Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day Dad! I love you so much! I'm so thankful that I have a Father that supports me and loves me through thick and thin. Thank you so much for representing Christ and His love for me and representing a wonderful marriage and how I should be adored by a man that loves God. Thank you for always answering my "panicky" calls when I was scared and helping me when I was sick, broke, anxious, discouraged, and heading on the wrong track. :) Thanks for putting up with me when I was sassy, bossy, sensitive, cranky, moody, girly, emotional, and much more! Thank you for supporting the most wonderful day of my life when I married the man of my dreams! Thank you for supporting our marriage and who we are...two young kids trying to do God's will. Thank you for letting me pack my little black Celica up to the roof with clothes and letting me drive 10 hours to my new home in Tennessee where I began a whole new adventure in life. Thank you for buying me my purple convertible with a white top! Thank you for bringing me gifts home from the gift shop at the hospital! Thank you for sending me encouraging notes in the mail and thank you for sending me encouraging texts on the phone! Thank you for driving out to Nashville to watch me graduate with my masters that we paid for with CASH because you got us on the Dave Ramsey train! I look forward to the future and I pray that our relationship will continue to grow! I love you so much Dad! So if you ever think I don't notice the "little" things you did/do for me get up and read this blog. :)

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

Yeah Shutterfly!

Every year I search very hard for FREE Christmas photo cards. I mean these things can add up if you’re not careful, especially when you’re sending cards to your Aunt's next door neighbor's Mother. After much searching…BAM! I stumbled upon a blog that was sharing exactly what I was looking for! Shutterfly is offering 50 FREE holiday cards if you spread the word on your blog. This is great because for the past 2 years my hubby and I have used Shutterfly for photocards and tons of gifts for the family ranging from calendars to wedding books. And we are excited to use them again this year for our Christmas card. In fact, we are about to cozy up on the couch and pick from the numerous choices. Wish us luck as we could be in for a long night but it’s worth it because Shutterfly is cheap and fast. So make a post on your blog! Spread the word, spread some cheer and save some money!

1. Christmas photo cards to http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-photo-card
2. Christmas cards to http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-cards
3. holiday cards to http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/holiday-cards
4. personalized mugs to http://www.shutterfly.com/photo-gifts/photo-mugs
5. birthday party cards to http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/birthday-cards-stationery
6. holiday invitations to http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-invitations
7. Choose your favorite product from our Cards & Stationery page

Thumbelina

Last week I had 3 students submitted to a psychiatric ward for suicidal ideation and one teenage girl's aunt actually commit suicide. Looooong week. These young girls are so beautiful inside and out. It makes me angry that they are hurting so much. And it makes me sad because our teens today are dealing with too much way too soon! One student in particular, Thumbelina sticks out in my mind. I don't know Thumbelina too well. I spent 2 individual sessions with her and she came to 1 support group before she got admitted to the hospital. Thumbelina is so tiny and never smiles and even though she says she doesn't want to live I don't believe her. I went to visit her last week and I don't know if anyone who takes the time to read these boring stories has been to an adolescent psychiatric ward before but it's very "eery". Honestly, you can just feel the presence of darkness. I waited for 30+ minutes until a tall man entered the room and said in this deep voice, "you hear to see Thumbelina"? I walked the "white mile" went through several locked doors, had my purse confiscated, and finally entered a bare cold white room. There were two beds and in one was Thumbelina with her knees tucked up under her chin with her sullen vacant eyes. You start to think for a minute, "What do you say to someone who doesn't want to live"? I was overwhelmed with compassion for this young girl and as we begin talking you can hear the sadness and fear. The fear to live. At some points I can understand why she is afraid. Our world can be very scary, hard and unforgiving...but that's where faith comes in. Words of truth just started pouring out of my mouth. Jesus loves you, He has a purpose for you, He loves you even more, you don't need to be afraid, you are beautiful and you are loved Thumbelina. Tears well up in her eyes and she instantly shuts them off like every other emotion she feels. But I gently tell her, "Look at me Thumbelina, I'm not going to give up on you and I love you". I ask her if I can pray for her, she says, "It doesn't really matter, you can do what you want". I say, "You do matter and because this is true I'm going to pray for you". I asked her if I could hold her hand because I was desperate to touch this lifeless body. As I grabbed her hand I was shocked. The sterile room was freezing, I was freezing, plus she is underweight (meaning her body should be ice cold) but oddly her hand was on fire. It hit me, "There is so much life in this girl" and I hear God say, "fight for her". I tell her that I know this and her lip trembles, she shakes her head to rid the emotion. I pray, I hug, I leave and can feel a sudden lightness as I step outside. I get in the car and I pray, pray hard and you know what I realize...Satan is real and it makes me angry. So if you read this, please help me fight for Thumbelina and all the people who think this world would be better without them.

