Spring has Sprung

I know, I know, not only have I not posted since FRIDAY but now I'm talking about the weather. What has the world come to? Oh well I promise a return to our normal blogging programming soon (promise). But hello, if you life in Texas, specifically the Dallas/Ft. Worth area than you know it has been absofreakinlutely amazing the last week or so. Warm, sunny, with some wind (well ok on Saturday it looked like the Wizard of Oz was being recreated in technicolor with all the brown dirt being blown around but it was at least warm and sunny), and so very springlike. Alas, it the temps will drop soon I hear and we'll be back near freezing in the morning hours. I love that Texas weather can swing about 40 degrees in any 24 hour period. Keeps us on our toes as far as putting away your winter wardrobe.

So I will revel in the springlike temps for the moment and feel for all of you digging out from snow (sorry Minnesota or maybe even Oregon).

STANK *Updated*

The fumes are almost visible and the absolute STANK hits you once you walk in the door. It's so bad that we're all moving off-site to work today so our office is now located at the local coffee shop. Dead animal? Old food? No telling what it is, all I know is that the smell has slowly encroached on my side of the office and today it's overwhelming.

Happy Friday, I'm off to find a gas mask or just some fresh air.

UPDATE:
So the STANK was a dead cat (RR I could have used your sniffer). They disposed of it on Friday and the office is back to its normal smell (whatever that is). Oh and I love that Tina (Spaghettipie) knows the people from my church so she can jump in with finger pointing.

Overheard:

"Well, it might be because his dad forgot to put underwear on him this morning"

Explanation: One of our toddlers was having a tough time when his mom left him with his class on Sunday morning. He usually jumps right in with the group and plays but this time he was tearfull and calling for mom for a good 5-8 minutes. Later when I saw the mom in the hall I told her he did better after seeing his sister and she uttered the fateful words above. She went on to tell how dad has never forgotten this vital piece of clothing but for some reason he did this paticular morning. They also realized that his pants were a bit big so they were slouching a bit so they had to roll the waistband up to prevent "baby crack" (my words not hers). So she said that he might be having some sort of separation issue or "things might just feel a little off for him today."

My favorite part of all this is that this family is super cute and their kiddos are always so stylishly dressed (not hoity in anyway but just cute) and the little boy in question was wearing khaki pants, a button down check shirt with the collar popped, and a tie. But when it all came down to it he was going commando.

Priceless.

It's worth recognizing

I was at a conference yesterday on church leadership and the question came up of "what do you celebrate"? It was said that the answer to this question will tell you what you give greatest worth to. And since the whole of the Christian life is about change, about giving your life to someone bigger, better and worthy of your praise, isn't that what we should celebrate.

On that note a good friend of mine is celebrating something of great worth . . . life change. Yesterday marked his 5th year of sobriety and freedom from the hell of addiction. His life was changed five years ago and now what do you know, he's working in a church helping other people to change their lives too.

Now that's something worth celebrating.

So if you will my friends, go over and celebrate with Steve how good our God is to change lives and make them new.

Gifts from strangers can be scary fun

Ok, I will admit it, I blog-stalk two California girls who are pretty much the definition of rad (see it's a great word when used correctly). Jordan of Oh Happy Day and Emily of Emilystyle are like the cool girls in junior high that you just want to hang out with (not the snobby bratty cool girls, but the ones who are sweet and kind and everybody likes because they're cool but they don't act like it). I'm not even sure how I stumbled across their blogs but they have been a must-hit since then. These ladies are so creative and crafty and fun.

Jordan had a little contest a while back and I crept out of the darkness to participate, ended up winning, and was promised a prize (Wheeee prizes from cool girls always rock). So I received a little box in the mail last week filled with cute and fun little gifts. Wahoo. I just wish I was as creative and cute and fun as her when I gave gifts.

Here are some pics to check out my new stash of cute stuff.

Red polka dots, and color coordinated wrapping paper, and I heart her own little symbol she has created with the guy on the bike with the brella.

And the sweet silhouette portrait card. Each card had a cute print out (she's creative I tell you) and a little blurb to go with each gift.

