...rambling...

                                                     Source: imgfave.com via Katie on Pinterest

It's so nice to finally have some free time to sit here and blog to y'all about life stuff.
Like, serious stuff.
What has God been teaching me lately?
Two weeks ago, I probably wouldn't have been able to answer that question.
But God used a very special Bible/book study to reveal some much needed work that needed to be done.
(the book is His Chosen Bride by Jennifer Lamp. I highly recommend it!)
The last chapter we read in this study was on discipline.
So guess what I've been convicted of?
Yep! You got it. Discipline, or in this case, lack thereof.
My eyes were opened to just how lazy I've been lately.
And it's not just in one area. Oh no, it's the whole shabang.
Everything from getting up in the morning to focusing in school to reading my Bible every morning to cleaning. That's just to name a few.
I also feel like I've been slacking at work too.
I was reading in 2 Timothy and when I came to chapter 2 I read that God calls us to be hard workers.
HARD.WORKERS
How is God glorified through laziness and grumpy attitudes?
I'll answer that for you: He's not.
We dishonor Him.
I do NOT want to live a life that's dishonoring to my Savior.
But I can't just do that by myself.
I've been praying that God will give me a spirit of discipline and HARD WORK.
I've realized that this can all be helped if I could just get up in the morning.
It seems like no matter what time I go to bed, either really early or really late, I just can't bring myself to climb out of bed. Especially in the winter. My bed is warm and cozy, and the outside world is, well, not.
I know that this above all needs work.
Progress is slow and some days are better than others.
But God is good, and I know that He will help me become more and more like Him.
Another thing that I've realized is that home schooling requires a totally different type of discipline.
I knew that already, but it's different when you're actually in it.
Coming back to home schooling after three years of going to public school has been a tough transition and I have to say I don't quite have it down yet.
I love the many benefits of home schooling, but sometimes it's a bit overwhelming.
Again, God is good, and I have seen His hand guide me along.

Here's the verse from 2 Timothy that really convicted me: (v. 15) Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

Seek God.
Always.

Love,
Katie :)

A Little Catching Up

It's so hard to watch blogging fall farther and farther behind.
Ah well, such is life I suppose.
Sometime soon here I'm hoping to be able to write a nice long detailed post. :)

Here's a cool video to keep you company in my absence ;)
(and yes I do realize Christmas is over....is there a rule about when you're supposed to STOP?)



Some little tidbits of news you might enjoy:
- I got my little sister hooked on Hannah Montana.
- I got two Christmas items in the mail yesterday: one from Alaska and one from Ohio. Both of them were from dear CollegePlus! sisters.
- Last night, one of my wonderful "older sisters" got ENGAGED!!!! I'm so excited for the happy couple :D :D :D
- Spending a lot of time with my family recently has shown just how hilarious each member really is.

Happy Wednesday!!

Love,
Katie :)

Boxing Day

Christmas is, well, over.
Have a wonderful Boxing Day.



Love,
Katie :)

What a Wonderful Christmas

                                                     Source: typetypetypeshop.com via Katie on Pinterest

What a wonderful Christmas this has been.
And it isn't even over yet. :)
It's been celebrated with my wonderful family and friends.
I'm so thankful for everything my Savior has given me.
This year I'm especially thankful for the gift of salvation.
It's become so very precious and real to me.
Thank you, Jesus, that You came to earth to die for sinners like me. Thank you that you came so that you may suffer in this world of sin WITHOUT sin, and that you are ever interceding for us. May I continue to grow in my knowledge of you.
I hope y'all are having a wonderful CHRISTmas season.
Here's one of my favorite Christmas songs ever.
May God be glorified in everything!



Love,
Katie :)

A Wonderful Combination

Here's The Piano Guys' newest video :)
It's a Christmas song, so it's a WONDERFUL COMBINATION of these amazing musicians and Christmas music.
Enjoy!



Love,
Katie :)

This and That

                                                                 Source: google.com via Katie on Pinterest

This blog has been quiet for a while and I apologize!!
I'm still trying to get into the swing of things.
Life is still crazy between school and work and now getting ready for Christmas.
I have a government final tonight that I need to study for.
Grandparents' company to prepare for.
Christmas cookies to bake.
I could go on and on, BUT I'll save you the trouble.

