Tuesday, November 9, 2010

the race.

I am in a race. A race until the end of the semester. The finish line: December 15.
I am ready to cross that line. However, I know this is only the first of many finish lines. As the title of my blog tells, life is a journey. This journey I am on has lots of mini marathons that I have been purposed to finish. One being undergrad. I do not know what marathon God has next for me. This race has been full of lessons, ups, and downs, new friendships, death, new life, ministry, and love. Perhaps tomorrow I will know more about the next race God has registered me for. Until then I will keep running the race...

out of shape,

Katie

Sunday, October 31, 2010

7 week bucket list?

I have 6 and a half weeks left before I graduate from IWU, so I decided I should make a bucket list.
Keeping in mind I have 6 weeks to complete this, they are not grand, but rather more symbolic and sentimental ideas.

- go inside President Smith's house
- go swing dancing in Indy
- take a trip to chi-town
- go to an IWU basketball game
- have ReaLife kid dates with the Moores
- celebrate Christmas with the girls
- spend an evening with Miss Anne & her family
- hang out at U of I for a weekend

I am already thinking about my goals for when we move back to Quincy but I'll save those for later...

Katie

Friday, October 29, 2010

they're here.

We got our wedding photos today! Kory got them in the mail and waited for me to get home from babysitting to look at them...besthusbandever.
here are just a few favorites....
((more will be posted on facebook soon))










all photos courtesy of Samantha Danielle Photography www.samanthadanielle.com

Sunday, October 24, 2010

transition.

Is life after school the way it seems?
Do you just get to leave work and not think about it til 8am the next day?
While I am sure my expectations of life after undergrad are completely off, I like to day dream about when I get to come home from work and just relax. Not stay up working on a paper, or even worse, do busy work just to get that A.
I like to think about when we move back and get settled I'll finally be able to join a small group I know I can commit to, become a "Big Sister" and not have to leave her every few months, and just have a normal life. We will actually get to have dinner together at night and go to bed at a regular time.
    Oh, the joys of having so many expectations and plans when I should be living in the present. That is becoming more and more difficult each time we go back to Quincy. It is automatically assumed that we hate life in Marion and just want to be there. This is not true at all. I love it here, I love it there. I love the friendships and community I have in both places. It is like we have two different worlds that we constantly go back and forth to.
   This is a beautiful season in our life that God has given us to enjoy the best of both worlds. I would have never guessed I would get to experience my sister's first semester away at school with her. Kory is loving spending time with the boys for all of their last months in Marion. We are blessed. God has prepared this windy way for us for a reason and I will embrace it.

in the moment,
Katie

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Senior.

    It was a great weekend. Even though I was fearing for Kory's life all weekend due to him spending 32 hours in a moving vehicle in three days, it was great...and he is alive :)
             The weekend practically started Thursday with all the homecoming festivities. Its my senior year and even though I am married I still get to have fun and be a college student (best of both worlds, if ya ask me!) My "bro" Chris is on the homecoming court so Kristen, Karli and I (his 3 beloved sisters) went to support him at the coronation. 
       Then we went to the most bizarre thing that IWU does: "Homecoming Torch Run and Rally." At 8 p.m. on a Thursday night all the athletes ride on fire trucks/floats downtown where they gather for a "rally." Then at 9:30 at night they drive back, sirens, honking, throwing candy to the non-existent children who couldn't be seen anyways. That being said, we had a blast. I am just enjoying being a senior. We cheered for all the senior athletes and made fun of IWU's traditions. Then we went to the best thing at IWU...the bonfire at good ole President Smith's house. While I have never been inside --- this is on my list of things to accomplish by december -- I love hanging out in his backyard eating a caramel apple next to a ginormous fire.
Here is a throw-back pic from freshman year Homecoming:


Senior year:

still not the same as high school,
Katie

Friday, October 1, 2010

K & J.

