So I was searching for articles on the motor companies’ plea for bailout, and I came across this quote that I thought summed up my thoughts on the issue pretty well.  I am not endorsing the site or anything, because I haven’t even heard of it before.  I just want to give credit where credit is due.  :)  This article was talking about how the CEO’s all arrived on Capital Hill in private jets, and were not willing to give them up, yet were pleading for money.  

When the management of these automakers start acting like they’re in crisis, then perhaps we’ll believe them. They’ve come to Congress not to rescue their companies but to salvage their lifestyles. This is an industry that desperately needs bankruptcy and collapse to put an end to unrealistic labor deals and obnoxious executive behavior. The American taxpayer doesn’t have any business subsidizing this failure.

Here is the link to the article I wrote!  :)   And, my name is on it this time!!  :)  

I apologize that it has been so long since I posted.  I had a philosophy paper due on Tuesday as well as an exam in Systematic theology on Tuesday.  Considering me and any philosophy paper are quite the enemies, I only got about an hour and a half of sleep Monday night.  So, since then, I have been pretty out of it.  My body is still out of whack.  Hopefully a long night of sleep tonight will cure that    

Tuesday night we had a Roundtable meeting.  [For those of you who don't know, I am the Assistant Chair of the School of Religion Women's Roundtable.]  It was a fantastic meeting.  We watched the new Nooma video, She.  It was AMAZING.  It was so encouraging to listen to Rob Bell speak such liberating truth, knowing that it will be heard by thousands.  Yay for Rob Bell!!  :)    During our discussion of the video, some of our sponsors shared their thoughts and experiences in relation to the video, and it was beautiful.   I love the Roundtable!!!!!! 

My favorite word today is liberating.  I have waaay overused it, but I don’t care.  hehe.  In my 9:00 class this morning is where it started for the day.  We had an awesome discussion, and I couldn’t wait to share it with you all!   Here is my feeble attempt to relay it and my thoughts on it:

“We think that the intention for incarnation was salvation, but what if the intention for creation was incarnation?”  

That would mean that rather than Christ’s coming to earth being merely a rescue mission, creation’s very purpose was so that God could be one with us.   The incarnation was going to happen, even if there wasn’t sin in the world.  God’s beckoning is not a, “come, let’s get things right,”  but a, “come, I want to be with you.”  

Is that not a beautiful concept?  I LOVE it.  Think of it this way (although this analogy is lacking in many ways, it is just that – an analogy):

You are stranded by yourself on a desert island, and someone comes and rescues you, taking you back to civilization.  You are truly grateful to them, but your relationship is one of a “rescuer” and “surviver.”  BUT, if instead of coming to take you back, that person comes (with supplies, of course) and sits with you on the beach, and lives with you on the island.  That person is not merely your “rescuer,”  but they are your companion, and you will know them on an intimate level.  

God is not merely our “rescuer,” but our intimate.  Isn’t it greater to think that God created us to BE with us, rather than just to save us?  Isn’t it liberating to think that God does not see you primarily as “a sinner” in need of a savior, but as a being created to be with God?

Vocabulary lesson for the day:  

substandard:  deviating from or falling short of a standard or norm: as of a quality lower than that prescribed by law  

Unfortunately, this is the word going through my head at the moment.  This is not a word I enjoy using.  It is, however, very fitting for the situation.  

Over the past three and a half years, I have found Lee University to be substandard.  Let me clarify – The academics are not substandard, and therefore my education has not been substandard, either.   However, there are various ways in which Lee has been very substandard.  For example, there is substandard administration within the various offices on campus.  Financial Aid, Business office, Library, etc.  I name those three because I have had specific run-ins with each of these offices, and each situation was completely avoidable and unnecessary.  If only everyone had done their job with excellence, or at least to the best of their ability, then my stress level would not be so high, and I would not be disappointed in the people who work in these offices.  It has been extremely disappointing to me, finding a level of substandard work ethic at my institution of higher learning, where they proclaim, “Christ is King.”  If Christ was really king of your life, then you would not have done your job half-way.  You would do everything with excellence, in appreciation for the gifts and abilities God has given you, to glorify God.  