Life here is pretty cold in the 12th coldest city in the United States. (yeah, that's right. 12TH COLDEST! if you don't believe me...look it up)
Thankfully the snow melted.
It needs to come back on Christmas Eve, and leave again on Boxing Day.

Here's some cool links for you to take a look at :)

My friend Ruthiey blogs about drama and how it actually can be a good thing! (props to all drama queens)

Sunday night my church had a night of Christmas music in which my family sang, my brothers' band performed, and the Nativity scene  was reenacted.

Hope you're having a great week!!

Love,
Katie :)

Evolution of a Christmas Tree

Whoever gave this to me knew me awfully well :D

Our house looks beautiful!!!
My dad just put up Christmas lights on top of our TV and it looks so pretty!!!!
All of us kids have Christmas lights in our room and the lights display outside is simply gorgeous.
I would much rather have classic white lights than colored ones.
One my friend's dad said that colored lights (especially the flashing ones) tend to look like a Vegas casino sign.
I have to agree.
Christmas reminds me of pure, white snow.
White lights capture that.
Colored ones do NOT.
It's just like -
OH MY EYES!
Classy is just always better in my opinion.

Love,
Katie :)

School and Christmas and such

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I love Christmas.
Just not winter.
(that is my quote of the day.)
A friend of mine from work was actually supposed to come over and bake Christmas cookies with me today, but unfortunately, busy-ness pushed it until next week.
Baking Christmas cookies is one of my favorite Christmas pastimes.
My mom gives us the day off school in order to stock our pantry full of home baked cookie goodness.
We have lots of fun cutting out snowmen, angels, stars, etc., and decorating them to our hearts' content.
It's a wonderful tradition that I wouldn't give up for the world :)

School is crazy town right now.
It involves lots of freshmen in college type stuff.
Boring lectures where they teach you "vital" skills.
Math and physics are really hard.
I can't wait until I can start an actual routine.
I'm still waiting for that part of the school year to kick in.
On the plus side, I submitted my very first assignment for CollegePlus! today!!
I was pretty excited about that!

I hope you're having a wonderful pre-Christmas season :D

Love,
Katie :)

Cellos and Star Wars?

If you've read my blog even for a short period of time, you know that I LOVE The Piano Guys.
Well, a while ago, they made an announcement that they were going to make a CELLO WARS video.
And I was just a wee bit excited :D
So I've been waiting and waiting for this video to come out.
IT'S FINALLY HEEEEEEEERE!!!
It's even cooler than I thought it would be!
Without further ado............The Piano Guys presents Cello Wars!!!!!!!!



Love,
Katie :)

HOORAY for Christmas music. BOO for snow.

It's snowing at my house.
Yuck.
I'm all for the prettiness of snow. Who doesn't love that?
But it's pretty for the first day.
Then you go out in it.
It's cold.
It's wet.
It's cold.
It gets everywhere.
It's cold.
It gets muddy and gross.
It's co-
You get the picture.

But I still have to give a shout out to Christmas music.
I get more and more excited with every song I hear.
I grew up listening to Michael W. Smith Christmas music more than any other artist.
Listening to his Christmas albums each year brings back a lot of really fond memories.
I got to go see his Christmas concert last year with my parents.
It was UNBELIEVABLE!!
This song is one of my absolute favorites.
Music like this is my favorite. It's so beautiful :)
Enjoy. (and if you live down south be so very thankful that you live where the snow never comes)



Love,
Katie :)

CHRISTMAS MUSIC!!!!!!

It's FINALLY time to brush the dust off all your Christmas albums and rock out to some of the best music out there!!
I was especially excited when Michael Buble came out with a Christmas album this year.
He's my favorite :)
I'm hoping to post a bunch of my all time favorite Christmas carols (and maybe some which aren't so carol-like) in the upcoming weeks.
I've had this song stuck in my head for the past three days :P
I'm sure it'll be stuck in yours too after you listen to it.
So
You're welcome!





Love,
Katie :)

P.S.: Two of my college friends are now courting!!!!!!!! SO happy for them!!