     A common saying in Christianity is "the power of prayer". I have heard this, spoken this but it wasn't until recently that it began to truly ring true in my personal walk with Christ. I praise God for allowing me to attend the Christian university that I do and at the beginning of each semester we have Summit week, which is like a revival. This year God challenged me in my prayer life. To believe in the gift of prayer. This was sparked by our cousins Kal and Jad Mitchell. A week or two before our wedding Kory and I were challenged to begin praying each day for the boys, I for Kal and he for Jad. They were my daily reminder to cast all my cares and worries to the heavenly Father. 
      These tiny conjoined twins that were never able to experience earth, but were given the GIFT of life abundant in heaven with their almighty father truly ministered to me. Their struggles and challenges they faced called me into a spirit of constant prayer. Their Mom & Dad's strength and faith in the midst of their crisis left me with no choice but to praise Him. I know they have left an eternal impact on many hearts and lives and I thank God for using Kal and Jad to teach me to believe in the power of prayer. 
   There are days when I go to pray for John and Shawna and I just don't have the words so I lean on Romans 8:26-27 and allow the Spirit to lift them up on my behalf:
"The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will."
http://forthegloryofgod.tv  -----> watch the memorial service here.
Thankful.
Katie

Friday, July 30, 2010

Our God.

I am in awe of the God I serve. A God that loves me so much that He would create someone just for me in order to experience a glimpse of the love He has for me. Want to know more about this God? Chris Tomlin has an amazing new song: 
Listen Here
But I warn you, it's going to make you want to jump out of your seat in praise :)


Water you turned into wine, opened the eyes of the blind there's no one like you none like You
Into the darkness you shine out of the ashes we rise there's no one like you none like You
Our God is greater, our God is stronger, God you are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, Awesome in Power, Our God! Our God


Into the darkness you shine out of the ashes we rise there's no one like you none like You
Our God is greater, our God is stronger, God you are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, Awesome in Power, Our God! Our God
Our God is greater, our God is stronger, God you are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, Awesome in Power, Our God! Our God

And if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us, then what could stand against
And if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us, then what could stand against
What could stand against.

Our God is greater, our God is stronger, God you are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, Awesome in Power, Our God! Our God
Our God is greater, our God is stronger, God you are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, Awesome in Power, Our God! Our God
And if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us, then what could stand against
And if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us

And if our God is with us, then what could stand against
Then what could stand against??
Our God is greater, our God is stronger, God you are higher than any other.
Our God is Healer, Awesome in Power,
Our God! Our God!
Our God is greater, our God is stronger, God you are higher than an
y other.
Our God is Healer, Awesome in Power, Our God! Our God! 



Isn't our God AWESOME??

Katie

Saturday, July 17, 2010

the lake.

Last weekend I spent 3 days with 6 amazing girls in a condo at Lake of the Ozarks. it.was.fabulous. I enjoyed every single minute. From (finally) getting to lay out on a raft in the pool, to dancing the night away (twice!) to spending a day on a yacht (literally) and just having fun with the girls. We did have some pretty awesome guy friends also there for the weekend and we all had a blast. A big thank you to "uncle mark" and "aunt kim" for their amazing hospitality.

Our first night out we went to walmart and bought 25 yards (yes way more than we needed) of white ribbon to make sashes, not just for the 2 bachelorettes (Sarah & I) but for ALL of us! Everyone had something to celebrate - birthdays, graduations, and weddings. And boy did we celebrate :) It was so fun getting to share being a bachelorette with Sarah, not for long though..she will be Mrs. Byers tomorrow!

What a great month this has been.

here's to July 2011 3rd annual lake trip,

Katie

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Lists are my new best friend.

Since coming home from Marion in June I have been all things wedding. Between watching good friends get married to spending hours on theKnot.com to knowing every aisle by heart in Hobby Lobby I am still over my head in wedding stuff. But of course, I LOVE IT :)
 What I love even more is that in 23 days I will be married to my best friend! Yes, we are young, crazy, and maybe even stupid but we truly believe God has orchestrated all of this and that is all that matters.

So as I write my lists and check things off (I ordered Kory's wedding band today whoot whoot!!) I will continue breathing, and enjoying every minute.

Oh, and sorry blog, but I haven't forgotten about you. It's just I have 1192731937 other to-do items to check off.

checking my lists,

Katie

Saturday, May 22, 2010

4 months.

