The best Halloween EVER!

I'm sitting here, my mind is a complete blank. I have just finished giving a 2-hour presentation for my senior seminar class. I have spent at least 15 hours outside of class working on this project, as well as spending a majority of the semester learning about said project. I have written a 4-page research paper, to go along with the project. We also had to write a grant presentation-- complete with cover letter, sub-headings, a budget, an appendix, and over 60 references in our bibliograpgy... needless to say, I'm wiped! But now it is done! I can go home and relax and not have to worry about it ever again! And now I can actually have a life!I don't think I've hung out with anyone for the last 2 or 3 weeks because every waking moment was consumed by this stupid project! So friends, I have not forgotten about you... Now on to normal life! Everyone celebrate in my honor! (Hey, it's an excuse to have a party!) And it's halloween today! Chocolate here I come! Oh, and a Rio margarita! ;-) Happy Halloween, everyone!

The Missing Movie Scene

I LOVE the BBC/A&E version of "Pride and Prejudice"! My family loves the movie(s) (there are 6 parts to it, for those of you who have never seen it) as well. We are actually going to introduce Michael to it this weekend. (Kiera Knightly is a disgrace to the name Elizabeth Bennett, in case anyone was wondering what my opinion of her was...) Anyway, here is a funny story that involves the beloved movie! Hopefully the humor of it comes through typing it. So here is the story of the missing movie scene.
I was sitting at home this last weekend when my mother called me. Not a strange occurrence, since we talk for hours on the phone all the time. However, when I picked up the phone, she sounded distressed. Here's how the conversation went:
"Hey mom! What's up?"
"Are you at home?"
"Yes"
"I need you to do me a favor. A part from Pride and Prejudice is missing from my copy and I need you to see if yours has it."
--pause, time to try to understand what my mother had said--
"What? How is it missing?"
"I don't know! I watched the scene over and over and it's not there! I need you to watch yours and see if it's missing as well."
--I watch. It's right where it should be. I call her back--
"Mom, it's there"
"No it's not!"
"Yes it is! It's the first scene of the fifth one"
--she watches--
"Well, now I feel stupid. I can't imagine what the BBC people think of me."
"Did you email them?"
"Yes! I complained that I got a faulty copy!"
--lots of laughter--
The end.

And that was the case of the missing scene of the movie! Hope it gave you a laugh. And thank goodness for fellow movie-obsessors to help in times of crisis!

Holding Signs on a Street Corner

I wrote a post recently on Jason Clark's blog about being intolerant of the intolerant. I mentioned that it is important to confront those people and love them just the same. Well, I've realized over the past few days that there is a certain group of people I actually have a very hard time finding the capacity to love. If you've read my blog, you know that loving others is a big deal to me. But I have found my weak-spot. At church on Sunday, they showed a short clip of pictures from rallies (mostly to do with anti-homosexuality), church signs, etc. about repentance, and any sort of hateful agenda. Looking at those pictures made me sick to my stomach. There was a picture of a little girl-- she couldn't have been more that 10-- holding a sign that said "Got AIDS yet?" I just about threw up. It outraged me! And the thought struck me-- I'm feeling hateful towards the hateful. I will say that the tactics of some of the churches-- like putting those clear letters up to make a statement on their church's sign-- are just ineffective and useless. But what about the people standing on the street corner with a sign full of lists of people who they think are condemned and going to hell? And then turning around and telling them that God loves them and wants to save them... I'm missing the connection. How would throwing hate towards someone want to make them convert or even consider repenting for whatever sins they have? I wouldn't want to be part of that religion, that's for sure.
My mom said a very interesting thing about the clip and the whole idea of people (meaning Christians) acting that way-- it's embarrassing and humiliating as a Christian to see others do that under the label of "Christianity." Being a "Christ follower" is a much better label for myself and others that I know. When non-Christians hear that someone is a Christian, they put them into the group with the sign-holders and hate-throwers. Our faith and religion are supposed to be about love, and yet has become labeled with hate. There is something drastically wrong with that. We have gotten so far away from what Jesus originally called us to do. But really, how do we respond to the "Christians" who do nothing but show hate and contempt towards others? I can understand not agreeing with others' lifestyles or choices, but when hate comes into the picture, what are we supposed to do? Stand on the opposing corner with signs saying "I love you"? I'm at a loss and my heart is broken for those people. I recently watched a documentary where one of the men in it said, "They're so full of hate, they don't even realize how hateful they are." What are we, as Christ followers, supposed to do? Because just saying we need to love can only go so far... what can we do?

