It is very well known that I am bossy (aka a leader) and a control freak. I have written multiple blog posts about my need to hand over my life's plan to God and realize that it is really His. Yet, for some reason, I just can't seem to do that. I want for things in my life to happen when I want them to happen. To say that I haven't planned out when I will get married by and when I will start having children, would be a lie. While I have planned out my entire life, God repeatedly throws a wrench in my plans and changes them.

Today at church we held an event for the children of Myrtle Beach who are less fortunate and I had the honor of helping. I, along with one other lady, went and picked up two children from their home. The girl and boy were twins and they lived in a horrible part of town. It is a part of town that I would normally not go near. However, I braved this part of town to make this wonderful opportunity available to these children. We took the children to Johnny Rocket's where they could order anything off of the menu. They choose a candy milkshake and hamburgers. The children were given gifts by the youth of the church and they were told the Christmas story.

A while back I attended a meeting at college where two athletic trainers came and talked about their place of work. Both of them worked in local low income high schools. The spoke about the way their schools ran and the lack funding for their programs. In the midst of all of that, one of the athletic trainers spoke about the impact that he had on one of his athletes. In that moment, I realized that I wanted to work not only in a high school but one that is low income.

I tell you these things because I am going to talk about God's plan again. Normally when we hold the function for the children I get really sad after. It really upsets me that they aren't given the blessings that I have. I sometimes struggle, like today, with wondering why they receive the "short end of the stick" and I am given so many things. I asked the kids were they excited for Christmas, and they said, "We get two books." That pulled at my heartstrings. They get two books and I can get mad because I won't get the colored iPhone that I wanted. How could I be so ungrateful and so selfish?

I honestly believe that God stepped in today. He placed these children in my life for a reason. Today might have made the biggest impact on their lives. They got to see the love of Christ through the gifts of the church, but how they have impacted my life. Today has solidified what I think is God's plan for my life. God is a wonderful god that continues to give me blessings and these children were my blessing today. I am asking for prayers as I continue on this journey of life and seeing where it takes me!

Remain as You Are

"Now about the young women who are not yet married. I do not have a command from the Lord for them. But the Lord in his kindness has given me wisdom that can be trusted, and I will share it with you. Because of the present crisis, I think it is best to remain as you are."- 1 Corinthians 7:25-26

College is so hard. Let me repeat that, college is so hard. I was warned, but I have to say I didn't believe it. I now have a life where I'm still told what to do, but it doesn't mean that I have to do it. If I want to skip class, there aren't repercussions for not doing so. Let me rephrase that, there are repercussions coming from home because the parents don't like me missing class. (Which, by the way, has only happened once.) If I get a bad grade, there aren't repercussions. (Same as before, there are repercussions.) You get the point of what I am saying. I struggle with procrastination. I have struggled with procrastination since kindergarten. I love to put stuff off and it caught up with me last week...

I have never been more stressed than last week. I had a test and project due on Friday and a function on the Thursday before. I know what you're thinking, I shouldn't go to the function because school comes first. Up until the Wednesday before the function, I thought that my project was perfectly fine. It was a group project and we had many meetings about the parts that everyone had to do. I was in the middle of study hours when I thought to myself, Check the powerpoint so you know what to say. So I checked it. It was the same exact thing that I looked at two weeks prior when I had uploaded my portion of the project. No one in my group had done their part and this project had to be 15 minutes long. I emailed the other girl in my group who had established herself as a leader and told her that I thought that then powerpoint was sub-par and that I had added 14 slides of information to it and there was still much more that had to be done. 

At this point I thought that it was too late to cancel and it would look bad on me to not go to the function. I reasoned that I would stay for an hour maybe two. I ended up trying to leave the function at 10, so I would be home by 10:30 and study until 12 and then get a good night sleep. God had a different plan in mind and I have to say that that night was one of the worst nights that I have had since getting to college. I didn't end up getting home until 11 after having a minor claustrophobia moment while trying to leave. 

Now that you see how stressful (not to everyone, but to me) my last week was, I want to talk about what I wanted to write this blog post really about. Since getting to college, I have seen many couples and two of my friends are in a relationship. There are times where I have thought that I wanted to be in a relationship, but then I realize that I honestly couldn't handle it at this point in my life. Being in a relationship is a lot of work, and I praise my friends for being able to carry on their studies and also to make sure their relationship is healthy. I think that if I was in a relationship at this point in my life, I wouldn't be able to be as good of a friend to my friends, my grades would be in shambles, and my hair would be turning gray. 