Who knew that only spending four months with someone can build a lasting friendship? Last weekend I was blessed to spend three days with my friend Rachel Van Someren who went to school with me at IWU our first semester. We had a great time catching up on life and I also got in some great girl time after living with the boys. 
Rach & I taking self-timer pics outside of Buca Di Beppo

We ate fabulous gluten-free PF Changs, watched silly shows on Bravo and Wedding network, caroused flea markets, watched two chick-flicks for the price of one ;) had Ivanhoes ice cream for dinner, and shopped. It was a wonderful weekend that made worth staying in Marion for a month to live with boys worth it :) THANKS RACHEL!


Right before she left on her mega bus back to Chicago :(


Monday, May 17, 2010

may

well it is the middle of May already and I haven't written yet. For this month I am living with 3 boys in a house in Marion. Kory moved out and I moved right in to his room! I go to my internship at Project Leadership from 8-4 and then work at the Boys & Girls Club from 4-9.

Some days are rough. I absolutely love my time at my internship though. The people I get to work with and the atmosphere at the office are just so great. It is fun yet purposeful work. They have really trusted me with some great projects. I am sure you will hear more about these later when I will be requesting votes for our non-profit for a grant.

check out our blog/facebook/twitter/website!! (can you tell I'm doing a social media campaign? :)
http://gcprojectleadership.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Project-Leadership
http://twitter.com/PLGrantCounty
www.projectleadership.org

I have enjoyed following my friends' World Impact trip in Uganda via their blog: http://iwuugandateam2010.blogspot.com/   while not a day goes by that I do not think of Swaziland & South Africa and pray God would send me back, it is amazing to pray for friends and relate to what they are experiencing. Love you Kristen, Lisa, & Kirsten!! Please, please join me in prayer for them as they are dealing with the British Airways strike - that they will get back to the U.S. and that it would be on schedule. [they were possibly going to have to come back a week early].

Also, please pray for my sister Karli as she has been dealing with being sick for 2 weeks now. She went back to school today though so praise God she is getting better!!

Last but not least...I can't not write about my Kory. He is in his 3rd week now at his new job @ The Crossing. He has connected with so many kids already and has been given a surprise opportunity to do ministry on tuesday nights with some youth down at 929. I just can't wait to see what all the Lord has in store for us in Quincy.

eat.sleep.work.repeat,

Katie

Saturday, April 24, 2010

where my heart is.

today my little sister is going to her senior prom. her senior pictures are finished. all thats left is graduation. Praise the Lord I will be home for that. I can't take missing anything else.
in a week my fiance will start his first ministry job at our home church. he will be experiencing something new every day.

....i will be in Marion...

i will be doing my best to love a lot of "extra grace required" kids without going insane. i'll be planning an event for a local non-profit, Project Leadership for my PR internship.

and then, i'll go home and finish planning our wedding.

I am in a season right now that is not so fun but a lot of lessons are being learned. my desire is to make this the song of my heart:
All of my life .:. In every season .:. You are still God .:. I have a reason to sing .:. I have a reason to worship.
okay. enough whining for one day. 
praying for perseverance,
Katie

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Decisions

I've been really bad at these lately.
Constantly second guessing. Even on little things like whether I should go home with Kory this weekend for Karli's prom and my friends bachelorrette party or stay here to study and write papers since finals is next week!

But the biggest is about this summer. I had planned all year since taking a job at the Boys and Girls club on staying here in Marion by myself this summer. Originally Kory and I had planned on living in Marion for a year or two to continue ministry. When the job offer opened at the Crossing God began to change our hearts and passions. While I do LOVE these kids in Marion and absolutely still have a passion for ReaLife my heart has been very torn. Financially it is irresponsible to live on my own in Marion this summer and travel home every-other weekend or sometimes every weekend for weddings and wedding showers. I constantly fear that I will be lonely and that this is not the right path for me.

My parents recently informed me that they were going to make this decision a whole lot easier and tell me to come home.

I know the bottom line is that I need to trust God to lead me in His paths. He knows the desires of my heart but also has the best plan for me!

Leaning on HIM,

Katie

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Signed, sealed, delivered.




This weekend was a big weekend for Kory and I. After weeks and hours of research, we decided on our honeymoon spot & resort finally! August 9th we are headed for JAMAICA to a brand new Resort. Since deciding I have probably looked at the website twice a day. Until Jesus comes back this may be the closest we get to heaven! Here are some pics so you can share in our enthusiasm!