ROAD TRIP

As part of my birthday celebration, my friend Lindsey and I went on a road trip to Sioux Falls (about 80 miles north) to go shopping!
We had a blast!!! It included lots of laughing, talking, shopping (duh), forgetting my wallet at home, borrowing money, laughing so hard you choke on your supper, singing to Michael Buble, and ending the day by totally owning our government debate.
This birthday was the best ever and I'm so thankful to all who helped me celebrate!! :D
Here's some pics of the trip yesterday:

Lindsey was the official road trip driver!

LOVED these heels!!! They made me about six inches taller. :D

Do they know how to spell Merry Christmas in Germany?

Adorable little puppy sitting in the back of an adorable little bug

T.J. Maxx and Charlotte Russe (yes!!!!)

On our way home!

Road trip soundtrack (happy)

This was pretty much the coolest thing ever.....

Two of my favorite purchases. I am in love with all things Snoopy. So, a Snoopy shirt and stationary. win.

I hope you're having a wonderful week!!!

Love,
Katie :)

Thanksgiving In Pictures

Thanksgiving this year was BEYOND wonderful :)
I have so much to be thankful for, and I got to spend with some of the best people on earth: my family.
God is so good and has blessed me beyond words.
So here's the story...(in pictures of course. I apologize for the blurriness of them. They were taken with my iPod :P)

We headed out to my granparents Wednesday night, and this picture does NOT do the beautiful sunset justice!

To celebrate my grandparents' Swedish heritage...

...we stopped at a Swedish grocery store in Oakland, NE (the Swedish capital of NE)...

...to get Knackebrod. (it's like a HUGE cracker).

When we arrived, my grandma had pie waiting for us!

My daddy - happy with his pie and coffee!

And since some of us think that pie is the worst dessert ever invented, there were also cookies. My grandma makes the best cookies over. Hands down. No questions asked.

My baby cakes kept a close eye on ALLLL the food!

We hung out with my grandparents and talked and ate and watched basketball. (Ryan and Tyler and I stayed up with my grandpa and watched Duke win the Maui Invitational :D)

Enjoying yummy food and awesome people.

Meddie and I got bored and started taking pictures <3

Thanksgiving morning dawned bright and warm. So most of us decided to go on a walk :)

I came home to find the football game on....

....and the table set!!!!!

LET THEM EAT CAKE, er, THANKSGIVING DINNER!

As we got ready to leave that night....

....poor Cody got so nervous that he'd get left behind. (it was rather cute to watch)

So that was my Thanksgiving :)
I'm so thankful for many things that I don't even know where to start!
But what I'm most grateful for this year is the wonderful gift of salvation purchased by our Savior.
And that He chose ME to be His child...not by anything that I had done. He loved me and has a plan for me :)
God is good and I just can't praise Him enough!!!

(I worked Black Friday, 1-10 PM....it sounded horrible, but God's grace did MORE than enough. I couldn't have asked for more :) )
Have a blessed Sunday!

Love,
Katie :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

                                             Source: elephantonawire.tumblr.com via Katie on Pinterest

Birthdays are just awesome :D :D
This week two of my good friends from CollegePlus! (CP) are turning 18 and MY 18th birthday is on Sunday.
I actually already got my birthday present which was a roundtrip ticket to California in January to meet some of my CP friends in person!!! (I'm just a TAD bit excited!!)
So a very happy birthday to Kluane (check out her photography AND her "life" or whatever you wanna call it blogs :D), Collin, AND to myself of course :D
Hope you had a great Monday!!

Love,
Katie :)

song of the week: Group 1 Crew - iContact

Wow

                                               Source: beautiful-portals.tumblr.com via Katie on Pinterest

I'm not often left speechless.
This morning in church, I was.
This past week has been busy and stressful.
This coming week will be ten million times more so.
I feel in over my head, like I'm drowning.
Sinking
Deeper
And
Deeper.
God has been good, but I still feel like I can't get out of this deep dark cavern.
I've lost sleep over it.
It's just constantly on my mind.
BUT THIS MORNING!
Oh I cannot even begin to express how I.M.P.E.C.C.A.B.L.E God's timing is!
Pastor Sowers prays before the sermon, and THEE first words out of his mouth are:
"Do you ever feel like you're in over your head?"
O_O
Ok, God...I'm listening.
God just really spoke to me through 2 Corinthians 3:1-6.
It was exactly what I needed to hear.
I was floored.
In that passage, Paul speaks on relying on God to be sufficient for us.
Oh how I needed that reminder!
Even when we complain about how we're incapable of doing something, God comes gently and tell us, I will take care of you.
God's grace is sufficient.
It might not look pretty, but He is there.
Every
Step
Of
The
Way.
God is so good, you guys!
TRUST HIM!!!!
I would appreciate any and all prayers for this week :)

