Tails from an Alley Kat

Curled in Front of the Hearth

2009-06-25T20:39:00.000-05:00

Christmas break was a time of rest and time spent with family. It was not all play and no work though. I did work quite a bit at the nursing home and Hannaford as well. But overall, it was wonderful to be home with my family and friends. To celebrate my favorite holiday, with the ones that I love, was a huge blessing, especially after missing Thanksgiving with them. My family waited for me to get home to decorate for Christmas which is always a family time. God even provided for me financially by allowing me to work.

However, it was not all pleasantness and laughter. It was during our time of decorating, that I found out that I had not passed my Maternal Child nursing class with a good enough grade to continue in the nursing program at Maranatha. I had received a 72.9, and I needed a 73.5. I talked with the teacher to see if there was anything that I could do to raise my grade up that 6/10 of a point. I was told no, and it felt like my whole world had collapsed underneath me. I felt like God had me at Maranatha for a reason, and now this. I was crushed and heartbroken. I had no idea what to do. But God did….

After talking with my parents, praying and asking God for guidance, I decided to transfer home, continue my education at the local university. I went to the University College at Rockland to register for classes that week. Because it was so late in the year, it was hard to get into classes, let alone the nursing program. The wait list for the nursing program was two years. Fortunately, I was able to sign up for two nursing elective classes. On the other hand, in order to be full time, I had to sign up for two classes that I didn’t really need. I signed up for two classes that I thought that I would do well in and that I would enjoy- Geography and Masterpieces in World Literature.

Although, I could not see God’s purpose in all of this, I knew His hand was in it all. And looking back, I can see what His plan was all along. But of course, hindsight is 20/20. At the time, all I knew for sure was that my time at Maranatha had come to an end. Now I know many of the reasons that God had for that change in my life. Too bad I couldn’t have known then. It just reminds more and more every day, that as long as I am curled in front of the hearth, resting in God’s will, comfort, control, and security, then I am exactly where I belong.

A Kat Wandering Aimlessly

2009-06-07T22:50:00.000-05:00

My trip home was certainly a new experience. Not that I am new to flying; in fact, I have flown several times, and I absolutely despise it. This trip undoubtedly strengthened my deep hatred for airports and flying.

I was scheduled to leave Friday, Dec 19^th at 9am. On Thursday, the night before, I went online to print my boarding pass. It was then that I discovered that my flight had been cancelled. I knew that we were supposed to have a huge snowstorm in Wisconsin, but it hadn’t even started snowing yet and my flight had already been cancelled. However, I found that I had already been re-booked for a 10:30am flight. This was good enough. I went back to my room happy that I was still able to fly out in the morning and went to sleep in peace.

I woke up the next morning at six and immediately checked on my flight which I found was cancelled again. This time though my flight had not yet been re-booked. So…. I got up and got ready for the day, said goodbye to all my friends, and headed with Abby to Milwaukee expecting a long day at the airport. I knew that I had to try to get on another flight or hope to get on one standby. Half way to the airport, I received a phone call from my father saying that they had finally re-booked my flight for 6:10pm on the following night. It looked like I would be in Watertown one more night.

So I came back to campus and said hi to all the friends that I had just said goodbye to, and asked Mr. Rick if I could come over to his house that evening. The dining hall was closing at 12:30pm, and I had nothing to do that night because Lynnae was leaving at 11:30am. Mr. Rick said that was fine for which I was glad. I then helped Lynnae pack up and leave. I gave her a hug before she got into the car with her father. And then I was left alone in Lynnae’s room by myself. I did go over to Boss’ for dinner and a movie. We had stir fry and watched the “Angel Doll.” And then I said my final goodbyes to Mr. Rick and family, and headed back to the dorm for my last night in Watertown for the year.

The next morning was slow and boring. I played on the computer and read books to keep busy. And then it came the time to leave. Tim came to pick me up and we headed to Milwaukee. The ride was fun, and we ultimately arrived at General Mitchell Airport. I checked in and found that my flight had been delayed to 6:52pm, giving me only a five minute lay over in Detroit. It would be the run of my life to get to my connecting flight, but I could handle it. At least my plane was leaving this time. As time passed, I became aware that I would not be making my connecting flight. This became apparent when at 6:52pm we had just boarded the plane. We were then informed that we were third in line to be de-iced before we could take off. During the time that we were waiting, the airport closed for snow removal (on top of all this, it was snowing). We had to wait for them to reopen the airport so we could take off. By the time that we left, my connecting flight had already left Detroit. Everyone on my flight had actually missed their connecting flight. I knew that I had to make a quick exit once the plane landed in order to get things situated without standing in line forever.