Be the Change!

The past two weeks at work have been crazy, interesting and overwhelming. I hosted this program titled "Challenge Day" which airs on MTV under the show called "If You Really Knew Me" for those of you who will admit to watching such a station (Now is a good time for me to admit that I'm obsessed with Teen Mom)! Anyway, Challenge Day is a program that "challenges" students to see their peers from a different light and to "get real" about who they are. It's extremely intense as the kids answer the question, "If you really knew me you would know..." Before we dive into the depths of the teenage soul we play incredibly silly games. We laugh, we dance, we sing and most importantly we HUG. Oh, and I do the worm, which is pretty incredible that my 28 year old body can still master this move on an extremely hard gym floor. I can't do this program justice with my words. It's something you have to experience. You'll see jocks crying, gang member throwing up the hand symbol for "I love you", cutters rolling up their sleeves and much more. The day get even more emotional as the students are asked to cross the line if you've ever experienced....fill in the blank. My heart breaks as kids cross the line for poverty, drugs, death, hurts, single family homes and much more. Suddenly you realize...hurt people hurt people. That's not a typo. Hurt people hurt people. And it's incredible to see the walls come down from shame and embarrassment and to hear teenagers express their deepest fears. Lives are changed. Students make commitments to "Be the Change". Cheerleaders start saying "Hi" to geeks, apologies are made, friendships are restored and the lonely feel supported. It helps the adults too. Grown men make phone calls to family members that they haven't contacted in over two years. Parents get an inside view of what their kids are dealing with. And for me, it's a breath of fresh air. I see hope, change and genuineness that I don't see very often. So three days of Challenge Day equals allot of money, lack of sleep, a million hugs, aching body, 300+ students, 90 volunteers, over 100 e-mails and referrals that I'm behind in because Challenge Day consumed my life for the majority of the month of September, and a good week and a half of recovery time from such an emotional 3 days. When it's all over though it's totally worth it and here's few reasons why. Bobby tried to commit suicide and said he was thankful he was still here. In response 99 students stood up and affirmed him that he was not alone and he was loved. Susie got to say through her tears, "I'm so mad at my dad for having an affair", Joe got to say, "I have a full ride to _____ for sports and I hate playing sports"! Betty said, "I'm angry that my parents are so sick from their choices that I have to clean, do laundry and cook for my siblings". The list goes on and on. And I got to stand up and say..."You matter, you have a purpose, and you are loved. It only takes 1 of you to break the cycle of in your family, amongst your friends and amongst your student body. So here's to hoping it sticks and me and my school will learn to "Be the Change".

Night of Remembrance

At the end of last year my high school (for the first time in 10 years) scored above the national average in alcohol and drug use. Go “my high school”! Always trying to look at the bright side of things, I thought to myself, “Well, at least this secures my non-profit job”! Negative Nancy could also say, “Kat, you suck at your job”! Ha! But along with always being negative Nancy lies a lot too, which means I don’t really suck at my job. The best thing about this statistic is that it woke some parents up and they are on the STARS band wagon!

So, last night STARS (me) hosted a student/parent kick off night at the high school in the gym. We wanted to remind parents and students how precious life is and not to take things for granted. I need to be reminded of that several times throughout the day, especially when I run out creamer for my coffee. We had a dynamic speaker that shared his personal story about losing his son to a drunk driver. Heartbreaking. Why does that happen? I’m angry. I wish someone would have taken the keys away. So we all have heard this story a million times either on Oprah, or a high school assembly 10 years ago, but what threw me is that Mr. Williams did not speak about his “world”, he spoke about the boy who shattered his “world”. “Why did this boy make this choice”? “Why did no one love him”? “Why did he not have influences in his life that showed him character or to teach him to make good choices”? And when this boy left the bar after 6 straight hours, why didn’t any of his “friends” take his keys away”? “Why didn’t they have anyone who taught them to be a bystander”?

