiasco then i ever intended. from dropping my food in the middle of the aisles, to not being able to find the bank, then getting lost in the process down silly side streets. i looked frazzled by the end of that trip. i think my nerves were finally calmed by the time i crawled into bed last night. only to toss and turn all night.

the people who i am dog sitting for are selling their house, so there have also been multiple house showings. all of which have either come extremely late, or extremely early, and plenty who have stayed way past their prime. oh, and the best one of all: the one i had no idea about today. seriously. not even cool. they came a-knockin' within seconds after one left. no exaggeration there. it was ridiculous. they are super awkward, too. i sit on the couch, attempting to read while these people walk around the house, asking me questions that i don't even know the answers to. didn't i just tell them that i was dog sitting for the owner when they knocked on the door? oh well. i suppose i can deal with the minor inconveniences until monday. only to do it over again during my spring break. yeah, i just said that.

i have become shamelessly addicted to this show. quite a few friends recommended last weekend that i start watching it, so i gave in. boy, did i give in. am now almost done with season 1. what can i say? the episodes are always so action packed, that i can't help but want to watch it again and again. it's definitely an interesting show. highly recommended. :)

a few unknowns about this past week:

1. sent in my application to camp shetek in minnesota on monday to work for this summer. we'll see how that goes.
2. was knocked flat on my back on thursday from a terrible neckache. it eventually made my whole face hurt. i stayed in bed all day because it hurt to move.
3. took my car in yesterday to get the oil leak fixed. am now carless for the time being. hopefully it will be sitting in my driveway again soon. i feel kind of lost without it. don't like that.

i will be trying to find something to do with my day today. i feel like i've been stagnant lately. what with being sick all last week, and not doing much except for going to school a couple times this week. not really sure what's going on right now, but i feel as if something big is coming.

taking a few minutes to write up a quick little blog before i head out to church to teach 5-7 year olds.

i took my test last night and was really not feeling too hot about how i did. my brain was still pretty foggy from being sick all last week, and got beat up pretty bad on monday from the math monster. today i got my results, and i am happy to say i went up from a 7.6 on the medium level to an 8.2 on the difficult level. apparently that's really good for the difficult level, because it's a lot harder than the medium. i'm pleased with it. i probably could have done better, had i more time to review before i went into it, but i'm happy. i have to take the TABE test again after i do a bit more work, and i'm almost positive that it will get me into the GED prep class. it's all good news.

also went out on the job hunt for a couple hours today. walked in and out of businesses to see if they were hiring and now have a stack of applications that need filling out. we'll see how it goes. if you think of it, pray for that. i've been searching for a job since august, and have come up unsuccessful. sincerely hoping that one of these will be the one. having a car makes it a lot easier. i know God has got it all under control and it will come all in his timing.

gotta run! have a great night!

i'm still battling this cold. yesterday took a turn for the worse and i was stuck on the couch all day. hopefully tomorrow will be the day that things start looking up and i start feeling better.

in my time of being sick, i finally found the energy to finish "A Million Miles In A Thousand Years" by Donald Miller. i've never read a book quite like it before. it's a book about story and wether you are living a life that is a good story. Don Miller wasn't living a good story at the beginning of the book, but through the making of a movie of his life, he found out how he could change that. it was a book that i immeditately wanted to start reading over again just after i had started it. i highly recommend it to all of you. go to your local bookstore and pick it up right away! thanks Breann for sending me this treasure of a book in the mail! you're a gem!

to continue my ramblings through my poor sick brain, it's a good thing i don't like capitalizing my letters while blogging. my dog popped my shift key off my keyboard about a month and a half ago. she stepped on it while it was on my bedroom floor. it keeps popping off and it's the one we all use. the one on the left side. currently training myself to use the right ride-side shift key.

also, super excited about the fact that it will be hitting the mid-70's today. only to get super cold again tomorrow. will check back in on that tomorrow!