Growing Up

For a long time now I've been saying "I don't wanna grow up." It's scary! Who wants to be independent and self-sufficient? I'd rather just stay a kid. I don't want to grow up. Except... I did.

Last Thursday I turned 18. I'm officially an adult. I can buy lottery tickets. I can drink alcohol in most foreign countries. I can vote. I had to call the bank to get information because my dad can't talk about my account anymore because I'm an adult. I grew up.

Except... I didn't.

What does it mean to grow up? Yah, I can do things legally now that I couldn't before, but does that make me a grown up? Legally, maybe, but not really. Age doesn't make me a grown up. Laws don't make me a grown up. Not even graduating high school and going to college makes me a grown up.

So what does?

I don't know. I look at grown ups around me and wonder how I can be like them. How can I pull my life together? How can I be mature? How can I follow God's plan better? How can I prepare myself for the real world? The problem with these questions is that no one has all the answers. Not a single grown up knows everything.

And that's scary to me! As a little kid I always thought adults knew everything! And now I find out that they don't!?

But I don't need to know everything. Because growing up isn't about meeting specific requirements like age or accomplishments or even maturity level. Growing up is about growing.

So, in the next year of my life, I want to grow more, and here are my new year's resolutions to guide me.

This year I will lead less and follow more. This year I will vaguebook less and blog more. This year I will worry less and pray more. This year I will gossip less and support more. This year I will eat less and exercise more. This year I will not hate, but love more.

I'm growing up, like it or not. It's happening. Now I have to make sure it happens for the better. I will grow in the direction God leads me, not the way the devil directs or the way I desire. I will grow up His way. And it's gonna be great.

You Complete Me

You complete me. I've never seen Jerry Maguire, but I've heard it's a winner. That line, followed by "You had me at hello!"... Just the perfect romantic movie line duo. (So I've heard.)

The more I look at on-screen romance, the more I see how flawed our culture's take on relationships is. I mean, watch Disney Channel. Typically there's one main character and two best friends, each a different gender. And what always happens between a guy and a girl when they're best friends? Well according to Disney, they have an inevitable love connection and become boyfriend and girlfriend. Apparently you can't have a friend of the opposite sex without being attracted to him or her. And it's not just Disney. Fox sends the same message with New Girl and Glee.

And the movies are no better. Princesses always marry Prince Charming. The guy always gets the girl, and the girl always gets the guy. Look at Made of Honor, The Switch, Life as We Know It, Easy A... I could go on for hours, but I'm betting you'd rather I end the rant and skip to the point.

I don't need a relationship to complete me.

Wait, let me rephrase that.

I need only one relationship to complete me. And that's my relationship with my Father in heaven, Abba, God.

I don't need a boyfriend, no matter what media says. It doesn't matter that Disney Channel raised me to believe this, or Fox led me to believe that. I believe in God. And I believe that He completes me.

God made me as me. Maybe He put a guy out there for me, and maybe He didn't. Either way is fine. His plan is far greater than my hopes and dreams. And right now His plan is for me to wait patiently. So I will.

A guy doesn't complete me. A relationship doesn't complete me. God completes me.

He. Completes. Me.

And He had me at "hello."

Three Goals

Three goals. I had three goals for visiting Asbury today.

Goal number one:

to cure the boredom.

This seems ridiculous, I know, but when I get bored, I just have to do something. And not something like get on Pinterest and find a craft to do. I need to do something right then, right away, with immediate results. Something like driving 3.5 hours to visit a college that I already know like the back of my hand.

But it wasn't just to cure the boredom. Remember? I said there were 3 goals.

So that brings us to

Goal number two

which is probably the hardest to admit: to run into a certain person.

I saw on Facebook that he was visiting campus. And I'm desperate to see him. Not in that creepy stalker way (although after this post, he may see it that way), but in that way of... Well... That other way. The way that's not creepy. I just. wanted. to see him. You know when you miss a person so much that you ache? I have that. And it was worth it to me to drive a few hours if that meant there was maybe a chance that I would possibly see him. It was worth it. Even though I didn't see him, there was the chance, the possibility... and that was worth it.

Anyways... That was an unreasonable goal. Let's move on.

Goal number three:

to show my dad the campus I love so much.