The night concluded with several musical performances from our students ranging from guitar, piano (that I wheeled 5 miles from the choir room) to a quartet that caused me to tear up the second the first note left their voices. In the midst of this our Assistant Principal read a summary of the evening and spoke the names (all 9) of the students that had tragically passed away from our school. I had the honor (I’m being serious) of taking the week to call these parents and inviting them to a night where their “world” was being remembered. Life looks differently when you’re listening to a parent that is heartbroken on the other end of the phone. And life looks differently when you see the very same parents walk into the gym with smiles spread across their faces. When the names were mentioned we had an opportunity to stand representing our love for that particular student. It was only for a few seconds but it felt like minutes. Suddenly…all the hurt, anger, selfishness, judgment etc. doesn’t matter anymore. Instead of hearing the voice in your head you hear tears and sniffs.

Last night was yet again another reminder for me that every choice counts. But really, every choice counts. Every person that you know and/or encounter provides an opportunity for you to make a difference. Below is the summary that our assistance principal read. I loved it so I’m posting it.

Those of us here tonight know what a special community this truly is. Though each of us is made differently, both physically and emotionally, we have this structure that unites us as a family. We want what is best for our peers, even though we may not know their names. As members of this family, we know that life is precious and we must treat each day like the gift it is. As members of this family we laugh together; We play together; We learn together; AND we cry together. Tonight is about celebrating this family. It is about respectfully celebrating a new face in a crowded student section and it is about celebrating the face that you have seen every day since the third grade. It is about celebrating each body that walks the halls of our school, celebrating those who will walk the halls after us, and it is about celebrating those who have walked the halls before us. Tonight is about remembering. It is about remembering the members of our family who we have lost and it is about remembering what their lives have taught us about life itself. You may have never met the wonderful people whose names I am about to read, you may have been a classmate, or you may have been a friend or relative. Regardless of how you knew them, celebrate. Celebrate what they taught us while they were here and how they remind us to hold each moment as a treasure and celebrate each other daily.

So long summer...

Ahhhh! It's been forever since I've posted an entry! And to my surprise I've had several people say, "Kat, you need to upload your blog"! I always think, "People never read this crap". So here's a mass update on my summer in a very random order...

Recently, my husband has started making me dress up as characters for money. I told him that he better stop or people are going to start getting the wrong impression. Here I am dressed up as strawberry shortcake for a little girl's birthday party.

Got a whole free value meal from chic-fil-a for dressing up as a cow. This is the only time you will see me dressed up as a cow.

Thanks to TLC constant airing of reruns I fell "addictively" in love with "Say Yes to the Dress" and for the life of me cannot understand the popularity of see through wedding dresses?!

We had a Toy Story marathon when the in-laws came to visit. Here we are watching Toy Story 3 in 3-D. I'm not going to tell anyone that they all teared up at the end. I did not however because big girls don't cry.

This past weekend I went out of town to visit a very close friend. I loved getting to hang out with her and the family! The most fun I had was organizing her closet. Yes, you heard me right. Below is the "after" pic. Let's just say that before you wouldn't have known she had a walk in closet! Just looking at the pic inspires me!

I read the "Mark of the Lion" series by Francene Rivers. This is the 3rd book and I actually found myself hiding it when I was in public because I didn't want people to think I was reading a porn novel! I love Francene Rivers because she always has characters that represent Christ's love for us. I'm telling you...if Hadassah can love someone like Julia then I have NO excuses!

I met Katie Davis! Those who know me know that I'm obsessed with her blog and I got the chance to go to her home in Brentwood, TN and sit with her for 2 hours! As you can see I met her youngest daughter Patricia. It was incredible. To meet someone who's life is fully devoted to serving God was incredible and challenging. I mean, here's a girl that doesn't worry her looks, getting married, having a nice house, what she is wearing...blah blah blah...she's worried about serving God.

I fell in love with Justin Bieber. The more rhymes and m-bops the better I always say! And I find it highly inappropriate yet humorous that the local top 40 radio station has a contest titled "Play with your Bieber". If you don't get it than good for you! You're purer than me and I'm not going to corrupt you.

Jillian Michaels and I became best friends. We were getting along so well hanging out in level 1, but once she invited me to hang out with her at "level 2" my knees and I decided that she was mean and so we de-friended her.