Now was this my plan in coming to college? HECK NO!!!! I wanted to come to college and meet the love of my life immediately and be able to say that I met my husband my first week in college. Who's to say that I wouldn't be planning my wedding and naming my nonexistent children? There is nothing to say that I wouldn't be rushing into something because I thought I had my life planned out. 

BUT I CAN'T SEE MYSELF DOING THAT ANYMORE! How awesome is that?!? That God's plan for our lives come through even when we can't see it. MY plan was completely different than GOD'S plan for my life. Paul is completely right, being in a relationship would take away from the praise that I could be giving to God. I would be turning my back on God and making someone else my idol. Because of making someone else my idol, I would also be missing out on all the great opportunities I've had since being here, such as making great friends and having weekends full of craft shows, shopping, and dinners full of laughter. An I am so thankful for those!! 

P.s. check the photo page periodically for updates on my life when I can't write! 

Welcome Home!- Video Blog

Whats Missing?

Whats missing? CH _ _ CH

I am going to be honest, as I hope I have been in the past. This summer I was not apart of the faith as well as I should have been. I received a scholarship through a church that I have yet to go back to. I haven't gone through some crazy phase where I stay out every night and never return home. I barely leave my house, except for work and to run to the grocery store. On the Sundays that I didn't work, I chose to stay at home and sleep. I would think to myself, "Katy, you've worked hard this week, you deserve a day to sleep in." Or, "The preacher isn't going to preach anything that pertains to you, might as well stay home." And well, I'm kicking myself in the butt. I have missed out on 3 great months to which God could have placed a hand on my heart and got me on fire for His word. 

Since I am about to be in college, I should have been going to church. Church has always a crucial aspect of my life. And I know, going to church makes you as much of a Christian as standing in a garage makes you a car, but, for me, church has been what has made me be a better Christian because I have always received the Word that way. After every church service, I would always feel better about myself and feel like I have a better relationship with God, but recently I didn't feel that way and I don't know why.

I think God chooses sometimes to let His people wander off a little bit, but keeps a watchful eye to make sure they don't get in too much harm. I mean, He did give us free will. I feel like that is what He did with me. I was the one sheep that wandered off, and He came and got me and brought me home. I was the little brother that squandered and He met me half way with loving arms and told me I was finally home. I've always thought God can be sneaky, but that is what makes Him a great God. We don't know what He has in store for us.

What Brought Me Home?

I believe that this is all God's doing. There is a girl that I went to high school with named Pollyana. Well, Pollyana gave up social media for ONE FULL MONTH!!! When she finally returned to Facebook and Instagram, she was challenged to say 10 facts about herself. Her first fact went something like this: "Jesus us the center if it all. Everyday I am thankful of this grace, mercy and goodness in my life!" I realized int he moment of reading that, that I wasn't living the life that God wanted me to life. I wasn't doing what the faith says I should do. On basically every picture of Pollyana's is a Bible verse, and what I love about her is, she posts a picture everyday; so everyday I get to see a new Bible verse. 

How do I plan on returning?

A lovely couple from my dad's church got me Jesus Calling by Sarah Young for graduation and my mom got me The Maxwell Daily Reader by John C. Maxwell for my birthday. Every morning I have been getting up and reading both books. I feel like it centers me for the rest of the day. I keep one copy of Jesus Calling in my car as well along with a Bible, so before work I reread the daily devotion and look at it from a different perspective. Along with both of those books, I have started to watch some of Newspring's sermons to try to get some of God's word and ways into my life again. When I go off to college (in a week!!!) I will be trying different churches in the area to see which one suits me as a college student and a daughter of God. I have started to re-listen to Christian music and feel God through that way. And, basically, I plan on reaccepting God into my life and living by His plan for me. 

Answer: U R

This One's for the Girls: Don't Let Anyone Dull Your Sparkle

A little letter to all the girls out there; young and old: 

      I have something that I need to tell you about the world and what it likes to make you believe about love and how to get it. Society has this distorted thought that in order to get love from a man you have to do certain things.I want to address that these things are around. Here are some things you need to know.