Love,
Katie :)

Link Love

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Oh it's SOOO nice to be back and to know this week is up!! :D
Here's some links to different stuff that made my week!

My little sis Bugg wrote this post on Lamentations 3. Simply incredible. I cried.

My brothers bought the new Switchfoot album this week and it's EPIC. My favorite song is Vice Verses

Have a great weekend y'all!!

Love,
Katie :)

Some Very Important Announcements

The first would be that it's my twin brothers' 15th birthday!
Click here to see pics and see how great they are! :D
I love you, Rye Bread and T-Bird!
You guys are some of my bestest friends and I'm so thankful for both of you :)

Also, I'm taking a break from all things online this week, so there will be no blog posts for awhile.
I love you all and you'll hear from me soon!
(prayers would be much appreciated!)
God is good.
Have a great week!

Love,
Katie :)

Sickly Talented Guys

I've often posted videos of The Piano Guys.
My brothers and I like to refer to them as the Sickly Talented Guys.
Each video progressively gets better and more impressive.
Enjoy!



Love,
Katie :)

The Sister I Always Prayed For

                                                              Source: desi44.com via Katie on Pinterest

Ever since I can remember, I wanted a sister.
I imagine doing her hair and her nails.
I imagined us staying up into the wee hours of the night giggling about who knows what.
Every time my mom would tell me she was having another baby, oh how I would pray that it would be a girl!!
But it never was. >.< (don't get me wrong, brothers are awesome!)
Life went on, but I still dreamed of having a little sister.
Pretty soon I was in high school and the little sister dream pretty much went down the drain.
I mean, I would be going to college and I would barely get to know my little sister even if I did get one.
And then, our family decided to adopt.
A girl of course!
Oh how happy I was!!
I was FINALLY going to get a sister!
I loved my little sister even before I knew who she was.
She and I clicked from the day she arrived home.
She and I are sisters.
I HAVE A SISTER!
And the sister I have is one who didn't have a future.
She was an orphan.
But she's my sister.
I love her to death and am so thankful for her everyday.
This video shows something we do quite often.
She LOVES to be tickled and every time that I tickle her, she says in her adorable little accent, "You funny, Katie!" ;)
I love you, Peaches, and I'm so thankful that God gave me YOU as my sister. <3



Love,
Katie :)

Proud Picture

I love oak trees.
I love black and white photos.
'Nuff said :D

Love,
Katie :)

p.s. Life is crazy busy right now, so blog posts might be scarce. :P
Make sure to check out all the blogs on my blog list if you get tired of waiting.

Happy Monday!

Does anybody else feel like this today?
I think this is me EVERY Monday.



(no book this week...SOWWY)

Love,
Katie :)

song of the week: Relient K - The One I'm Waiting For

Orphan Sunday...What Does it Mean?

 The face of my beloved little sister before she was officially ours. 

That is the face of a child who has no hope.

 And this is my adorable little sissy seven and a half months later.

She's part of a family who lavishes love on her everyday.

The change in her has been incredible.