As soon as my plane landed, I headed to the closest desk I could find. I obviously wasn’t the first person in line, but I didn’t have to wait too terribly long. At the desk, they informed me that my plane leaving late was due to mechanical difficulties, and therefore, I could get a hotel voucher for the night. I wasn’t about to argue so I was given a hotel voucher for Best Western and booked for a flight the following evening. I went to retrieve my luggage, but then was informed that I would not be allowed to get my luggage. Everyone’s luggage was dropped into a storage room, and it would be impossible to find my bag. I was given an airport “overnight bag” to hold me over for the night. It had a t-shirt (XL I might add), toothbrush, razor, hair brush, and toothpaste. I was not overly pleased, but it would do. I went down to catch the shuttle for Best Western. After waiting for over a half an hour with no sign of a Best Western shuttle, another person who was on the same flight and waiting for the same shuttle, called the hotel. It was then that we found out that Best Western was completely booked and would not be sending anymore shuttles for the night. I was very irritated as I walked back up to the customer service desk to obtain another hotel voucher. This one was for the Quality Inn (a better hotel in my opinion), and I was finally able to crawl into a bed for the night.

The next morning I went to the airport early to try to retrieve my bag again. I got in the back of a very long line as everyone was trying to do the same as I was. When I finally got to the counter and explained the reason that I needed my luggage (my heart medications were in it), I was told that they would not look for my bag, but would call an ambulance if I needed them to. How rude! I was infuriated, upset, and on the verge of tears. So I left the counter and went to a waiting area in the airport, and just cried. One very nice airport employee came up and asked if there was anything that he could do. I politely thanked him, but declined. I called my parents who had just gotten out of church and explained what had transpired. My father firmly informed me that I needed to demand to speak to the supervisor next time. So I got in line again and waited again. This time when I got to the desk, and the lady said that they would not look for my bag, I asked for her supervisor. And get this… she said, “My supervisor is not here today.” To which I very politely, but a little irritatingly replied, “There has to be someone in this airport that is above you. I know that you don’t run this place so I would like to speak to the person that is above you that is here today.” She rolled her eyes and said she would have to make a phone call. I remained at the desk while she made her call. She got off the phone and said someone would be down to speak with me shortly.

After several minutes, a very nicely dressed woman came in to talk to me. And we went through the whole thing all over again. I said I needed my bag because I needed my heart meds. She said that no one was getting their bags due to the large number of flight cancellations that they had had, and the thousands of bags that they had in the queue. I replied that she could keep the bag as long as I could get my meds out of it. She answered that it would be impossible to find the bag with the lack of man power that they had. She then added that she could call the ambulance for me. Tears were falling down my face now. I very quietly said, “You don’t understand. I can’t afford an ambulance and an ER visit.” I don’t know what changed her mind, but she said that she would try to find my bag. She took me up to another floor, got a description of my bag, and asked me to stay in a particular waiting area so that she could find when they had retrieved my bag.

Relieved and exhausted, I sat down and fell asleep. About an hour or so later, I checked the computer to see about the status of my flight. Thankfully there was an airport computer in the waiting area where I was. However, when I checked, it just said please see attendant. This made me nervous. Rather than going to a ticket desk to find out what was wrong, I waited for the nice woman to come back. I wanted to make sure that she could find me if they found my bag. A few hours later, she came to check on me and informed me that they were still looking. It was then that I asked her about my flight status. I found out that it had again been cancelled. I was extremely disappointed when she told me this. I could feel my heart sink right into the pit of my stomach. I just wanted to go home. I think she saw the disappointment and started working on rebooking my flight. She booked me on a flight for the next day at 1:30pm. She asked if I had some place that I could stay tonight, and I said I would find out. She left me again, and I started to working on finding lodging.