Initially this goal would be worded a little differently. It would be something more like to make my dad fall in love with Asbury, or to convince my dad that this is the college for me, or even for my dad to just acknowledge that I'm going to Asbury. Period. I just am.

But let's be honest. If I set any of those as goals, it would be too easy to leave heartbroken and feeling like I failed. I can't control how my dad feels. Nothing I say can make him love Asbury. That's not my responsibility. I just. can't. do that.

But God can. God can soften my dad's heart toward Asbury. God can show my dad that Asbury is my calling. I can't, but God can.

The real goal for this trip wasn't any of the goals I set. It was the goal He set for me. And I wish I could tell you exactly what that goal is, but I just can't. God didn't tell me yet. But what I do know is that His goal is so much bigger, so much better, so much more than any goal I could ever set.

Sure, I cured my boredom. No, I didn't see that certain someone. And I don't know how my dad feels about my college choice. But those are just my goals.

His goals? They're way better.

Take My Life

Sometimes, life just doesn't make sense. Then I remember. It doesn't have to.

'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,' declares the Lord. 'As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)

Things go wrong. Life doesn't also meet my own expectations. And that freaks me out a little. Ok, a lot. But life isn't up to me. It's up to God. And he's gonna do so many much cooler things with my life than I could ever do on my own.

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)

I trust You, God. You have a plan. And that plan may not make sense to me. And that's ok.

'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)

That thing that went wrong? Yah, it hurts. But you know what? I'll get over it. 'Cause God has a plan. And I'm gonna follow His plan. Not my plan, not your plan, not even my teachers' or my parents' plans. His plan. His.

Here am I, all of me. Take my life. It's all for thee. (Chris Tomlin, Take My Life)

Who Do You Follow?

Have you ever thought about how much impact celebrities have on people's lives? We admire celebrities so much that we are willing to follow them just about anywhere. Girls wear the Dream Out Loud clothing brand just because it's by Selena Gomez. Like I mentioned in an earlier post, we act like idiots at concerts, jumping and screaming and singing just because the artists and singers tell us to. When a celebrity that we look up to tells us about a charity or a cause, we are a lot more likely to contribute to that cause.

Now imagine if all of those celebrities and all of that influence were harnessed and focused toward God. What if every single celebrity pushed his or her fans to follow Jesus? What if public figures preached the Word of God in their speeches and debates? What if every singer or band took a minute of their concert to thank God for the talents they've been given?

Imagine how many more people we could save! I hope that one day I get to see all of the power of influence granted to celebrities used to bring more people to know God. I hope that talking about our faith can become less of a taboo subject. I hope every single celebrity who is a Christian can lead all of their followers to follow Jesus.

Why aren't we doing that already? Why don't we take every chance we can to tell more people that God loves them? In every one of Selena Gomez's CDs, she thanks God. After every touchdown, Tim Tebow thanks God. Even the President of the United States recognizes God's glory and greatness! Why can't we get more of that?

Let's get everyone talking about the grace of God. Let's make sure every single celebrity is bringing people to Christ. And let's make sure that we are ministering as much as possible, as well. Then one day we will hear about God's awesomeness in every song, every TV show, every speech, and every sporting event.

In the meantime, I'll keep using my gifts and my talents to bring people to Christ. Maybe one day I'll gain the credibility and power of influence that celebrities have, but until then I'll just keep preaching in smaller settings like my blog. So here's to changing the world, one concert, one speech, one clothing line, or one blog post at a time.

His Concert

Ever been to a concert? When you go to see a band perform, you will do pretty much anything the lead singer does or tells you to do. "Repeat after me!" and you do. He sings, and you sing along, often at the top of your lungs, even if your voice will crack. He jumps up and down like a maniac, and you do the same thing, regardless of how ridiculous you may feel. He claps to the beat, and you clap, too.

I hope that I can live my life following Jesus the same way. If Jesus tells me to repeat after him, I hope that I have the voice to do so. If he sings, I hope I have the courage to sing along. If he jumps up and down on stage like a maniac, I hope that I am brave enough to do the same. If he claps to the beat, I hope I am moved to clap, as well.

Jesus wants to hear us sing out to him. We're constantly sitting in on his concert, and he wants to hear us singing along out in the audience. He wants us to go crazy. He wants us to be his fan.

