May He give you the desires of your heart and make all of your plans succeed. Psalm 20:4

I write this as I am sitting at my happy place. The beach was never something that I thought that I would miss once I went off to college. I spent all summer on the beach and maybe only went once or twice for my own enjoyment. I, however, have found myself missing the aroma of the salt air and the way the waves endlessly kiss the shore. I miss this place and it makes me happy to be here. (Which is why I walked on the beach in the rain yesterday.)

While I have a great life with family and friends that support me, I don't feel like I am appreciative of what God has blessed me with. This is why my New Years resolution isn't to lose weight or eat healthier. It is to be happier. This world is full of trials and burdens that weigh us down, but it is also full of great and wonderful this that have been take for granted.I know what you are thinking. "Katy, are you my happy with the life you have now?" My answer to that would be: yes I am happy but not in the way that I want to be happy. I'm not as happy as I could be.

I am reading a book called The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. In the book she chronicles her journey to be happier and the different aspects of her life she works on to make herself happier. While some of her subjects, such as marriage and parenthood, don't apply to me, I will still be using her happiness project as a frame and stepping stone for my own project. There is a saying that goes something like, "Everyday isn't always a good day, but there is always good in everyday." I'm hoping that I will start to realize this and ultimately live a happier life. Also, from a happier life comes a healthier life.

Along with this, I am hoping that 2015 is the year that I become a better woman of God. I also am currently reading a book called Dirty God by Johnnie Moore. The book talks about the grace of God in our lives and how Jesus came from the gold paved streets of Heaven to the trenches of the earth. Along with this, I also recently purchased a book of sorts from She Reads Truth and I am hoping that it will help me better understand the gospel of John and Jesus' life.

I think that God is using this new year and new stage of my life to become a better daughter, sister, friend and follower of Christ. Be looking for updates on the books I'm reading and the progress of my happiness project in the "Happiness Project" tab on the above tab. Don't hesitate to ask questions either! There is a place for questions and comments on the side tabs.

I am so excited to see where 2015 will take me and I am so glad to have your love and support along the way. I hope that you all had a fabulous and blessed holiday seasons and that your upcoming year will be blessed! 

Peace and blessings!

The Unforeseen Impact

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!