This is a picture of me in Gatlinburg, TN...right before I dropped our brand new camera into the beautiful water!

Me wearing a life jacket that is too big for me!

Ryan and I in Gatlinburg. I just like this picture because you can see Ryan's shadow of his arm right across our faces! Obviously you can tell that we are not photographers.

My best friend Kari came to visit me for four days. It was the highlight of my summer! There's something that happens when you are around someone that brings out the good in you and loves you endlessly. She also found out that she was pregnant during this time! She also made me run intervals at the park and I haven't sweat that much since I was in high school! I lost several pounds! Dear Kari, please come back.

We stained our deck and when I say "we" I mean "Ryan".

Look how nasty it was. On the left is no power wash and on the right is power wash. :)

Look at my sweet Grandma. This is a picture of us holding the quilt that I made her this past Christmas. Every time I see her, which is only twice a year :( she gives me all her left over fabric. I took that fabric and made her a "scrap" quilt. If you look closely you can notice the X's and O's...hugs and kisses Grandma!

Another look. It's so sweet because when I go see her she's sitting in her chair with the quilt covering her legs. :)

I got to spend some time with my sister in laws. They are such great mothers AND great wives. I'm so glad my brother's have them because if I can remember correctly growin up they could be quite the "little butts" at times. :) I was perfect though and never did anything to push their buttons.

My sweet niece Libby. She is quite the little entertainer!

My precious nephew Evan. He caught a fish with pa-pa Ken. It was SO cute, everyone went outside to see and he was SO proud!

I about pooped myself when my dad went tubing at the lake and then I pooped myself a second time when he got up on the knee board!!

We got to celebrate Evan's 4th birthday when I visited Oklahoma. I was SO excited because I never get to attend the birthday parties being so far away. Kent made Evan an alligator out of cupcakes for his birthday!

This is my niece Anya...after a day of shopping with Aunt Kat and Grandma Brenda. :)

Look at her sweet face...looks just like her Daddy!

Ryan tuckered out with our nephew Drew.

Aunt Kat giving sweet Anna a bath.

I mean...could my nieces and nephews be any cuter?!

As you can see I love my family and am such a proud Aunt. It is a daily battle being so far away from them. It breaks my heart to not be more involved in their lives. But I pray that I can find ways to love them so far away. :) I just recently found out that my twin brother and his wife Emily are pregnant with their second baby! And I had another niece that was born just a few days ago! I will post pics soon (at least I intentions of doing that). :)

My New Friend

I made a new friend and I want you to meet her too...

I'm annoyingly driving along rush hour traffic trying to make it to my chiropractor appointment when I noticed this frail old woman inching along with her walker! Ummm...what the heck?! What on earth is she doing?! Is she a nursing home runaway? Is she loosing her mind? My heart broke as I pictured my sweet Grandma back in Oklahoma. I had to stop! I jerked off the interstate, swung my car around, hit a curb in the process and was on for the search. By the time I got through the traffic and everyone got out of my way I couldn't find her? I'm laughing, there's no way she could have gone far? I noticed a side street from where she was inching and there! A tiny hunched red blob! Thank God she didn't try to cross the crazy intersection! I caught up with her and hit the breaks. Lots of honking (Where the heck is that giant black button? The one with the red triangle on it?!) more honking, (OKAY people) oh screw it! I Roll the window down and in my sweetest voice I say, "Ma'am, can I help you?" Granny can't hear me. "MA'AM, CAN I HELP YOU?" Granny, "Oh no thank you, I'm just going to Target." I gasp! TARGET?! It would take her at least an hour to get to target! "Can I please give you a ride?" Granny chuckles, "You're not going to kidnap me are you?" I laughed and convinced her to hop in. Well, actually my SUV is not suitable for a tiny old woman so "hopping" wasn't really reasonable. I kind of lifted/scooted her in, threw her walker in the back and we were on our way!

I find out that Granny has a name which is Dorothy. Of course it's Dorothy because that has got to be the most perfect name for a sweet old granny who by the way is 86! "Dang Dorothy, you're still kicking!" Dorothy laughs. She reminds me of my Grandma. "Dorothy, what are you doing walking to Target by yourself?" Dorothy, "Oh, sometime I need a little adventure." "Dorothy, maybe you should read a book". Dorothy laughs, again I think of Grandma. "Dorothy, I like you and I'm going to help you shop today." She tells me I'm an angel...I laugh...hard.