     A couple of days ago, I saw a young couple about my age walking through the mall. The young lady had half of each butt cheek hanging out of her shorts. Today, I decided to drive the boulevard to get home. I saw young women with their midriff showing and once again their buttocks hanging out of their shorts. Sweetheart, please understand that this is not the way to attract young men. This is the way to attract men who don't care about your personality or your passion. Attract men through who you are and the great things that you do!!A great thing to remember is "The beautiful things don't ask for attention"-Secrete Life of Walter Mitty and that the Bible says in 1 Peter 3:3-4, "Don't be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should clothes yourselves instead with the beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God."

      The next thing is don't you ever let a boy make you feel like you are unimportant or worthless. There have been too many girls in this world that have taken their own lives because someone somewhere made them feel bad about themselves. There are so many people in this world that love you and that continue you to love you. That boy that said that you were nothing to him, is obviously so stupid to say that about someone so AWESOME as you!! There have been boys in my past that have treated me like absolute crap and have made me feel absolutely horrible about my self. But God is an awesome God and he reminded me through the great friends and family that I have, that I am His daughter and that I am made in His image. I want you to remember that no one should ever make you feel like you don't mean anything, because you mean something to me. 

        Little one, please grasp what I am saying. There is someone out there for you, that will wait for you and will love you unconditionally. I have dated boys that I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with. There have been boys in my life that I would have jumped off a cliff for if they told me to, but God had other plans for me and He has a plan for you. If He would have given me what I begged and prayed for every night I wouldn't have the absolute blissful happiness I have now. So please, don't get too upset when things don't work out with the person you thought would be "the one" because He has something and someone so much better in store for you!!! 

       Please remember these things about life! Don't let anyone make you feel uncomfortable in the body that you are in or make you feel worthless or unimportant. Learn to love yourself first before you try to love someone else, because its so much easier loving someone when I love myself. God and I love you!!

Love,

Katy

Class of 2014

“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:7-9

Its hard to believe that in a week I will no longer be a high school student. I won't be a senior; I won't have to wake up at 6:50 in the morning. I will no longer be a student of Myrtle Beach High School, I will be an alumni. I will be one more step closer to my goal of changing the world and saving lives.

But how did I get to this point???

I have loving parents and step-parents who support me in everything and anything I do. They've raised me to be a believer and lover of Christ. They've taught me that no matter where I go in life, I will have their love and the love of Christ with me. They've had a stern hand when it came to grades and extracurriculars, but I wouldn't have the determination that I have without them. They've given me responsibility and sometimes I've let them down. They're my best friends and I love them so much.

I have a great church family, as well. They've taught me to laugh at the little things. They have brought a smile on my face every time that I am with them. They are the family that God didn't give me as blood, but gave to me as friends. They've helped me along my faith journey and I don't know how strong my faith would be without them. They have been my rock for the past three years, and I am grateful for them everyday.

I have great friends. They listen to my problems and give me great advice. They are the first to sense something is the matter, and they MAKE me talk. They know when I need a good laugh, and they never make me feel bad about eating something because more than likely they are eating the same thing and the same portion. They give me huge hugs and cry with me when I cry. They understand that there isn't something always to be said, and they're ok with that. They send random "I love you"s and make me smile when they're doped up on mouth numbing medicine. Without them I would be totally lost.

There are so many other people that have helped me get to this point. There are some awesome teachers at Myrtle Beach High School, i.e. Andrea Sulewski, Jonathon Daft, Lisa Cribb and Ronald Wiltrout. They've taught me everything I know and when I look back on it they've given me great life lessons. Without them, I wouldn't have the knowledge I have now.

Thank Goodness...

I have to give all glory to God at this point in my life. I haven't been giving Him any praise lately. I have been so concerned in my own problems, that I have kind of forgotten that through His grace, I've made it this far. And through His mercy I can make it tomorrow and through the next steps of my life. I have been so concerned with minor things, things that in the grand scheme of things are trivial and will be worked out. All glory and honor is given to The Lord!!! 

Reiteration

Just another thank you to everyone who has gotten me this far and continues to push me farther. I don't think that I would have made it this far without your love and support!!!

