well...

i have to admit...

i'm not really enjoying my blog lately. i may just stick to the whole reading other people's blogs part.

i don't know. we'll see.

so you think you can dance!

i've been re-watching episodes of so you think you can dance, and it makes me miss dance SO much. i wish i was on that show. i wish i was working with all those AMAZING choreographers...i wish i was performing every week. i wish i had fun costumes and cute guys to dance with ;) i miss it.

But! i always pretend i'm on the show with them and learn their dances with them. haaa. pathetic much? i absolutely love randi and evan! randi's dog too. and the ballerina! and jason because he's a cutie.

tonight. i got so scared because i thought one of my freckles was a bug.... it was embarrassing.

okay that was a short/pointless blog but i'm really just procrastinating my studying :) soooo i should stop that now seeing as my exam is tomorrow yikes.

until next time... :)

ah what a beautiful day today was! :P

yikes...storm central. i looked outside and felt like i could go swimming in my yard. i probably should have tried it, i've been wanting to go swimming for quite some time now...

anyways.
it has been awhile since i've written, i just haven't felt like blogging lately. not to mention i have zero time to do much of anything. i've been so busy with work, volunteering, class -- and when i am not doing one of those: homework or perhaps catching up on some sleep, and hopefully spending time with friends and family. although...the sleeping part is rare. you know why? because boys are loud. extremely loud. especially my dad and brother. Oof!

it has been so hard to keep in touch with people lately..people far away, people 20 minutes away, people 5 minutes away. i used to be so good at keeping in touch with everyone - even those who were not very good at it. but lately. not at all. i think i've just been frustrated that i'm always so good about keeping in touch, and others aren't. that's no one's fault really. it's just how it is. but i don't know how i feel about it. that's not true - i do know how i feel about it, i don't like it.

i think God is trusting me with too much lately... i don't know if i can do/handle everything He has been throwing my way. but i guess if He thinks i can handle it, i can. i guess.

i think this was my favorite part of tutoring the other day...
i'll call the little guy i was tutoring, hmm.. gunther, i don't want to use real names.

me: okay, now can you say duck?
gunther: hug!
me: duck? quack quack!
gunther: hug!
me: thats kind of like duck... how about cow? can you saw cow?
gunther: hug!!!!!

yeah well, i'd say that was successful, yes? ;)

well, i really, really, really need to study for this exam. wish me luck!

my true love.

one little guy that never fails to cheer me up no matter what mood i'm in...

i love when he looks out the window like this! it's just so precious.

he was being a camera ham...i tried to get a further away picture but he kept sticking his face right in front of it. oh well :) he's still adorable.

this has been a very weird week.

i really just don't know what to do right now. :(

bittersweet.

The more things change, the more they stay the same -- find comfort in the chaos.

haha, ironic that this just happens to be my horoscope for the day.

we got some news today that a lot of the staff at our church's newman center on campus at school has been let go due to financial issues, and our priest whom we all love is being transferred to minnesota. the thing is... we have such a family formed- the staff, the students, the priests. we all know each other, we all are a team - a community. getting this news has been so hard on all of us. we're losing some of the people who made this place so wonderful. so comfortable. our home away from home. these people have seen all of us through some really great times, and some really tough ones. they're our shoulders to cry on when we're far away and need a comforting person to talk to, laugh with, share our lives with.

however, i can't help but wonder if this is God's way of telling us it's our turn. you know? maybe we need to stop relying on others to do what we are capable of. maybe we need to go out and make things happen on our own. maybe we'll get a new priest that is equally as amazing as our old one. (although he is going to have large shoes to fill..)

maybe this is a chance for us to dive into prayer full force and grow closer to God while He gets us through this rough patch. maybe His plan is so big that it's leaving us a little lost and confused right now, but will be revealed to us through the course of this next year. it's going to be a challenge. maybe this year will be our best yet.

or maybe not...

i'm a little nervous. i was just getting so comfortable there. i don't like change. i'm trying though. and praying. and being hopeful. it's hard.

Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, perservere in prayer.
Romans 12:12

summer school, boys... =]

la la la

hello :) tonight was my second night of summer school. the class sounds really hard, time consuming, and boring... in theory. but! the teacher makes it SO interesting. i find myself listening so intently to stuff that would never have seemed remotely interesting to me at all before.... it's amazing what difference a good teacher can make. however, i am not thrilled about the huge quiz we have monday and group presentation - yuck!

so, i was thinking, while watching the bachelorette, (shh, i know i'm a dork.) about the kind of guy i see myself marrying someday, this is what i came up with...

i want to be with a guy who is funny. and not your typical "i tell jokes therefore i am funny" but... a unique funny. quirky.

a guy who is old-fashioned and a gentleman.

a guy who loves God as much as i do.

a guy who is honest, and isn't afraid to tell me what he is thinking.

a guy who challenges me, because being challenged scares me, but helps me grow. i need that.

a guy who is tall. cuz let's face it. i like tall guys. :)

a guy who i can go grocery shopping with and still have the time of my life. we wouldn't need fancy things (although it would be fun every now and then, eh? ;] ) to just enjoy being together.

a guy who will listen to my crazy stories, ramblings, worries and love me anyway.

a guy who will make me smile no matter what mood i'm in.

a guy who thinks i'm beautiful even when i don't feel it.

a guy who loves my dog as much as i do.

a guy who my parents love.

a guy who doesn't care how goofy i am, but will join in and be goofy with me.

a guy who makes people wonder what is wrong with us since we're just THAT happy together.

a guy who surprises me everyday.

a guy that together, we are better people. the people we are called to be.

a guy who just...completes me, is my other half, my best friend.

is that too much to ask?