I called Lynnae. I know this seems strange with Lynnae being from Kansas City, MO. I mean what could she do. But she made all the difference in the world. We were both friends with her roommate Mandy Jo who lived in Detroit. But I didn’t have Mandy’s number, and Lynnae did. I got her number and made the call. Mandy and her family were more than willing to help and said they would be over shortly to pick me up. I was relieved. The woman came back to check on me. I told her I was staying with friends who were coming to pick me up. She got my information so that she could call me when they found my bag. Mandy and her father arrived shortly after, and we all headed to Mandy Jo’s. About five minutes out, I got a call from the airport saying that they had found my bag. We turned around and got the bag.

Eventually, we arrived at Mandy’s and started one of the most memorable nights ever. They were having a “girls’ night” with some of the women from the church. We had tacos and then watched “It’s a Wonderful Life.” It sounds really simple, but it was incredibly fun, and I laughed a lot! It was a great way to spend my night stuck in Detroit.

The next morning, Mandy and her mother drove me to the airport. My flight was on time and everything looked to be going good. I even realized right before boarding the plane that the kind woman who had helped me the day before had bumped me up to first class no charge. So I rode home first class and finally landed in Portland, ME that evening. After wandering airports for three days, boy, was I glad to be home.

Howling at the Moon

2009-05-20T03:06:00.000-05:00

During the fall semester, I was in the Chambers Singers as I have mentioned before. This year’s Christmas program for the college was the Messiah which meant that I had only a few weeks to learn the music for this incredibly difficult and challenging piece. Let me tell you, this was not easy. Between classes and work, I would spend much of my time in one of the practice rooms at the dorm practicing my part for the performance. On top of this, I had to deal with the feeling of being constantly behind due to the fact that while most of the choir had performed this last year for Christmas, I was not in choir until second semester. I was in over my head. But God doesn’t give you anything that you can’t handle. And this proved true once again.

The performance went off very smoothly. I had a very enjoyable time with my friends, and as Dr. Ledgerwood kept reminding us, this was a way of bringing honor to our Lord. This was very convicting for me. Before I was concerned about missing my notes because I might sound bad, but now I didn’t want to miss my notes because it would bring less honor to God. I tried my very best and think that God was honored in the best way that I could honor Him that night.

After the performance on Friday night, there was a Late Skate at the local roller skating rink in town. For those who don’t remember from some of my previous posts what a late skate is, it is a time when we rent out the roller skating rink, play our own music, and skate from 10pm until 1am. This one was one of the best late skates that I have ever been to. It was so much fun. I was able to hang out with so many different people and have such a good time, that even the couples skates couldn’t even bring me down. I even won the limbo which I have been trying to do at late skates ever since I got to Maranatha. I know it seems silly, but it just made my night.

Little did I know, this performance and late night fun, would be one of the last times that I would be able to hang out with all of friends at the same time. News that I would get over Christmas break would change my life dramatically, prevent me from returning to Maranatha. So while I didn’t know about the future, it was the perfect way to end a semester: honoring God with music and Christian fellowship among friends.

Taking in a Stray Kat

2009-05-05T19:43:00.007-05:00

Thanksgiving is always a tricky time for me being so far from home. The break is not long enough to go home, but it can some time be a challenge to find a place to go for Thanksgiving. I had friends from home that had moved to the area that had invited me to stay with them for the break if I couldn’t find a place to go. I had been praying that Lynnae would invite me home, but as it got closer and closer to Thanksgiving, I began thinking that that wasn’t going to happen. Then one day, out of the blue (or at least, it seemed that way to me), Lynnae asked if I would come home with her for Thanksgiving. I was elated. I had a place to go, and it was the place that I wanted to go to.

We had decided to cut classes on Monday and Tuesday the week of Thanksgiving break so that we could leave after classes on the Friday before to head to Kansas City, MO where Jarid and Lynnae live. So after class, I packed up and went to pick up Lynnae and then Jarid. Jarid was in the mood to drive so I let him (partly because I hate driving and partly because there is no arguing with Jarid). Thanks to Jarid’s willingness to drive, I was able to sleep most of the way there. We finally arrived late Friday night.

The week flew by. I was able to visit Lynnae’s high school and watch her cheer with her old team. I was able to make some money by helping to clean and paint an apartment with Lynnae, Jarid, and Lindsay (Jarid’s girlfriend). Lynnae and I had a few lazy days where we just watched movies and did some homework. I found out that I got a 99% on my nursing paper which just about made my day.