XOXO,

Katy

Every Good Gift

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. James 1:17

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I complain about school a lot. If given the choice between going to school and staying home, I would choose to stay home. I hate school. High school was not made with me in mind. I haven't had the ideal high school experience. I have felt like an outcast because I don't attend parties and I don't do illegal things. I stay at home most nights (when there aren't school sports going on) and watch tv or do homework. I'll watch old movies or just go to sleep. 

But, there was something on the news today that struck me hard. 
When did I become such a spoiled brat?

• If you woke up this morning healthy--you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week.

• If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the fear of and loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pain of starvation--you are better off than 500 million people in the world.

• If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep, you are more comfortable than 75% of the people in this world.

• If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace--you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy.

• If you can read this, you are more blessed than over 2 billion people in the world who can't read at all.

Yet here I am complaining about having to get up in the morning!

Recently, over 300 girls were abducted from their schools in Nigeria by terrorists. These girls are meant to be sold into slavery or to be married. They are forced to convert to Islam, even though they are Christian. Tonight on the news, they were reporting about this and they showed girls on there that hadn't been abducted. These girls are just as likely to be taken from their homes and schools but they continued to go to school. They don't have to go to school, they want to go to school. They want to be educated so they can have a better life and build a better country. 

God has blessed me with a wonderful life, and access to a free education that people all over the world would kill for. Yet, I'm here in the greatest country in the world complaining because I have to study for a test or do homework. When did we as a generation forget that we are truly blessed to live where we live and have access to things that some people can only dream about? Consider this:

God has blessed me with so many thing that I take for granted; my family, my health, my education. But, I don't thank Him for it. When I say my prayers I'm not giving the glory to Him and thanking Him for all that He has done for me, I'm asking for Him to give me stuff. "God give me a boyfriend. Give me lots and lots and lots of money. God, make me thinner. Make me prettier." I don't thank Him for making me the way I am, or giving me the head on my shoulders. So what I guess I'm trying to get at here, is maybe we as not only a generation, but as a people need to start being thankful for what we have and start helping out those less fortunate.