When Jesus points that microphone out to the audience, I want my voice to be the one he hears.

Pillow Case Hamper

I found this idea on Pinterest and just had to try it. It's a hamper made from a pillow case and an embroidery hook... and that's it! 
I cut a slit in the pillow case where the fabric is doubled over and put the outside layer of the embroidery hoop through the pillow case. It was a little tricky, but not too bad. 
Then I tied a ribbon around the inside layer of the embroidery hoop and put it in the outer layer. And voila! Hamper!
I used a Command hook to hang it. Make sure you read the instructions for those, like waiting an hour before use. And be sure to get one that will hold a significant amount of weight. Mine only holds 5 pounds, which makes me nervous. I guess I'll just be taking my laundry to the laundry room very often
Happy crafting!

Organization

Great organization tip: use over-the-door shoe holders for bathroom storage. I hung on inside the linen closet in my bathroom to hold my hair dryer and straightener, lotions, and everything else that doesn't have it's own place in the closet.
And it all looks so organized! It's super easy to find everything now. There are pockets for lotions, pockets for soaps, pockets for first aid stuff... 
Plus it cleared out a lot of room in the closet. 
Happy organizing!

Magical Plastic

I finally found it! I found the magical plastic!

After raiding the recycling bins of many friends (well, really just one friend), I finally found #6 plastic. Using this great tutorial, I made my very own shrinky bracelet.

And it's so easy to make your own!

Well, it's sort of easy. I ended up messing up my first batch because the holes weren't big enough and I took the pieces out of the oven too soon...

Instructions

    1. Find your plastic. Look for the number inside the triangle on plastic containers and make sure it says 6. I found my plastic at Coldstone. Actually I'd been searching high and low for #6 plastic and didn't even notice the cups; a friend pointed it out to me. Keep in mind that plastic containers with flat surfaces will shrink better than round surfaces, so chose a box over a cup.

    2. Cut your beads. They'll shrink to about a third of the size, so plan accordingly.

    3. Color your beads. (Steps 2 and 3 can be switched up. Totally up to you.) Using permanent markers, draw pictures or designs on your plastic. I drew sail boats and anchors and stripes on mine to match my outfit.

    4. Punch holes. Use a standard hole punch to punch holes. You can also round the edges with a nail clipper so they won't be so sharp.

    In my first batch, I used a push pin to poke holes, but the holes were way too small once they shrunk. Use a hole punch! I messed up so you don't have to! 

    5. Bake. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Place beads on a lined cookie sheet and place in the oven. All of the tutorials I read said the plastic would curl after about 30 seconds, but mine took 45 seconds - 1 minute. Just be patient. Once they start to flatten again, you can pull them out. While they're still hot, you can press them flat. Just be careful, because they're hot!

    My first batch didn't turn out too great. I took them out of the oven too early and didn't flatten them soon enough. 
    So I started again with batch two. (The waves from the cup ended up going away once the plastic shrunk.)

    6. Make your bracelet. I strung my beads together with stretchy cord, but you could also attach them with jump rings or anything else. Just make it your own!

    Hope this is helpful. Remember to check out Rust & Sunshine's tutorial!
    Happy crafting!

    Let's Get Tan!

    before...
    Ever have those days where you want to lay in the sun, but you don't want to put on a swim suit? Just twist a tank top! (:
    Mid-twist
    after

    All you have to do is take the tank off one shoulder and twist it. There's no sewing, no pinning, and if you hate it, just un-twist it!

    Happy tanning! ~kat

    Not There Yet

    I went to see a movie the other day and ended up falling in love with a singer. Just thought I'd share.

    Here's the album by Eric Hutchinson. Some of my favorite tracks are "Not There Yet" and "Talk is Cheap." 

    Happy listening! ~kat

    A Day's Adventure

    When Cecilie and I got home last night, there was quite a debate about what to eat for dinner. Everyone's first choice was Gracie's, the Chinese place right up the road. It's close, so not only would none of us have to cook, but we also wouldn't have to drive very far. There was a problem though: Gracie's is closed on Monday's. Long story short, we decided that Cecilie and I would go to Charlie's - a restaurant much much further away than Gracie's - and get dinner for everyone. I took Mark's car keys and my mom's debit card for transportation and payment. This morning when we got to school, I pulled my phone out of my purse and happened to find my mom's debit card. I laughed to myself when I realized that I'd forgotten to give it back, but then I realized... If I still had the debit card, I also still had the car keys... Oh, @#$!.  And thus my day began.