The real problem I have today, is not with Lee administration, but rather with the staff of our lovely school newspaper.  One of my friends writes for the religion column of the paper, and he asked me to co-write an article with him.  I was honored that he wanted to co-author something with me, and I was really excited about letting my voice be heard.  So, he and I wrote what I think is quite the article, and he submitted it to the editors, clearly identifying me as a co-author.   When the paper came out yesterday, our article was there in all of its glory -minus my name.  This is extremely disappointing.  Not only in the fact that they “made a mistake,” but that I was not given credit for my contribution.  It is highly ironic, though.  Our article was on women in ministry, and yet only the man was given credit for writing it.   [One of the editors apologized after my friend pointed it out, and he assured us that a correction will be printed in the next issue, and when they publish it online, both of our names will be on it -I will be sure to let you know when that happens!]

So, all of this talk about substandard work is making me re-think my current homework ethic  - but then again, senioritis is a real thing . . . Merriam-Webster says so.

So, without saying any names, I want to send a shout out to a certain friend.  I just love her, and she has been an awesome friend.  My life would be so dull without her in it!  

Thanks, KVMJF!

hello, faithful readers!  As most of you know, I am constantly counting down the days.  However, I want you to know that I may be counting down, but I am looking up!  I am looking forward to December, and I am extremely excited about what God has in store for me after graduation.  I can’t wait to find out what that may be.  :)

38 days

until I graduate.

20 days 

until Thanksgiving break.

5 days 

of Thanksgiving break.

4 days 

of classes

5 days

of finals/studying for finals

3 days

of celebrating and ceremonies!

Hello!  

I am so sorry it has been so long since I posted!  My life is crazy, as I know all of yours are!!  A lot has happened, but I am going to try to pic (pun intended) and choose what to share on this post.    :)  

My roommate’s birthday present to me was a pumpkin and a night of pumpkin carving.  Thanks, roomie!

Meet Harry the Happy Pumpkin:  (you may have to click on the pic to see it … not really sure what I did wrong or how to fix it, sorry!)

Despite the efforts of a certain trio, Harry still resides beside my front door.

On Halloween, my roommate and I threw a party!!  

We had LOTS of food…

…And candy for all!!   (even if we only had ONE trick-or-treater!)

Now time to get serious.  I have had a few major thoughts in my head that I want to share.  Warning:  they are in no way connected to one another.

• There is a group of children in my neighborhood that like to play in the middle of the road.  (yes, I know, their mothers obviously did not teach them not to play in the street…) They play a game that involves a ball and them standing in a circle.  This group is comprised of about seven little boys, and one little girl.  I have noticed a trend:  every time I drive by, they pass the ball to the little girl, and she holds it like she is in charge until I have passed.  I love the fact that this little girl leads this pack of boys.  
• I am tired of men preaching to young girls about modesty without saying anything about the pervertedness of young men.  Yes, I (obviously) believe that women should dress modestly, but I also believe that we should not be afraid to look nice.  When women dress up, they should not feel like they are pieces of meat to be gawked at.  It is one thing to appreciate a woman’s beauty, but it is another to treat her a certain way b/c she looks “hot.”  Also, sometimes I am afraid to wear certain things, even if they are modest, because of perverted comments I have heard men say.  This should not be the case, either.  Ok, enough ranting
• Last, but most important to me:   Last Links to Lee

As most of you know, I am graduating soon.  very soon.  like, 40 days soon.  (ok, 40 days and 40 nights like my dad pointed out — just call me Noah)  As I was talking to one of my very good friends today, she told me that I should make one of those chain things we used to make in grade school to count down the days until Christmas, only count down until graduation.   I am pretty sure she was at least half-way joking, but I got creative and ran with it.   Not only did I make one of these chains, but on each one, I wrote something to “do.”  Some are simply things to pack, others are thank you letters to write, and still other links remind me to cherish a specific moment.  I really think this will help me not take these last 40 days lightly.  Here is a pic of my Last Links to Lee.

too. much. writing.   non. stop. studying.   must. keep. going.

Hello my dear readers!  

Lots has happened in the last week since I posted last.  I know that was terrible grammar, but that is how I feel right now.  Blogging is the last thing I should be doing right now, but I am looking at it as a type of therapy.  Either that or a warm up for all of the writing I have to do in the next two days!  

22 whether you like it or not!  

Let’s start off with the important event of the past week:  my birthday.  :)  Yesterday I turned 22.  22 years I have been on this earth.  22 years of breathing.  22 years of learning.  22 years of growing.  and 22 years of worship.  It’s crazy to think about it, really.  But what is even crazier, is that I am looking for a real job.  But I will get to that in a minute.  