Today was orphan Sunday.
You might say, "So what? What's so important about orphan Sunday?"
I'll tell you why it's important.
It's important because God says it's important.
Our hearts need to break with what breaks His.
The vulnerable breaks His heart.
In James, God defines religion as this: "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world." (James 1:27)
It's SO important to learn about orphans and how we can serve them.
Through that, we can learn more about God and what He wants and what HE cares about.
As Christians, we can't stand idly by.
God calls us to reach out.
We have been adopted as children of GOD!!!
How can we just sit around and do nothing?
How can we just have an indifferent, apathetic attitude?
We.Must.Act.
And not everybody's outreach towards orphans will look the same.
Not everyone is called to adopt.
My family was.
Some are called to support financially.
And others are just called to be prayer warriors.
No matter how you choose to act, YOU ARE CALLED TO ACT.
As your sister in Christ, I BEG you to act!
You have been adopted.
Go and share the good news of that with those who have no hope.
I have a former orphan who is now my sister.
I know an orphan's story that once had a very bleak outlook, but was changed by being adopted into a family who could share THEIR love and more importantly, God's.
God's love does make a difference.
Please, I beg you to pray for what God might have for you.


Orphan Sunday 2011 from Summit Crossing on Vimeo.



Watch these videos and let God move :)
(the second one we sang twice in church this morning)
God is so powerful.
God is so good.

Love,
Katie :)

Serious Fun

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This post has some serious and some fun.
Hence, serious fun. >.<
Kind of like this puppy.
He looks SO serious, but he makes me giggle.

Serious first....
My VERY dear friend Ruthiey wrote this post yesterday, and I was just floored.
Click here to see it.

Ok...now for the fun :D
Last night, my friend Lindsey were sitting in her car and chatting after class.
We had the radio on and the song "Haven't Met You Yet" by Michael Buble came on.
Being the silly little girls we are, we blared it and sang at the top of our lungs.
If you've never heard it before, well, you need to!!!
Click here to listen to it....this music video is AWESOME!

That's all for today folks :)

Love,
Katie :)

Why I LOVE Classical Music

My favorite classical musicians, The Piano Guys, came out with a new video this last week.
As usual, it's TOTALLY legit. :D
These kinds of songs make me wish that I had a soundtrack to my life made up of classical music.
I mean, whenever there was a monumental moment, you could have dramatic music playing.
Wouldn't that just make life that much cooler?!
But anyway....
Classical music also makes me wish I had pursued a stringed instrument.
One of my dreams was to play in a professional symphony.
Unfortunately, that stayed a dream.
So now, I just have to content in being in awe at the wonderful gift of classical music.
Without further ado, here is the awesomeness of The Piano Guys. :)




Love,
Katie :)

Monday is Book Day

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Idols of the Heart
Chapter 8: Longing After God
In this chapter, the source of our desires is discussed.
Everyone has desires and longings, but where did they come from?
When God created Adam and Eve, He gave them desires.
But after the fall of man, these turned into sinful desires.
We all have desires. Some are God-given and others are from the flesh.
Even after we have been set free from sin, we still desire after things MORE than we desire God.
It's not wrong to desire after things, we just have to make sure the desires are good and that they take their rightful place AFTER God.

Questions:
1) What would it be to desire after God alone? (see Psalm 42: 1-2, 143:6, Isaiah 26:8-9, Luke 9:23-25)
A: God is our life. Everything about us will scream that we are His. Nothing else should matter except Him. He needs to always be our main focus in everything we do.

2) God's joy rests in fellowship with Himself and with His people. How does this change your view of God?
A: Our God isn't a far off God. We can have a personal relationship with Him, a joyful one. He is always with us and takes delight in His children. What a wonderful thing to rejoice in!!!

3) What does John 8:44 say about the source of ungodly desires?
A: We were in bondage to sin and Satan. Even if we have been freed from sin, it still remains within us and tempts us with sinful desires.

4) Prayerfully question yourself. What do you desire and long for? IS this a holy desire that's in the right place? Is it a holy desire that's too important to you? Does Jesus occupy the first place in this desire? In other words, are you willing to give it up for Him?
A: I desire for the approval of other people. In a way, it can be a good thing if you desire other people to see Christ in you. BUT, more often than not, this is a very selfish desire of mine. It's hard for me to rest in the approval of God, and it's something I need to rip out and give to God.

5) Is there anything on the previous list that you aren't willing to sacrifice to God? Can you see how this desire may function as a god for you?
A: If I'm thinking about it more than God, than it's a god I've made for myself. Constantly changing who I am to suit other people rather than being who I'm called to be in Christ.

Happy Monday everyone!!
Long after Him.
He will satisfy you.

Love,
Katie :)

song of the week: newsboys - Dance