    I went into school with my phone to my ear calling the house phone and Mark's cell phone, but no one answered. Eventually I had to just suck it up and drive home to give Mark his keys.

    I went into my first period class and explained my predicament to my teacher. His response? "I suggest you hurry." Class was supposed to start in 5 minutes. I don't think hurrying would help any.

    I ran to my car, still trying to get ahold of Mark to see if maybe there was a way I didn't have to drive home, but he still didn't answer. I opened the garage door, ran in, and threw the keys on his bed, then left as quickly as I arrived. There was no way I was going to get back in time for school, which meant I'd have a tardy, which means no perfect attendance, which means no third exemption form... Long story short, I could not be late.

    Solution? Doctor's note. 

    I was already planning on going to the doctor today to get my ears cleaned, so it made sense to just go a little early, right? I hopped in my car and drove to the doctor's office, which thankfully opens at 8:00 am, right as I pulled into the parking lot. I checked in and sat in the waiting room for a while reading my Kindle. When the nurse called me back, I followed her to the exam room, propped myself up on the bed/table-thing, and proceeded to have my ears cleaned.

    As she squirted water into my ear, I got this odd sensation called pain. You know the feeling? It hurts! After trying to endure it for a moment, I finally said something to her. "Umm... OW!" 

    "Oh, sorry, does it hurt?" she responded, to which I thought to myself, oh, no, feels great! I nodded and she said she'd try a different angle. But no, that hurt just as bad. I made some sort of noise that signalled her to try a new angle, which hurt even more. My nose started turning red, my eyes started to water, and all of a sudden I was balling.

    "Oh, honey, are you crying!?" As I sniffed and huffed, I tried to get out a no, but it came out as more of a moan. I tried to explain between sniffles and gasps. "It didn't really hurt. I get crying spells and I just cry and cry and can't stop, but I'm really ok, nothing's wrong with me."

    "I don't want to hurt you!" she said, to which I thought to myself, too late! 

    She explained what she thought was wrong and I nodded and tried to stop sobbing long enough to listen to her. When she had finished telling me that my ear was just too packed with wax (umm, gross!) she said, "I can try to keep working at it or you can go ahead and leave. It's up to you." It took me a second to process what she'd just ask me. That's sort of like saying, "Would you like me to continue to torture you, or would you prefer to go home." I started at her for a bit, then responded, "I think I'd rather you not keep working at it." She nodded and sent me off.

    Once I got to my car, I sat and cried for at least 10 minutes. All I could think was that the nurse probably thought I was crazy because I couldn't stop crying, and now she was gonna tell all of her nurse friends about the crazy girl who had waxy ears. Not only can I not control my emotions, but I also have bad hygiene. The other nurses would just love that story.

    On the way back to school, the crying started over every time I hit a red light. I was a mess. It was all I could do to hold in my sobs enough to see the road ahead of me. Figuring my crying spell was a result of exhaustion, I decided to stop at home and take a nap.

    That's right. Instead of going back to school after my doctor's appointment, I went home and slept. I slept all the way through my 3rd period class. Luckily I set an alarm to wake me up in time for my next class, otherwise I probably would have slept all day long.

    And you know what? That nap was the best sleep I've gotten in a long time.

    Litter Box Crafts

    You've heard of Pinterest, right? It's that digital bulletin board where you pin all kinds of crazy renovations you want to do to your imaginary house, and recipes you'll never actually try, and useless crafts that will consume your life. And then occasionally there's that recipe that you may actually attempt, or that craft that may actually have a purpose...

    Anyways, if you need help narrowing down the many many useless pins, check out my new blog! It's still a work in progress - I only have one post so far - but I'm hoping it will be a nice collection of all of the crap that Pinterest has to offer... And what better place to put Kat's crap than in a litter box? (;

    Happy crafting! ~kat

    Cake Batter Cookies

    My day started by complaining to my mom, "I'm bored! I wanna make something!" What came next? Pinterest. I decided to make cake batter cookies!