17 Going On 5..

And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:2-4

~~~

The five year old had one question on her mind this weekend-"Bubby, do you have a boyfriend?" After tell her no she proceeds to tell me that she has a boyfriend and that his name is Jack. He calls her pretty and she calls him handsome but they don't kiss because "she is too small."  It kind of reminds me of "Do you want to build a snowman?" from Frozen. She, like Ana in the movie, means well and doesn't understand that there are reasons why I say no. Oh to be a five year old again with a great imagination and not a care in the world.

God calls not only for us to have childlike faith but to be humble like a child as well. As a teenager, I am somewhat self sufficient and self dependent. Yes, I depend on my parents for a lot but I also do a lot for myself. I have all of the earthly possessions I can possibly imagine and yet the only reason I have these things is because of my Heavenly Father. Jesus giving up his life I the reason that I can even come to the feet of God even though I am not worthy of Him. 

I am sometimes not humble at all. I don't give God the glory when all glory should go to God. The most recent time was winning gold at HOSA. Yes, I praised God and thanked Him for getting me through and helping me with my anxiety but I didn't fully humble myself and give all the glory to Him. When people asked me about it, I didn't bring Him up, I talked about myself. It's like that with a lot of my accomplishments. I am haste to talk about what I did, but then I forget that it was all God.

Even with my faith, I'm not childlike. I love to know what is going on and when it is going to happen. I am a planner. I plan things. I know how my day is going and how I am getting from one place to another, ect. The Bible says "Trust in The Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding." That has been crazy hard for me to do. Anyone who knows me, knows that I like to be in control. Some people call it being bossy, but I call it being a leader. This is also hard, considering I'm graduating in 59 days and don't know where God is going to lead me once I get to college. 

So, what to do? As we come up on Good Friday and Easter, I am going to work on giving all the glory to Him and humbling my self. I'm also going to work on trusting in His plan for my life, however hard it may be to give up that control. 

The Strive to be Perfect

"He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built."

Luke 6:48

I think that it is amazing how God's presence can be seen everywhere in this world. I'm not going to lie, for a while I've kind of felt like God has abandoned me, but then I log into Pinterest and see a picture that talks about Bible verses about stress and immediately I'm reminded of how much He loves me and how He works in mysterious ways. Lately, I've have been stressed to the max and have felt like I am pulling myself really thin. I have felt inadequate and under appreciated by some, and quite honestly have felt myself going farther from God and His ways. This is a hard thing to admit because I have always been the one who has stayed so deeply rooted in my faith, people always ask me how I do it with all of the trials and tests that I have been through. As a 17 year old, with competition, prom, and college coming up, its no wonder I am stretched so thin and I feel like there are not enough hours in the day. My body is constantly screaming at me to just take a break, but I would rather be doing something productive with my life than sitting on my bum watching TV and eating Oreos.

To give you an idea of how my days typically run, here is what a day in the life of me looks like.

7-7:30 AM: I wake up and get ready for school. If it is a Tuesday or Thursday I try to wake up even earlier than this because I attend faith-related breakfasts and on Wednesdays I wake up at 6:30 because I spend the night with my dad those nights.
8:15 AM: I head into school to try to kick senioritis in the butt, but it isn't working too well.
8:25-3:20: I am in school. As much as this seems like it should be easy it isn't. I am involved in Student Government, NHS, and HOSA (secretary). I am a part of the Lighthouse Team and am the leader over my section of the Lighthouse Team which creates lesson plans for the entire school to learn the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens. I am in all Honors/AP classes as well.
3:25-5:30: During this time one to two days a week, I have Sports Medicine. I love this part of my day because I can interact with the athletes in my school and learn things that will help me in my future career. This part of my day can still be stressful! Everyday is a new day, with new problems and injuries. (I love that part of the job!)
5-30-6:45: This is my family dinner/decompression time. I try to relax but will remember something that happened within the day and remember that it has to be done in a timely fashion.
6:45-11:30: This time consists of trying to read, get ready for the next day, and get ready for bed all while hearing from various friends that need my help with something. I might get to sleep around 11:30 or 12.

This might not seem all that hectic, and I know I'm just a teenager but throughout all of that I am trying to prepare for college, pass all of my classes, provide a school with lesson plans that I deem worthy for them to see and trying to meet deadlines within those different lesson plans. I have to help coordinate different events and things that HOSA needs and also try to plan out what I am doing about prom. I love not having to sit at home on my butt and be a bum but, needless to say, I am stressed!

From being involved in so many different things, I feel myself trying to find acceptance and approval from others. You know, no matter how many times I try to remind myself that I can please everyone and that Jesus was the only person to ever walk this earth and be perfect, I still find myself feeling inadequate. I strive to be perfect in anything I do, and when people start to doubt my abilities is when one of two things happens: 1) I want to prove you wrong any way I know how, 2) I start to doubt who I am and what I am capable of doing. When #2 happens is when I feel like I'm not enough for people, and that's ultimately what gets me. I hate not being enough because I strive so hard to be.