We also decided on an apartment for next fall! It was a difficult process to find someone willing to do a six month lease but we found two good options and prayed about where God wanted us to live for our last few months in Marion. One was in an apartment complex 8 blocks from campus and the other was in a neighborhood across the street from campus. We felt that since we have such little time left here we should live in the neighborhood to not isolate ourselves from the community. I'm so excited to meet our neighbors and transform this apartment into our home!

We also finally finished our save the dates! Yay! They are officially in the mail :)

The next few weeks will be eventful as the sprint to the end of the semester has started. This weekend we are taking 50 kids from the Club to the Switchfoot concert at IWU and I will be doing interviews there as well for my radio class!

enjoying life,
Katie

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Home :)

For the first Spring Break ever, I am at home in Quincy. Its been so wonderful though spending time with family and of course making the usual friday night trip to Gem City :) Last night I got to watch the Olympics with my parents which is quite a treat - my mom saw Apollo Ohno was on and sprinted out of the kitchen to go watch him on the big TV. I ran to follow (watching her is almost as exciting as watching Apollo) and completely crashed on the slick hard wood floor! 
Later that night I got to see my friend Laura who is home for the weekend yay! 
Today my mom, sister and I went to the Sheila Walsh event at our church. It was a great morning/afternoon of teaching from the Word and learning how to trust in God.   I loved getting connected back into the Crossing and seeing some familiar faces. 


The wedding planning is in full swing this week! I went to the Bridal Expo today at the OLCC and was bombarded by photographers - which I already have an amazing one booked - but the event should have been called photography expo. Oh well I got to register for lots of free stuff, maybe Kory & I will win a free trip to Mexico :)


Tomorrow we are off to Alpha, IL to visit with my cousin Kristin and her precious baby Audrey and the rest of the Speer family. Can't wait to hear some baby talk!


winter-breakin' it,
Katie

Friday, January 29, 2010

yucky.

Thats how I feel today. My tummy hurts and it needs to be fed but nothing tastes good. I had to make a quick exit from the shower because I thought I was going to pass out since I am so weak. Now I sit on my sofa with a full bowl of cold soup, sprite, water, and crackers waiting to be devoured.
I am so thankful that I have nurturing housemates to mommy me and take care of me.
Friends marathon the rest of the day.

in a whining mood,

Katie

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Tyler Perry, Game Nights, and The Bachelor...what else could a girl ask for?

Friday night has become "date night" or at least "lets see each other night" for Kory and I this year. This past friday we went to our favorite place - Las Charreada's or better known as La Chas. Then he surprised me by renting the new Tyler Perry movie (I'm a HUGE fan) after telling me he was going to rent some action/war movie. Now, while I'm a huge supporter of his films, this was definitely not his best...just a warning, do not base your opinion off of "I can do bad all by myself" even the title is sub-par!

Saturday after a relaxing day my roommate and our girlfriends surprised my friend steph at work with an impromptu game night. We had so much fun "imagining if" Jake Pavelka, Vienna, and Umfundisi Jim Lo (our dean of chapel) were playing the game with us!

To back-track, on thursday I had off work so I spent 6 hours (yes I'm not the best with priorities at times) watching the first three episodes of this season's The Bachelor. I am hooked! I even looked up the spoilers... terrible idea! 
Monday night we got together to watch it after waiting 15 minutes so it could be Tivo'ed without commercials! This was much better than sitting on my laptop for 6 hours :)

Dear Jake, thanks for bringing girlfriends together!

Katie

Monday, January 25, 2010

I'm going to be a pastor's wife.

As crazy as that may sound considering Kory's major is Social Work we have just accepted a position at our home church, The Crossing where Kory will be a Children's Pastor! How awesome is God? We now see why he was called to serve at Kanakuk for a summer, and why God has led both of us to be very involved in the lives of children in Marion.

This was so not part of our plan which is the best part! That is just how God works, start taking control of your life and he will sweep in and take back the reins so you don't mess up His wonderful plan.

We are looking forward to moving back home next December, [something I thought I would never say] but until then I will live in Marion working at the Boys & Girls Club and he will work in Quincy until we get married -- only 194 days!-- and then he will move to part-time until december.

Enjoying the journey!
Katie

Followers