    Cookin' Cowgirl's Funfetti Cookies from Pinterest

    Instead of repeating word for word what I read on another blog, how about I just post a link to the blog where I found the recipe... (:

    my version, with nonpareil sprinkles

    Just a note: Don't burn them. They're not nearly as good when they're burnt. And I would know, 'cause of course I burnt them.

    Happy baking! ~kat

    Being In Love

    People do crazy things when they're in love.

    I've heard this said all the time, but never as a reference to God - not until Ichthus in 2011.
    The speaker was... well, I don't remember his name. But I really want to give him credit! Anyways, his message was inspiring. At first he joked around and acted goofy, but after an amazing message he led the audience to kneel in the damp, muddy grass and beg for God to forgive us for our sins. The whole festival allowed me to feel incredibly close to God, and that speech was just the icing on the cake.
    But what I remember most from his message was that he was in love with God, and that love made him do crazy things. Because people do crazy things when they're in love.
    Now, about 7 months later, I'm finding more and more that I, too, am in love with God, and I'm doing crazy things. Last month I did K-LOVE's 30 Day Challenge. For 30 days I listened only to Christian music. I missed quite a few good songs coming out in those 30 days. There were many instances where I had to awkwardly ask people to change the radio station or to turn down their music so I could hold to my promise to only listen to Christian music.

    Currently I'm working on the Daniel Fast. Although this will only last 21 days, it's much more difficult than the 30 Day Challenge. In these 21 days, I can eat fruits, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains, but no meat, dairy, or added sweeteners. That means I can't eat the chicken alfredo from Pizza Hut that my family is eating right now. And let me tell you, it smells really good, but this is a sacrifice I'm willing and eager to make. Doing the Daniel Fast allows me to bring myself closer to God, and if that means that I don't get to eat my favorite foods for a few days, I'm totally okay with that.
    My walk with God through these crazy things is really cool. But I've found something else really cool in these challenges, too; I'm getting to witness to others. When I ask for a burrito at school with no meat or cheese, I get to explain the Daniel Fast to my friends and tell them about the cool things God is doing in my life. When classmates in English turn up the volume to the local pop music radio station, I put in my headphones and turn up the volume to K-LOVE. Then I get to explain to them all of the cool things God is doing, too.
    Sometimes sharing your experience is the most effective way to tell people about Christ, and I am so blessed to have so many cool opportunities to do that. I get to share God with every single person I interact with. If that means giving up some music or some foods, I'm totally cool with that. Because people do crazy things when they're in love.

    What's Your Blood Type?

    I have a question for you, but I think you'll need a little background information first. And bare with me, because I'm not sure how well I'll be able to explain all of this.

    Credits to Wikipedia for this wonderful diagram.

    There are 4 blood types (plus the whole negative/positive thing, but I haven't learned that yet), each with different marker proteins and different antibodies. The marker proteins tell the rest of the body what type of cell each blood cell is, and these markers are called antigens. Type A blood has A antigens, B has B antigens, AB has both A and B antigens, and type O blood has no antigens.

    Blood also has antibodies, which fight off certain cells. Type A has anti-B antibodies, so it essentially kills off all of the type B blood. Type B has anti-A, type O has anti-A and anti-B, and type AB has neither anti-A or -B.

    (That's all a very simplified and probably very confusing version of what we're learning in our biology class. I'm betting Wikipedia will give you a better explanation if you're interested in learning more.)

    When giving and receiving blood, doctors must take into account what blood type the patient and the donor are. If John Doe has type B blood and he gets some type A, his body will reject the type A blood because of the anti-A antibodies in his type B blood. His body would gladly accept type O blood, hoever, because type O has no A antigens for the anti-A antibodies to kill. (Still with me? I know this is a tad confusing.)

    What's the point?

    After learning all about compatibility in blood types, our teacher explained that type O is the universal donor, and type AB is the universal receiver. Someone with type AB blood can accept any other type of blood, and anyone is able to receive type O blood.

    So finally, here's my question: would you rather have type O or type AB? Would you rather be the universal donor, or the universal receiver? Would you rather help or be helped?