There were a few days that stood out above all the rest. The Saturday after we arrived was one of these days. Jarid, Lindsay, Lynnae, and I went to their church’s Singles Class Activity. We went to a farm. It was so strange to see this huge farm in the middle of the city. I didn’t think that things like that existed, but apparently they do. We played basketball, went skeet shooting (loads of fun and I happen to be good at it), went on a hayride, and had hotdogs and smores around a campfire. The testimony time was especially encouraging.

Another day was the very next day, Sunday. It was the 25^th anniversary of their pastor ministering at Lynnae’s church, Tri City Baptist. That evening, there was a surprise celebration in place of the evening service. It was so exciting to see everyone come together to honor such a special family. The Herbster children ministered in music which was very encouraging, and stories were told as well. It was an all over good and God-honoring time.

Finally, Thanksgiving Day was incredibly memorable. Although it was hard being away from my family (I did call them and wish them a Happy Thanksgiving just the same), it was a pretty good day with my best friend’s family. We had dinner and had wonderful conversation. After dinner, I played dominoes with the “adults” in the family and then played Settlers with the “children” (really teenagers) of the family. It was just a relaxing, fun filled day spending with some who I called family.

A story would not be a good story without a disaster. And so enters our little disaster/adventure. On the way back to the school, we met with a huge snow storm. Lynnae had driven for a short while before it started getting slippery out, but I drove most of the time. Let me tell you I had a death grip on the steering wheel most of the way. We watched people do doughnuts in the middle of the road, drive into the median on the highway, and fish tail the whole way. I was not about to do any of those things, and drove extra careful. What was supposed to be an 8 hour drive turned into a 16 hour drive, and we did not end up arriving at school until 6am the morning classes were to resume. And no I wasn’t able to take a nap either. I had class at 8:20.

Kat Fights

2009-04-09T13:53:00.006-05:00

The school year started out with soccer. Preseason began a week before classes and this year would be a whole new experience. This year both the guys and the girls had new coaches. Jeff Pill was the head of the entire soccer program and also the men’s new soccer coach. He was such a great help to both teams. His knowledge and skill in the game was amazing (probably helped that he was a US Women’s Soccer coach). The women had two new soccer coaches: Hayley McGrail and Sommer Rodolph, both of whom I thought were great despite it being there first year coaching college soccer. Both were previous players for Maranatha playing opposite positions: Sommer playing offense and Hayley playing defense. It was a good balance for the team.

The first week was rough. I was not in as good o shape as I had hoped that I would be and my heart condition was causing problems. But at the end of the week, when MBBC played Philadelphia Biblical University, I was the starting left defensive wing. I didn’t play great, but good enough, and our team had a good day. We beat PBU 4-1, and PBU was the team that won the NCCAA National Women’s Soccer tournament last year. It was a wonderful way to start out our soccer season.

For those who don’t understand or care to understand soccer lingo, I am sorry for the next part. Our team started out in a 3-4-3 formation with a line defense, but then moved to 3-5-2 formation half way through the year. My position didn’t change with the formation, but we all had to learn to play a little differently. In the end, it was a good thing that I think worked well for us and really strengthened our team. Our leading scorer was Melissa Nichols who almost broke the MBBC record for most goals scored. She ended second on the record books, second only to our very own coach, Sommer, who still holds the number one spot.

Our season was filled with ups and downs. We had some awesome wins and some disappointing losses. Our team ended missing the Northern Athletics Conference playoffs by one game. However, both the men’s and the women’s soccer teams made the NCCAA National Tournament. The women beat Northland Baptist Bible College (the only other team in our NCCAA region) twice which gave us an automatic bid to the national tournament. The men, on the other hand, had several teams in their conference, all of whom they had already beaten. Because of this, the men’s team went into their regional tournament in first place and easily took the championship, sending them to the national tourney as well.

The national tournament was the trip of a life time. I am so glad that God worked everything out so that I couldn’t go on choir tour because if He hadn’t, I never would have experienced half of what I did on the soccer nationals trip, and it was such a blessing. We left on the Tuesday evening before the tourney on a rented coach bus. The boys and girls traveled together on this bus the 24 hours down to Kissimmee, FL. This bus was incredibly high tech. It had wireless and computer plug ins, as well as multiple TVs with a DVD player. It was super nice. Most of the way down, I hung out with Rachel watching movies and just talking about everything.