Friday was my “weekday” birthday.  On Friday I received flowers from my family.  They were GORGEOUS!     I also received a shower of birthday cards!!  I got one from each of my bosses, one from the rents, one from buckle, and TWO from my grandma!!  TWO!  How awesome is that?!  She is great.  It was a great day, and I really felt loved and appreciated.  

On Saturday, I hopped in a car with some women I love and rode down to Emory to use their library.  It was great spending time with every single one of them.  And lunch at Everybody’s Pizza with the crew was perfect.  After spending a couple of hours in Pitt’s Theological Library, we hit up Steak ‘n Shake to get me a milkshake!  mmmmmmm.   It was goooood.  haha.  

Sunday was lovely.  I woke up earlier than I had to and so I read a chapter in my new book, Gifted to Lead: The Art of Leading as a Woman in the Church by Nancy Beach.  It was phenomenal.  And yes, I bought a book for my birthday.  It actually makes me incredibly happy.  :)     Then, my roommate made waffles for breakfast! YUM!!!  [funny birthday story:  My mom called me when she got up and her and my dad sang to me!  Ok, that is not the funny part.  After they sang, my mom was talking to me and said something along the lines of, "You're in the double digits now."   I should have said so many funny things, but I was so thrown off, I simply said nothing.  :)]    Then it was off to church.  Church was good, and I sat by some pretty cool people.  :)  Then I went to Olive Garden for lunch, and it was fantastic –both the food and the company!!!  I should also mention that they sang to me…..lol.   After a quick stop at the mall to pick up a little something, it was home for nap time!    Before I knew it, it was time for dinner!!   Chili’s was great!  Although, my stomach didn’t agree with the salsa I ate . . . oh well!  When they brought out the ice cream, they don’t sing, so one of my dear friends stood up and got everyone’s attention and they all sang to me!  It was hilarious.   Then it was off to play Nertz!!   It was a lot of fun, even though, I didn’t win!  …  I know!  lol.   All in all it was a great, relaxing, fun day!   Thank you to all who helped make it that way!   I loved all of the cards, phone calls, text messages, and facebook messages!!!   

Ok, onto not so fun topics.  

First, I want to mention that I have been working on my resume, looking for a real job.  I cannot describe the feeling to you, but I will attempt to.  I am growing up — soon there will be no more college, no more procrastination, no more papers, no more  mom sending me money, no more lazy (I do work hard, when there is work to do, fyi.) student worker jobs, etc.   There will be more bills to pay, tougher decisions to make, etc.  I think what scares me the most is the fact that I can do anything I want after December 13.  I think they call it freedom, but it scares me to death sometimes.  I will not have the next four months of my life planned out a week into the semester.  In fact, I will not even have a semester to plan.  I have to make my own plan.  College will be done.  Do you understand the way I am feeling yet?  

I am really praying about it, and I have some ideas about my future, but that does not make it any less frightening.  

Ok, it’s time for me to focus.  Warm-up/therapy time is over now.  

Love you all,

Katie

I am sure many of you have been wondering about how I spent this past weekend, and others are impatiently waiting to hear the details.  (did you sense the sarcasm?)  :)  Well, here goes …

On Friday morning, I started to have some heartburn.  It gradually progressed, until I got to class.  While I was sitting in class, the pain rapidly increased.  I was in so much pain, it was making me sick to my stomach.  Needless to say, I left class early.  (Which I HATE doing!)