Who Would You Save?

I am a big fan of the band, Nickelback. Some of those more musically-inclined people may laugh at my music choice, but I love them! They have some really awesome songs! Anyway, all of this to say, I also really enjoy watching their music videos. They have some very clever and moving ones. One of my all-time favorite videos is for their song, "Savin' Me."
The song is all about giving someone a second chance and telling them that they are worth your time and energy. I love the video because it has a lot of layers and deeper thoughts and meanings you could take from it. It raises a lot of questions about yourself as well-- if I knew someone's life was in danger, would I risk mine to save them? Would I stand around to bask in the glory of my save? Would it matter who the person was-- gender, money, race, age, etc-- would I still save them? Are there those who I would refuse to save (a rapist, a prisoner, a homeless person, etc)? Are there those I know who are standing on their own ledge, screaming to be noticed and loved and told they are worth saving?
As you watch the video, think about those questions. And if nothing else, enjoy an entertaining video!



Here are the lyrics if you want to follow along:

Prison gates won't open up for me
On these hands and knees I'm crawlin'
Oh, I reach for you
Well I'm terrified of these four walls
These iron bars can't hold my soul in
All I need is you
Come please I'm callin'
And oh, I scream for you
Hurry I'm fallin', I'm fallin'

Show me what it's like
To be the last one standing
And teach me wrong from right
And I'll show you what I can be
And say it for me
Say it to me
And I'll leave this life behind me
Say it if it's worth savin' me

Heaven's gates won't open up for me
With these broken wings I'm fallin'
And all I see is you
These city walls ain't got no love for me
I'm on the ledge of the eighteenth story
And oh, I scream for you
Come please I'm callin'
And all I need from you
Hurry I'm fallin', I'm fallin'

Show me what it's like
To be the last one standing
And teach me wrong from right
And I'll show you what I can be
And say it for me
Say it to me
And I'll leave this life behind me
Say it if it's worth savin' me
Hurry I'm fallin'
yeah, yeah

And all I need is you
Come please I'm callin'
And oh, I scream for you
Hurry I'm fallin', I'm fallin', I'm fallin'

Show me what it's like
To be the last one standing
And teach me wrong from right
And I'll show you what I can be
And say it for me
Say it to me
And I'll leave this life behind me
Say it if it's worth savin' me
Hurry I'm fallin'

And say it for me
Say it to me
And I'll leave this life behind me
Say it if it's worth savin' me

Guest Blog- Banging Your Head Against the Wall

I have written a guest blog again! After a conversation with my sister about what her on-campus group leader had spoken about, I wrote about the intolerance that churches teach and what we should do in response to that intolerance. People should take a stand against people's intolerance. People don't have to all agree, but they should not hate or condemn others. So go check it out! Comment away!

He Popped the Question and I Said "YES!"

I would like to officially announce to the blogging world that I am ENGAGED!!! YAY! Even though I think I've already talked to the only people who read this, I'm announcing it anyway! Why not, right? It happened on Thursday Sept. 13th. Here's how it went down: I was working that night and my boyfriend (now fiance ;-), Michael (and fellow-blogger), and I were planning on meeting at my house to go to this fun restaurant that only serves desserts and wine. However, when I got to my house, there was a note taped to my door telling me to meet him at the restaurant instead. I got there and the owner handed me another note telling me to meet him around the corner at this place with fountains that has chairs and tables to sit and people-watch. So I walked in my heals over there and there was a table set up with a white tablecloth, flowers, and a laptop. I got to it and it said "click here" so I did. A movie started with our song (Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol) and a slideshow of pictures of us. At the end, it said "Turn Around." And Michael was walking up. He had tears in his eyes and told me how much he loves me and wants to spend the rest of his life with me. He then got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. It took a few moments (I was having issues breathing properly) for me to squeak out a "yes! Of course! I love you too!" After we finally got our breath back and could focus, he informed me that instead of walking back to the restaurant, he had made reservations at The Melting Pot (a really nice fondue restaurant)! We made all of the initial phone-calls and headed over to my sister's house to show her the ring. After getting our picture taken and jumping up and down in excitement, Michael and I headed over to the Melting Pot. We ate sooo much food! But boy oh boy was it good! It was the best night of my life! I love Michael so much and can't wait to spend the rest of my life with him! (I just realized this is the first picture of me I've ever posted... now everyone knows what Michael and I look like!)