*sigh* i think that list is going to be a little difficult to find. but i know when the time is right, i'll meet him.... right??

i hope so anyway...

so here is a picture of my purse! i prommmise it is much cuter in person! i got it for $1.50 at salvation army and it is a brand new fossil purse! i love when i find deals like that. :) & it is big so i can stuff my books in there for class. woohoo!

embarrassing story time! this morning i woke up bright and early for a meeting at work... and parked my car then went in. sat through my meeting & all that jazz...
then i came out to leave walked over to my car, tried to unlock it and was very confused to find it was not unlocking.. huh. strange. so then i looked in and saw what appeared to be an older man's golfing hat and a bunch of other random things on my passenger seat.. also strange...
"did someone break into my car and leave a hat?" yes. this thought really did cross my mind. then i looked a little more carefully and saw a pair of eyes staring at me with confusion, but amusement.
i was definitely at the wrong car.

needless to say i walked(or technically ran) away as fast as i could only to hear another person laughing at me from a different car as well how embarrassing!

ah well. i'm off to class in a little while, i hope it's not tooo terribly boring! maybe there will be a cute boy, eh? i'm just kidding... who goes to class to meet guys? not me. nope, never. i'm there strictly for the tests and homework. mhhhhm.

rain, rain go away... don't come back another day...

i am sooo tired of rain and humidity! ick. my hair isn't happy about it and neither am i - it is supposed to be stormy tomorrow too... boo :(

dear sunshine,
please come back soon. i miss you.
sincerely,
katie

i start summer school tomorrow... not really looking forward to it. i am excited to get the first day done with, that's always awkward. but other than that... homework is not meant to be done in the summer :( a few of my friends have a different class at the same time as me, so i think we're going to try and go for ice cream or something afterwards...to give us something to look forward to during our boredom ;)

oh well i shouldn't complain though, taking these classes helps me graduate as soon as possible!

i got the cuuuuuuutest purse on saturday! i just love purses... i'm possibly addicted...

Blessed with the best

Oh my goodness...

so this morning i woke up, went to lunch with my mom & came home... not feeling too great. i was in sort of an off mood, and just kind of wanted to go back to bed. today was my first day of volunteering and i was pretty nervous. i always get neervous before i do something new. finally it was time to go so i got in the car and blasted some good 'ol christian music and got some good prayer time in.

on my way there three cars almost hit me - haha it was SO sad, thankfully they didn't! but oh my gosh, do you ever have one of those days where you just feel so emotional that any little thing will set you off? that definitely was how i felt this morning...

so i got to volunteering, and the second i got in there every nerve was gone and i felt completely overwhelmed with joy. i volunteer at a place that plans programs & tons of other fun things for children with down syndrome so that is who i was working with today - and let me tell you, these kids just completely touched my heart in so many ways today. if hearts could smile mine would have a huuuge grin on. honestly i think they do tons more for us than we do for them without even having to try :) it made me SO excited to be a special education major, and so thankful to be exactly where i was, where i am, where i'm going, etc.

i met the sweetest little girl ever, she was so attached to her grandmother who was there with her, and then i called her name from the other side of the room and she came running at me full speed with open arms. i can't wait to go back again and again and again.

i feel like God put me in that place at that time for a reason. gosh, what little blessings each and every one of those adorable little kids were for me today, and are always. i have been given such a gift by being able to spend time with them. :)

Oops!

I kind of forgot about the blog world for a little while and stumbled across some wonderful new blogs to read! This was a pretty busy weekend. My older brother graduated from college yesterday! It was such a beautiful day. Perfect weather...well, maybe a little hot ;) but not bad at all. It's crazy to think that will be me in two years! I'm not too sure how i feel about that... one of the teachers that spoke there gave an incredible speech about how it is okay to do things that scare us - and to step out of the world we have created for ourselves. why is it okay? because we have people who care about us, people who will be there to congratualte us if we succeed and to help us get back on track if we don't. there is never really such thing as a failure when you think about it that way. no matter what, you have great people, and great new chances to either go forward or start fresh. :) pretty fantastic.

tomorrow i start orientation for volunteering! i am SO excited. i can't wait to start working with all of the children with down syndrome. tomorrow is when i start training for the literacy program i am helping with. woo! i'm excited :) it sounds like such a wonderful program. i hope i'm not bad at it :/

i don't exactly know what i feel like writing about tonight... but i just felt like i should update. hah. hmm. well, i'll write some other time this week :) goodnight!