I went to my boss and asked her for some more tums, and after walking around for a few min, I still did not feel any better.  By this point, it was almost noon, and for those of you who know Lee, you know that the health clinic closes from 12-1 everyday.  So, instead of going home and having to come back to campus, I just sat in the office, in pain, for the next hour.  Then my very good friend (we will leave her nameless here, as I do not have her permission, and this is the WORLD wide web…haha) drove me over to the health clinic.  They told me to take 300 mg of zantac (which is like, 4x the normal dose).  So, I did.  And two hours later, no difference.  Still excruciating pain.  So, I called the health clinic and they told me to go to the E.R.  So, I called my mom, and she agreed.  So, I called my “Cleveland Mom” (who, by the way, is the BEST mom-away-from-mom EVER!) and I asked her to take me to the ER.   So, I think it was like 5:30 or 6, not really sure, when we arrived at the hospital.  It was not much longer (which was another MIRACLE!) before they called me back.  That probably had something to do with the fact that I was having chest pains…   Anyway, they did a lot of tests, and took a very long time to do them.  They took blood out of one arm (which is bruising ) and put an iv in the other.   Apparently I was dehydrated (hmmm, maybe this was because I had been there for 4 hours and they hadn’t offered me a drink?!), so they gave me fluids through the iv.  The doctor came in and said that the tests came back negative, and that I “probably didn’t get enough zantac.”  How can 300 mg not be enough?!  Anyway, they gave me some strong meds through the iv, and before I knew it, I was very very very tired.  lol.  But don’t worry, I didn’t get to go home yet.  They thought it was necessary to give me ANOTHER giant bag of fluids before I could leave.   So, after another hour and a half of laying there miserable, I finally got to put my jeans back on and go home!  This was around 11:30 I think.  [Funny sidenote: when I was walking into the house, I almost ran into the bush.  haha.]   I was supposed to rest, obviously.  But let me tell you, that is not an easy thing to do after two giant bags of fluids, people!  Every 2 hours, sometimes less, I had to get up and empty my poor bladder.  lol.  Well, one of those times, I was also sick to my stomach, and I wasn’t up for eating anything all day.  So, I was really weak and stayed in bed all day, because I wasn’t capable of much else.  Sunday I woke up feeling much better, and ready for a shower.  (I know, I felt sorry for those who had to be within 10 feet of me…)  So, I did just that, and I also ate a little bit and drank as much as I could.  And today I am feeling even better.  Although, I am ready for bed and it is only 7:30 … lol.  

I forgot to mention another thing the doctor ordered (and I am too tired to go back and fit it in … lol):  a bland diet.  Yes, this means I must abandon my trusty friend Dr. Pepper once again.  And I cannot have tomatoes or red sauce or spicy foods (which means no enchiladas for me!).   AND, I cannot have fried or greasy foods (which means no Zaxby’s…)  very, very sad day.  

I would like to thank all of you who prayed for me, and who are still praying for me. I really appreciate it!!  

Love you all,

Katie

…is my di-plo-ma.  (to be sung to the tune of “my two front teeth” but seeing as how I am not in need of two front teeth, I just want to graduate.  However, in order to do that, I must get through today.  and tomorrow. and the next two months and 10 days.  

This week has been …well … trying.  I had an exam yesterday and one today.  I have studied so much this week it makes me sick.  Actually, it has caused great pain for my brain.  (I also have a massive headache right now which makes everything worse.  AND I am really crabby )

Saturday morning I have to take an exam – a senior major field test exam.  at 8:45 a.m.  Can’t I just have a weekend off?  Come on, people!  

Then, Sunday night is the beginning of convocation.  Convocation involves a service Sunday night, Monday night, Tuesday night, and Wednesday night.  Students are required to attend 3 of the 4.  My question is, what is the penalty for not going at all?

A week from Sunday is my birthday!  I have asked God for a birthday present already:  I asked if I could have a day of no stress on this day.  I think God will come through  

A week from Tuesday I have a philosophy midterm and a paper due.  A week from Wednesday I have another paper due.  I am also preaching that evening (yay!).  

THEN — FALL BREAK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    I get to see Shannon and Micah, preach at a youth service, attend a youth convention with  my home church, and JUST HAVE FUN!   What more could a girl ask for?!   

On a brighter note, I mailed my application for an absentee ballot today!  :) 

On an even brighter note, I saw Shane Claiborne today!      He is quite an inspiring man.  I wish everyone could meet him.  And that everyone who met him would live a life of selfless love like he does.  He told the story of Mother Teresa’s feet, and how they were deformed.  He then told us why.  When they would receive a donation of shoes, she would always dig through them to find the pair that was in the worst condition. She did not want to have better shoes than anyone else –she wanted OTHERS to have the good ones.  Years of wearing terrible shoes caused her feet to deform.  THAT, my friends, is incredible love and self-sacrifice.  

Shane also talked about how Mother Teresa lived what she believed.  He gave the example of being pro-life.  She talked with women in tough situations and told them that if they could not keep the baby themselves, or if they did not want to keep the baby, she would take it.  She had many children she had raised that called her mom.  What an inspiration!  

Ok, that is all my brain can handle for now.  I can’t even come up with a conclusion.  

Love you all!

Katie