No Pain, No Gain in Relationships

I posted a blog on Jason Clark's site a while ago about the redemption of the father in the movie, "Little Miss Sunshine." Since then, I have experienced redemtion in my own life. This last week God helped me gain the courage to confront and deal with some difficult issues with friends and a family member. Needless to say, I was glad when the week ended. However, through the very difficult process of confronting hurt feelings and negative feelings (and the anxiety that went along with it), God redeemed those relationships. I know that my friends and family love me and care about me and our friendship/relationship, so I had nothing to worry about. But boy oh boy is dealing with it difficult. This whole process helped me realize the amount of redemption I experience in my life. Each day I fall on my face, God is there to pick me right back up and shows me how to not fall next time. It's, again, a difficult process, but very necessary. But I'll bet God doesn't get knots in His stomach when He does show me my crap. I guess that's what you get for being the creator of the universe... Anyway, God uses the love and friendship I have through the people in my lives to continue to redeem me and my relationships. I love my friends and family more than I could ever express and it broke my heart this week to have so many issues to deal with! But through dealing with those issues, my friendships and relationships are even deeper and stronger than they were ever before! But why must it be so painful to have to go through all that? No pain, no gain! And what a gain it was :-)

Disturb Us, Lord

I heard this prayer read today and I thought I'd share it. It's really interesting. Read it and think/pray about it:

Prayer of Sir Francis Drake

Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true Because we have dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely Because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, Lord, when With the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst For the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life, We have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth, We have allowed our vision Of the new Heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly, To venture on wider seas
Where storms will show your mastery;
Where losing sight of land, We shall find the stars.
We ask You to push back The horizons of our hopes;
And to push into the future In strength, courage, hope, and love.

I Go College!

Today was a day for "Katie's History Book." I have had this mortal fear ever since I started college that I would end up in the wrong classroom for my class. I have spent the last 3 and a half years successfully avoiding that predicament. Well, I guess it had to happen-- my college experience would not be complete without it. Here's how it all happened. I was on campus to do research for a class and a friend picked me up to run some errands. It was before my first class would start and we had plenty of time. My first class, I already knew, was canceled, so I had the whole morning open until my next class. Well, in the confusion of getting back to campus and not having my class, I walked confidently to the classroom where my second class of the day is held... except that I was an hour early! I sat down, read the school newspaper waiting for the professor to come in and begin. But my professor is not a big, gray-haird man... With a twinge of panic and trying to be as casual and nonchalant as possible, I picked up my stuff and hurried out of the room, just as the class started! I was so embarrassed! That kind of thing is acceptable the first week of classes, but not the beginning of the 4th! I hope no one realized what had happened-- and if they did, then I gave them something to laugh about. Well, I can surely say that I can graduate without feeling like I missed out on anything! :-) If the class were interesting I may have stuck around but every time I come in when my class actually meets, there are equations and drawings all over the board-- no thank you! I'm about to graduate and this is my shining moment! Here, mom and dad, this is where all that money is going for my education....

"Little Miss Sunshine's" Deeper Meaning

So I had the honor of writing a post for Jason Clark's blog again and I would love for everyone to go check it out and comment on it! I wrote about the movie Little Miss Sunshine and how the father was redeemed throughout the movie and how he redeemed his family. It came from a church sermon I heard at my parent's church I visited a few weeks ago. I love movies and finding deeper meanings so it was right up my alley! Go check it out!