I also feel like instead of focusing on the the good things that I do, some people will always feel the need to point out something wrong that I've done that may be completely irrelevant from the subject. I'm learning that people will always try to point out a flaw in order to feel better about themselves and to try to make themselves seem better than you. People will always dislike you and want to find something to hurt you, but that is just their insecurities shining through. I believe the saying is: haters gonna hate.

So? What does the Bible say? James 1:2-4 says, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that they testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." Proverbs 16:3 says, "Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed." Matthew 11:28 says, "Come to me, all you who are troubled and weighted down with care, and I will give you rest." And last but not least, Philippians 4:6 says, "Don't worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up our prayers and requests to God. Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace  that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel."

These four verses have one thing in common: give everything over to God because He has plans for all our that we have no clue about. I honestly believe that God's plan is 10 times better for myself than my plan for me, but the struggle is to hand everything over to Him and trust in Him. I love to know what I am doing and when I am doing it. The uncertainty of God and His plan scares me.

So I end this long blog post with a couple questions for you. Are you willing to hand over your strive for perfection to God? Are you able to give up every fiber in your OCD body to God and trust in his plan for your life?

Single in the City

Love is patient, and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

How many 17 year old girls are sitting at home on Valentine's Day dreaming of the day that she could spend the holiday of love with her love? I would imagine a lot. I am one of them, for sure. I get it. I'm 17, I have my entire life ahead of me to find "The One" but it's hard to sit here single, wondering if my happiness would be greater if I was spending this time of my life with someone else. I see how happy the couples at my school seem and how happy and in love my parents are with their spouses and can't help but wonder when will it be my turn to find happiness, love and a relationship that contains both. I was recently "dumped," if that is the right term to define what happened between me and this guy. For a while I was happy; I was finally going to have a grown up relationship with someone who was just as equally invested into the relationship as I was. This was what I wanted, unlike my past relationships that were mainly 90-10 with the 90 being me and the 10 being my significant other. It wasn't in God's plan for my life to be with this guy, just like it wasn't in my plan to be single this holiday. 

This holiday reminds me of Paul's letter to the people of Corinth. Paul says in 1 Corinthian 7:7-8 "But I wish everyone were single, just as I am. Yet each person has a special gift from God, of one kind or another. So I say to those who aren't married and to widows- it's better to stay unmarried, just as I am." God uses people who are married and single to do His work, so why does it seem so bad to be single? Being single doesn't mean that you aren't loved and it doesn't mean that you are worthless. God is just spending extra time on the person that He believes is the right one for you. Being single means that you can spend more time doing God's work. Paul even says that in the letter to Corinth. 1 Corinthian 7:32-35 says, "I want you to be free from the concerns of this life. An unmarried man can spend his time doing the Lord's work and thinking how to please Him. But a married man has to think about his earthly responsibility and who to please his wife. His interests are divided. In the same way, a woman who is no longer married or has never been married can be devoted to the Lord and holy in body and in spirit. But a married woman has to think about her earthly responsibilities and how to please her husband." 



Billy Graham best put it as "The fact that God is love does not mean that everything is sweet, beautiful and happy... God's holiness demands that all sin be punished, but God's love provided a plan of redemption and salvation for sinful people... It was the love of God that sent Jesus Christ to the cross." God's love is so big it covers sins (1 Peter 4:8) and it conquers the grave (John 16:33); it doesn't matter what you've done (Luke 15:8-31) God loves you anyway because He loves us (John 3:16.) God's love for us is absolutely amazing. The song How He Loves by David Crowder Bands puts it perfectly. It says "Love's a hurricane I am tree, bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy." God's love is so vast it reaches the depths of the oceans and all the way to space. God's love is enough for anyone. 

So where do I move on from being sad and single on Valentine's Day to being happy and single everyday including Valentine's Day? I start remembering that my happiness doesn't depend on the happiness of someone else. I start remembering that I'm not alone on the journey called life. My Savior loves me more than any boy ever will. I'll remember that song by The Supremes (how corny!)And maybe I'll stop listening to wedding Pandora... or maybe not! I'll remember I have great friends that will never leave me (like my goofball best friend Madi, see below.) I'll remember my most favorite quote: I am a princess not because I have a prince, but because my father is a King and he is God. 

Patience: Good Things Come to Those Who Wait

Always start a blog post with a picture! Love this man!