The stash of gifts, some fancy and cute toothpaste (almost too pretty to use - like guest towels this will be for special occasions only) and some hand salve, and a nice little bud vase, and a kaleidoscope for moments when I want to be a kid again, oh and I forgot the hair bands shaped like underthings.

Moving past hearts and roses

Valentine's Day. I'd like to venture that this is one of the most contentious holidays out there. You either love it (no pun intended) or hate it. And then there are those those that just ignore it. Now if it really is a holiday to celebrate romance and mushy feelings than I'm not all too keen on it. But, if it is a day to remind us about love and the ones we love than I'm all for that because sometimes in the midst of our lives and all the things going on in them we neglect to take a moment to really reflect on the quality of love, the action of love, and the ones that we love and are loved by.

Now I could write a book on love, oh wait I'm pretty sure that other people have done that and with much more insight and wisdom. But have they really? Love is a tricky topic because you have to define what type of love you are referring to, is it the love of a man for a woman, a friend to a friend, an owner to a pet, a mother to a son, a woman for her ice cream, etc? At least that's the way the world looks at it at times, love is the ultimate accessory, it goes with everything. But is that what love really is?

Is love born of romance or romance born of love? Is love always pretty and sweet? Is love always the response of love or can it sometimes stand alone in the midst of hate and anger? Is love a feeling, an emotion, an action, or a myth?

What is love? (wait that sounds like a song from the early 90's)

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
1 John 4: 7-12

Hmmm interesting. . . . how about this?

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13: 1-7,13

So I ask again what is love?

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16

And lastly what do we do with this love?

Jesus replied: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'
Matthew 22:37-39

I just looked back to see what I posted last year on this date. Ironic how your own words can challenge, encourage, and take your breath away. He loves me

Listening To:

Matt Wertz
"All I know"


I don't know how the stars hang
Or how there's night and then there's day
I don't know how you spoke into the black
and made it all obey

All that I know is the bleeding in my heart
and the healing in your touch
All that I know is that you gave everything
so let that be enough...it's all I know, it's all I know

I don't know how your love works
Or how you cover me in grace
I don't know how you swallow all I am
when I can't stand my taste, oh

All that I know is the bleeding in my heart
and the healing in your touch
All that I know is that you gave everything
so let that be enough...it's all I know

And I can't explain your mystery,
but I know the answer

All that I know is the bleeding in my heart
and the healing in your touch
All that I know is that you gave everything
so let that be enough...it's all I know, it's all I know

And that's when I ripped my face off and revealed my true identity

We all have them, identities that are imposed upon us by others, be them true representations of who we are or a facade of who people think we are or ought to be. Now, I'm not complaining about my perceived identity, in fact, on some points it's pretty close to the truth. BUT, I do find some fun in making sure people don't have me pegged as just one thing.

Take for instance a few weeks ago when I went to a friend's wedding shower with some other girls. The few of us there that all knew each other from a bible study were labeled as such "bible study friends" (btw I've been labeled that a lot at weddings lately, ha). So there we are playing a game during the shower (now men, this was a lingerie shower so if you don't want to know what we were doing, stop reading now) which entailed us giving a name to each of the "outfits" my friend received. Oh, I forgot to mention that in this specific group of girls I am considered the most "pure" or "angelic" or "proper" or insert any other name in here that seems innocent and comes with a standard issue halo. Now, I am more than willing to embrace my "good girl" image because, hello, I am a "good girl" but even good girls get saucy and funny and have their moments and well I just happen to have lots of moments.

So among all these ladies we are trying to come up with titles for her gifts and boy howdy (like that don't you?) I got into it. I also have a tendency to say out loud what other people will whisper or mumble under their breath. If you're gonna say it you might as well make sure everybody hears it. And so the party went, my friend would hold up a gift, there would be a few suggestions of names, something tame and cute, and then here comes Katie with a whopper of a title. It didn't help that all of us who know each other were sitting together in a corner and conspiring to top whatever was suggested. And top them we did. Now let it be known that I wasn't the sole contributor to our suggestions, but I definitely was the spokesperson.

Now, for the sake of my "good girl" image I won't share with you the titles we came up with, but I can tell you that there were many comments about "those crazy bible study girls". But the best came at the reception when our little group of gals was being introduced by the maid of honor to some friends of the bride's from college and she started with "this is katie and I don't remember the rest of ya'll names" and then she explained that all the bridesmaids knew my name because of that game, oh and the card I made for the bride, but that's a whole other story.