On the way down, we stopped at Alex Board’s house in GA to have some lunch and relax. It was lots of fun. We had a huge display of food to choose from, and were able to play a little pool and kick a soccer ball around. It was nice to get off the bus and move around a bit. We then loaded up again and went the rest of the way to Florida. We arrived late Wednesday night. The teams met together to have sort of a prayer meeting, and then while the guys went for a run, the girls went for a dip in the pool at the hotel. We all went to bed to rest up for the next day.

The next day both the guy’s and the girl’s teams had soccer practice. We traveled over to the field and started to practice. We were all definitely not used to the weather that was sure. We had just left Wisconsin where it was getting close to freezing and ended up in Florida where it was in the 70s. The practice was good because it got our bodies used to heat, well at least a little. That evening was the opening meetings. We went to this beautiful place where dinner was provided and a “show.” We listened to a speaker and then watched a video that they had put together.

The next day we had a game against North Central University which we won 3-1. It was a good start to our post season. The men on the other hand lost their first game which was disappointing. Also on this day was the Parade of Champions where all the competing teams marched out on the field to be announced.

The next day we had another game against Southeastern University. It was very hard and disappointing game in which we lost 5-1. It was a very frustrating game. The men won their second game, and it was a very exciting game. The men were behind Central Christians Saints and ended up tying the game, putting us into overtime. They finally scored in overtime to win the game. We also watched a shuttle being launched on this Saturday. The paused the games so that everyone could watch. The shuttle was launched from Kennedy Space Center, and it was quite an amazing sight. After we returned to the hotel, a few of us got together to play beach volleyball. The sand was cold and most of played in our socks. I kicked the volleyball and lost it in a tree once, and then James hit the ball a little too hard, and it end up on the roof of the hotel. I am not sure how he got up there, but he did eventually get it down. It was definitely good for a laugh.

Sunday was definitely a day of rest. We attended church on Sunday morning, and then spent the rest of the day relaxing. I spent most of the day by the pool either swimming or soaking up the sun. It was nice to have a day when I didn’t have to do anything. We all had a blast messing around in the pool. I was able to do a little reading too which was something I had not had time for recently.

Our last day in Florida ended bitter sweetly. The men’s team won their last game against Southwest Christian 6-1. It was a very exciting game. This put the men in fifth place. The women’s team lost to Manhattan Christian University 2-0. It was a tremendously hard fought game. We out shot Manhattan 26-6, and still were unable to score a goal. It was disappointing to not place third, but fourth place wasn’t bad. Fourth place was better than we had done last year at Nationals. It was especially sad for me because although it had been a good season, it was unfortunately my last season. I am definitely going to miss the game, and will still play every chance that I get.

After our games, we showered and all loaded up into the bus for the long ride home. Ryan and I sat together for the remainder of the trip and watched movies. During the night, I chose to sleep on the floor which really was more comfortable than sleeping in the chair. I woke up earlier than most others and did a little homework before Ryan work up. Then we watched movies again until we got back to school. It was poignant when we finally got back. I was sad that it was over, but also at the same time incredibly thankful to God for an opportunity that I would trade for the world.

Philadelphia Biblical University (H) W 4-1
Dominican University (A) L 3-0
Dubuque University (A) L 3-0
Northland Baptist Bible College (H) W 5-0
Mt. Mary College (H) W 13-0
Wisconsin Lutheran College (H) W 1-0
Concordia Wisconsin (H) L 2-0
Alverno (A) W 9-0
Marian (A) L 2-1
Aurora University (H) L 6-0
North Central College (H) L 1-0 (OT)
Benedictine University (H) W 1-0
Lakeland College (A) W 2-1
Concordia Chicago (H) W 7-0
Edgewood (A) L 4-0
Rockford (A) W 4-1
Northland Baptist Bible College (A) W 1-0
Milwaukee School of Engineering (H) L 2-1

NCCAA Tournament
North Central College W 3-1
Southeastern University L 5-1
Manhattan Christian College L 2-0
Final: 4th place

Katastrophe

2009-02-12T21:13:00.001-06:00

Half way through my wonderful, yet exhausting semester, I got some devastating news. I received an email from the registrar’s office saying that I would not be allowed to go on choir tour due to the fact that I would miss classes in a class that I was struggling in and that I would miss clinicals. I would still be allowed to go to soccer nationals, but not both. To many this may not seem like a big deal, but to me it was huge. This is what we as a choir had been preparing for all semester. Having gone on choir tour last semester, I have to say that it was an amazing experience and a tremendous blessing. This was not a blessing that I wanted to miss out on this year.