Dorothy lives in an assisted living home. Her shuttle dropped her off at her eye doctor appointment and from there she decided to go to Target. She needed a new battery for her watch. Last week she missed her Bridge tournament because her watch wasn't working an she couldn't tell the time. My heart sunk, I would get her a new watch battery today if it was the last thing I did, Dorothy will not miss another Bridge tournament! Inching through Target I can't help but get angry as people are whisking by, inconvenienced when they get stuck behind her, or roll their eyes as they impatiently wait. Patience is a virtue people! While shopping, Dorothy decided to take advantage of my SUV and buy two king size pillows and a HUGE bag of soil for her garden. That a girl Dorothy! We make it to the check out line and Dorothy is mortified. She forgot to pick up a pack of socks for her husband Alfred, which I also think is an adorable name for what I imagine must be the sweetest old man to be married to this sweetest old lady. Dorothy, "Can I quickly go grab some socks?" "No, but you can SLOWLY go grab some socks." God forbid this woman falls and breaks a hip! Dorothy laughs, "I'm not used to people being so patient with me." I make a vow to never be impatient again. I'll let you know how long that last. 30 minutes later we grabbed the socks and checked out of target for the second time!

Dorothy says with a huge smile, "What is your name again?" I laugh, "Katherine". Dorothy, "Would you like to sit and have some water?" A check list vividly pops into my brain: chiropractor appointment, walking date with a friend, pack for Ohio, laundry, cook dinner, study..."Dorothy, I would love to sit and have some water with you." She smiles, I think of my Grandma.

While sipping water with Dorothy, I learn a lot about her life. Like Alfred recently breaking his hip causing him to be away from her in the hospital, her grandchildren, her children, her dog Rosy, and so much more. At this moment I remember I need to call Ryan! Oh crap, he's going to be worried about me. I dial, he answers, "Babe, this is really random but I saw this old lady walking on the side of the highway and I picked her up, I'm going to be home late." Ryan, "What?! "I'll explain later." Ryan, "Be safe!" I start laughing at the thought of an 86 year old elderly woman attacking me! Okay, it's getting late need to get going. Besides, Target has a policy and they won't change watch batteries and Dorothy will not miss another Bridge Tournament! Dorothy, "We better get going".

We inch to the car, throw the walker, pillows, and HUGE bag of soil into the back, lift into the seat, and head across to Radio Shack. They can't change the watch battery either! Ugh! So I go across the street into a jewelry shop. Dorothy is waiting in the car during all this as I walk into the store. Please picture this...Pit Bull dog chained to the wall, mid-40's guy who appears to be having a mid life crisis with his mullet, gold chain jewelry proudly displayed over his body, camouflage chaps (yes, I said chaps) and teeth white as snow. Classic. He changes the watch battery and the watch is broken. Nice. Dorothy might be missing her Bridge tournament after all. As I'm leaving mid life crisis guy encourages me to dig for all my gold jewelry and sell it to him. I promised I would keep that in mind. :)

I leave feeling a little defeated, but it was a good try. Now, on our way home. I'm a little nervous but Dorothy pulls through! We make it through all the twists and turns reaching the assisted living center. It's really nice! We walk into hallway and I'm hit with a wave of heat. I would love it here! We reach her room, open the door, and immediately here comes Rosy (the fattest Chiwawa I've ever seen). Dorothy is SO proud to show her off and I'm touched to see how much Rosy loves her owner! We get things settled in her house and I can't help but notice all the memories, sentiments, and precious tea cups proudly displayed throughout her home. Dorothy is thrilled as I take her up on the offer to sit in the chairs that view the man made pond in her back yard. I'm so glad I took her up on her offer as I hear Dorothy and Alfred have been married for 65 years and they like to watch old movies together. She is excited for him to return home from the nursing home. Me too because I hate leaving her all by herself. We exchange numbers and she thanks me with words, a hug, a smile, and tangerines. I promise her that I will be back and bring Ryan to meet her too.

I leave with a huge smile on my face. I loved meeting Dorothy. I'm not sure why God crossed our paths, but I was thankful for the opportunity. The opportunity to show God's love, to be loved, get out of my comfort zone, stop my busy life and be reminded of the important things. Maybe meeting Dorothy helped you do the same. :)