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

How awesome is that? God has a plan for us! But, how hard is it to remember that He has a plan that isn’t our plan? For me it has been hard to give up my plans. I am such a control freak about everything. I read once that if you can’t stand the sound of people chewing their food, it’s a sign of OCD. I think I have OCD because I can’t handle that sound. The struggle for me isn’t in knowing that God will lead me, it’s in giving Him the control. I’m not a patient person at all. I like for things to happen and happen now. I don’t like waiting for anything, be it food at McDonald’s, college acceptance letters, or finding out who my roommate will be. I can't do a puzzle to save my life. I have always been one to just dive right into something because I want to see what will happen next. (Yes, I am the person who will read the last page before she reads the first page to understand what will happen.) So, I’m gradually learning to give it up to God.

I started this week with an amazing boy that talked about taking things slow and I was in search for a roommate for next fall. I thought, “Finally, I’ll have a ‘grown up’ relationship with someone who understands that I have some things to work on and I’ll finally have someone to room with.” Little did I know that God had something completely different in mind for my life. I had started talking to a couple of girls that I met through the USC Class of 2018 Facebook page. They were all great girls, and people I could see being friends with for a long time but God didn’t think that they were right. That’s when one of my older cousins’ friends stepped in. She introduced me to Meg. Meg is awesome!! She is basically me cloned. She is from Shelby, North Carolina and does sports medicine like me. It’s crazy how you can be so much like someone that you have never met before. I am looking forward to starting the next chapter of my life with her. (Sounds like we’re dating, but we’re not!)

With the boy, here I had waited four long years for him to finally recognize me as someone who he could date and be with. I thought things were great but I guess I was wrong. Out of the blue Monday night he decided that he didn't want to talk to me anymore. He completely ignored me and shut me out. Did I expect for it to happen? No. Did he tell me he wouldn't leave? Yes. Did he? Yes. Does is hurt? Yes, it hurt and is still hurting but I know that I need to be more patient and let God’s plan be my plan. I have trust in the Lord that I will eventually meet someone who will treat me like I know that I deserve to be treated. Like the popular saying: you have to kiss a lot of frogs until you find your prince. I have a lot of time left. RIBBIT RIBBIT! 

Will it be hard? YES!! I can’t imagine anything harder! Will God help me and get me through it? YES! That bible verse goes on!

“Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.” Jeremiah 29:12

That means that you have to pray to God and find him (even though he is all around) and he will listen you and not lead you into anything bad. If I had given up the first time something didn't go my way, I most certainly would not be the girl I am today. All glory to God! 

Here are some words on patience: 

Modesty: Less isn't Always More

Likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works. Timothy 2:9-10

     As I shop for prom dresses today I found how hard it is to be a conservative high-schooler growing up in today's society. So many dresses are just plain inappropriate and something that I would never dare be seen in. I recently watched a video on bikinis. It gave a new perspective. Now I'm not saying that you won't see my in a bikini but what I am saying is that I'm going to think differently about how I want boys to perceive me. In this video it talks about a study that Princeton did on males and how their brains react to seeing a woman in less clothing, such as a bikini. It says that the lobe that takes into account how another person feels and reacts is turned off in males when they see a woman in less clothing. The lady who speaks goes on to say that scientist that researched this were shocked because having that lobe "turned off" was unheard of. 

    I'm not saying that as a teenager I should be sewed up in a mu-mu (?) but that I should have enough love for my body and who I am as a person to cover up. If I can't respect my body enough to cover it up in places where it needs to be covered then how can I expect a boy to respect me and my body. I of all people understand how hard it is to find clothes that cover cleavage and come to the right length on the legs, after all I am 5'9", but that doesn't mean that it's impossible. Audrey Hepburn is a great style icon to look to when determining how to dress. "What would Audrey wear?" 

   

    Modesty isn't about just what you wear, it's also about how you act and how you talk. I'm not saying that everything that I do is morally right and just. Just like I'm not saying that everything that comes out of my mouth should come out. What I am saying is that I should act like my pastor is with me at all times and how would I feel if he found out some of the things I do and say.

   Modesty isn't about making you feel ashamed of your body or who you are. It's about learning who you are and what you like about your body and yourself before you can allow someone else you love you and learn about you.  Don't dress for someone else; dress for you and how you want to be perceived. 

    

     Here are some other dresses I tried on and a picture of my prom date and his family: 

                                                   Can you tell what color I want?

 

From a high school senior to her younger self:

Dear Katy,

I wish you could see us now. About to graduate in five months. It's crazy to think that four years ago I was a freshman just starting in high school. Here are 10 things I think you should know to get you through the 4 next years. 

1) Boys are stupid and not worth the pain. Boys will tell you one thing and mean a completely opposite thing. Just take everything they do with a grain of salt.