After crying for a while, I polite sent a email back to the registrar’s office pleading with them to let me go if I could find a way to make it work out with choir tour and nationals and not missing any clinicals and a minimal amount of classes. While waiting for a response, I looked at the price of plane tickets would I would need in order to go to both nationals and choir tour. I knew that I didn’t have the money, but I prayed that God would find a way. I needed 280 dollars to make it work and I began praying specifically for that amount of money. Three days later, someone anonymously put an envelope of $260 cash in my mailbox. I couldn’t believe it. Unfortunately, the registrar’s office said no that I couldn’t go on choir tour.

Thankfully, I was with my best friend when I got the news. I don’t what I would have done without her. She will say that she didn’t really do much (she is not really a touchy, feely person), but she truly helped me. She did give me a hug and just said that maybe God had a reason that He didn’t want me to go on choir tour, and that He something better for me by staying back. Of course, she was right. I had blast on the coach bus traveling down to Florida with the guys’ and girls’ soccer teams. It was a huge blessing much like choir tour had been the year before, and I would have missed out on it if I had gone on choir tour. I got closer to a lot of girls on the team and made some new friends in the process, and I would not have traded that for the world or choir tour!

Barnyard Kats

2009-01-30T19:22:00.001-06:00

Part way through the semester, my society (ΔΕΙ- Day), had a dating outing. When the girls dorms have dating outings, that means that the girls are suppose to ask the guys. I decided to play it safe and ask a good friend, Ethan, rather than a guy that I like. Let me tell you, I was so nervous asking him too because I didn’t want him to get the wrong idea. At the same time, my friend, Julia, also asked a good friend, Zac, to go, and it just so happened that Ethan and Zac were roommates and good friends as well. So we all decided to ride in my car together to the farm that the corn maze was at.

We all ate dinner in the dining hall together. Woot! Woot! (Can you sense the sarcasm?) Then we all headed back to our dorms to change for the outing. When we went to pick up the guys at their dorm, they asked if Joe, another friend, could come with. We said sure and all five of us piled into the car. Ethan drove because he didn’t want a girl to drive him to a date, but I didn’t care because I don’t like driving. We jammed to music the whole way and had a good time before we even got out the car.

At the corn maze, it was a tad bit chilly. Already November, it was raining and getting cold as the sun was setting. We began with 1/8 of the map to get through the maze. The goal was to get through the maze stopping at each of the eight mailboxes to get the next part of the map. Ethan and I led the way for the first half and got us to all the mailboxes in order. Then we handed the map over to Zac and Julia, and things went downhill from there. Let’s just say we were lost a lot. We skipped mailbox five and ended up finding six and seven and got out of the maze the wrong way. It didn’t matter though because we had a good time. We laughed and goofed off and just hung out together.

Afterwards, the entire society and all their dates got together around the fire to have smores and hang out. It was a good time of fellowship and fun. I got to know Matt, another friend of mine, a little better as he was there with another girl from my society. We talked about music and our lives back home, but soon it was time to leave. Joe drove home because we realized that he was the only one who had his license with him. I didn’t realize how cold I was until I got into the backseat of the car. I was absolutely freezing. Joe cranked the heat and everyone graciously piled their coats on me so that I would stop shivering. I finally stopped, but by that time, everyone else in the car was roasting. We went got back to the dorms, everyone was exhausted. We all said goodbye and headed for bed. It was so much fun just to hang out with no pressure to really “date.” Just to be with friends at the farm and be a bunch of “barnyard kats.”

Feline Friends

2009-01-29T14:16:00.001-06:00

The end of August brought the beginning of a new school year and beginning of new challenges in my life. I was so excited to get back on campus and get a break from work and not “having a life.” Boy, was I in for a surprise.