So all this to say that it's funny to see how you might shock someone by stepping just a bit out of your perceived image. Now rest assured that I am quite the "good girl" and really nothing happened that would even cross over the line of decency. But amongst this "good girl" image lies a funny and sometimes just a bit shocking persona that will keep your image of my halo as just a bit crooked.

"Oh so you blog"

I'm usually met with three key versions of this statement. Version #1 includes a long and drawn out "oh" and then a quick eyebrow raise. Version #2 includes a quick "oh" and annunciation on the you, with a short head nod. And then in Version #3 the words come out slowly and a look of complete blankness settles on the speaker's face.

Blogging is such an interesting past time. It's part exhibition, part reflection, and part entertainment. You have the ability to chronicle every moment of your life if you wish, to champion any cause or opinion you feel passionate about, to think "out loud" on things you might normally keep to yourself, or even to recount any and all funny, dramatic, or just darn right stupid instances that you encounter in a normal day. Oh and you can find it all out there and plenty of voices to comment on whatever you so desire to publish.

I think one of the most ironic things about blogging is that there is this sense of anonymity and yet also one of being on display. Think about it, what percentage of readers actually comment? Probably about half if you're lucky. And then what percent of your commenters do you really know? Even smaller. But then the kicker is the number of people that you do know, that you've known from different parts of your life that read your blog . . . . ah the silent reader who isn't a stranger. Now that is a sub-group that can be intimidating.

The interesting thing to me about blogging is that it gives you an opportunity to express parts of your personality that might not come across in normal day to day interactions. At least for me this is true. Now do I think that you have a "normal" personality and a "blogging" personality? No, but I do think that blogging might give light to a part of you that isn't always on display. Or maybe I'm just talking about me.

But I wonder what that special sub-group of people I know in person, who I've known from different times in my life, think of what I write, of this persona that comes across through my blog. Oh well, I guess they get to see a fuller picture of me, knowing both the "in-person" katie and the "blogger" katie.

So any thoughts or great revelations about your life as a blogger?

Three simple words

LOST is back!

Blame it on those kleenex commercials

So, what's it mean when I tear up while reading a forward email? A dear friend emailed me this (and it was quite fitting in regards to a recent conversation) and I in turn decided to send it on to other women I know and then for good measure I figured I would blog it.



I'm usually not a forwarder but for some reason this one stuck out to me today. To all the amazing women I have been blessed to have in my life, know that each of you posses these qualities and each of you have so much worth. So on those days when you doubt yourself, when you look in the mirror and see nothing of value, and when you question your worth remember that these words are not only true but they are the heart of who God made you. He created woman knowing all her faults, all her weakness, all her fears, and He also knew that He would be sufficient to overcome her faults, strong enough to carry her weaknesses, and His love would be so complete it would drive aways all her fears. Your worth is not determined by the world or even by you, but by the hands of the one who made you, the eyes of the one who constantly watches over you, and the arms of the one who embraces you with His overwhelming love. You are His delight and your worth is His alone to define.


One Flaw In Women

Women have strengths that amaze men.
They bear hardships and they carry burdens,
but they hold happiness, love and joy.
They smile when they want to scream.
They sing when they want to cry.
They cry when they are happy
and laugh when they are nervous.
They fight for what they believe in.
They go without so their family can have.
They go to the doctor with a frightened friend.
They love unconditionally.
They cry when their children excel
and cheer when their friends get awards.
They are happy when they hear about
a birth or a wedding.
Their hearts break when a friend dies.
They grieve at the loss of a family member,
yet they are strong when they
think there is no strength left.
They know that a hug and a kiss
can heal a broken heart.
Women come in all shapes, sizes and colors.
They'll drive, fly, walk, run or e-mail you
to show how much they care about you.
They bring joy, hope and love.
They have compassion and ideas.
They give moral support to their
family and friends.
Women have vital things to say
and everything to give.
HOWEVER, IF THERE IS ONE FLAW IN WOMEN,
IT IS THAT THEY FORGET THEIR WORTH.

Questions and Answers

You provide the questions and I'll provide the answers.

OK?

Go.