2) There is absolutely no point in trying to have a boyfriend or maintain a relationship with someone. It will end in heartbreak.

3) But, hey, date anyway! It's fun to see what you like and don't like in a potential life partner.

4) You have to put in effort in school. They might not teach you what is on the test but that doesn't mean that you slack off. Google it or get a tutor!

5) Athletic training is the best thing that you could ever do with your life!! 

6) Go to church! It may be boring at times, but you're receiving the Word of God and that's something you could use everyday

7) Read your bible more. If you have time for Twitter, Facebook, candy crush, ect. then you have time to read the bible.

8) Read more in general! Reading is knowledge and it will help with the crazy hard AP class you take junior year.

9) No one ever said life was supposed to be fair and easy. Roll with the punches and keeps pushing ahead.

10) MAKE FRIENDS WITH PEOPLE YOUR OWN AGE! It's no fun when your best friends go off to college and you're stuck in high school with people you aren't friends with.

Ultimately high school will make you a better person and you'll end out on top going to the college of your dreams!

Xoxo,

Katy

Let's Recap

So let's recap my week, cause The Lord knows it's been a crazy one! My week started with the extractment of my wisdom teeth. I seriously thought I was going to be traumatized and that the pain would be crazy unbearable. It really wasn't that bad. I really only took the ibuprofen that the doctor gave me. Then I returned to school on Wednesday to find out I had an exam that same day in a class that I took online. Want to talk about a mini panic attack, I had one. 

Then came Thursday... What seemed like a mountain turned into a grain of salt when my mom woke me out of my 11 hour slumber to tell me that our family dog, Baron, had been attacked by a coyote. Baron was taken to the animal ER where he was placed on IVs and where we didn't know if eye was going to make it. Well, he came home Friday and has gotten so much better in huge last two days. We believe that the coyote knocked him from behind off of his hind legs, clinched down on his back (breaking two ribs) and then ultimately went for his neck. We think that when my mom came out to check on him because he was taking longer than normal, she scared the coyote away. 

So, then came that night where I watched my Seahawks have a tough loss against a team of players that have already graduated. (Trust me, I don't understand either.) My baby Baron came home on Friday. Then came the craziness of Saturday-- Winter Formal! So at the beginning of the week I wasn't planning on going seeing as how my teeth were now out of my head and I didn't know how I was going to feel in the coming days. Then I found out that the pain wasn't pain at all, just soreness. My schedule was so crazy this week that I didn't have time to go dress shopping until yesterday! Nothing like last minute! Ended up just buying shoes and wearing a dress I already owned. When I got there I was the only senior besides my friend there for at least thirty minutes. Then came the others. The amount of nasty dancing I saw was appalling. I would kill my child if I ever saw them dancing that way. So naturally me and a couple of my girlfriends danced with our homecoming queen. It was awesome because we didn't feel the pressures of "dirty dancing" (see what I did there) and still had a great time. Overall, my school raised over 200 canned goods for our pantry that our school has for children that can't get food and meals over the weekend when the school doesn't provide them with meals. 

My week was ultimately rounded out with my first church service of the year, Sunday school, and youth group with my awesome church family. It's amazing to see how my church has grown over the course of six months and how it continues to grow and shape our community. I can't wait to see where God will lead me in the coming week, hopefully with a lot of patients and a long attention span. I hope he graces me with good exam scores and keeps everyone who is traveling on this MLK weekend safe.

Until next time... Xoxo,

Katy

Hello 2014

Well, it seems I'm jumping on the bandwagon here. A couple of Facebook friends have created blogs about their lives and what they are going through, and you know what, I think I should too. 

2013 was such a strange year in the life of Katy. In no particular order: I saw some heart breaks... Ok a lot of heart breaks. I ended my junior year of high school and started my SENIOR YEAR!! I watched my best friend change schools (much to my detest), I saw two other friends graduate and move on into the "real" world. My church went through a change, and I gained a youth minister that has impacted my life in ways that she will never know. My mom got married so my family not only grew by two feet but by four. I got the big brother I had wanted! I participated as a youth table leader in the Spring Chrysalis flight. I got more involved in my youth group and started feeling myself being drawn into God's light. I got accepted into USC!!! My Seahawks started a football season 1-3 and went on to win the state championship! I was involved in the North/South All-Star football game!

2013 was filled with laughter, tears, happiness, anger, and love! I praise God everyday for the life he's given me and I wouldn't change it for anything. Sometimes God gives us things that He knows will be tough to handle but He knows in the end will only make us STRONGER. Sometimes it's hard to understand God's plan for us (something I struggle with) but ultimately we have to give ourselves and our plans for our life over to Him.

So what do I expect out of the new year???

An amazing ending to my senior year, an amazing start to my freshman year of college, new friends, lots of studying, a couple heartbreaks, many days filled with happiness and laughter... Holy moly what else? I can't think of what else... It's getting late anyway! 

Good night world! See you next time!

XOXO,

Katy