I soon realized that life was not going to be a piece of cake as I had hoped. I mean, I didn’t expect this semester at college to be a walk in the breeze, but I didn’t expect it to be so draining either. I thought that I was past the nights with only a few hours of sleep and not having any time for myself or the little things that I wanted or needed to get done. My schedule went a little something like this:
Awake up: 3am or 3:30am
Work or clinical at 6am
Class 8:20am
Chapel 9:20am
Class 10:20am
Lunch 11:10am
Work 11:45am
Class 12:20pm
Work 1:15pm
Class 2:30pm
Soccer practice 3:30pm
Work 4:30-7:30pm
Study until midnight

And then I would start all over again. Most Saturdays I couldn’t even let my body recover because they were consumed with away soccer games, and then even Sundays, I would be in Rockford, IL ministering at my extension church all day. I am fully convinced that my 60-80 hour work weeks during the summer prepared me for this semester at school.

But many things were also different from this summer. One was that I got to go to class and dress up in clothes of my choice. As silly and shallow as that may sound, you would never believe how very dull and monotonous it can get to always be wearing a uniform. For the nursing home it was scrubs, Hannaford, a red polo and khakis, and Moody’s, a white shirt, khakis, and a green apron. You have no idea how much I wanted to wear the other clothes that I had in my closet. Going to school allowed me to do that.

Ten times better than that was that I was able to see and hang out with my friends. The ice cream social after the first day was a great time of catching up with old friends and making some new ones. Best of all was that I was able to see my best friend, Lynnae, and to talk to her and hang out with her like I hadn’t been able to this summer. Of course, there were those occasions when I was able to go bowling with my friends or more often than that, to go to Abby’s apartment to watch movies and have a good time. So despite the fact that my schedule was just as busy as it was this summer, it was accompanied by good friends and companionship which can make all the difference in the world.

Jesus Loves Meeeow

2009-01-07T18:28:00.003-06:00

As much as I hated this summer, I know that it was a blessing from God. It was a very trying time in which I had to learn to trust in Him more and more, and also to rely on Him for the strength to get me through. When you work as much as I do, you know that there is no way that you are going to get through the week with help from God. And though working is not my favorite thing in the world, I did a lot of it this summer, and He knows that I needed it because it was just preparing me for what was about to come later.

The number one blessing that I had was that of three jobs in which to work to pay for college. It isn't the most thrilling in terms of excitement, but it is a blessing nonetheless. When I got home for the summer, I started working per diem at the nursing home as usual. However, this time I noticed that there was an open position on evenings on the skilled unit. My mind immediately started running. It was 32 hours a week and a steady rotating schedule. It was exactly was I needed. Moody's would be able to give me set schedule around this; it was perfect. I went and talked to my director of nursing. I asked her if I could take the position with no benefits (I didn't need them due to the fact that I was still living at home) and to keep my pay as it already was (excepting benefits would have meant a drop in pay). She said that was fine, and I started a full time job the 1st of June. It was the first part of the blessing.

Then I talked to my manager at Moody's who was able to give me two days a week waiting tables at the diner around my schedule at the nursing home. Finally, I applied for a job at Hannaford as a cashier to fill in the spaces. I got the job and soon was working between 60 and 80 hours a week. My summer was certainly starting off with a bang. However, because of all the work, I wasn't able to do a lot of the things that I usually do in the summer. I went swimming only once even though I have a pool in my backyard. I didn't go whitewater rafting or to summer soccer or to a Sea Dogs game. But God had provided in a very different way this summer and I had to stay focused.

This is not to say that I didn't do anything fun this summer because I did. I was able to organize the previously mentioned Summer Romance Banquet, help with VBS at my church, and be a part of my sister's wedding. All of these things combined with the provision of work in abundance showed how much God cared for me and was looking out for my best interest. This shows that despite it being a busy and unthrilling summer, Jesus truly loves me...ow.

Adding a Tom to the Alley Kats

2008-11-24T15:46:00.009-06:00

This summer, on August 9th, my sister Sarah got married. It was an exciting, nerve racking, and beautiful event that I was honored to be a part of. Obviously everything didn't come together at once. There were months of preparation involved including making each one of the invitations by hand, bridal showers, set up for the wedding, etc. It started to become crunch time as the night of the rehearsal dinner was upon us.

My sister's wedding was to an outside wedding down by the water, but as the night of the dress rehearsal progressed that was looking less and less promising. It was damp, fog, and there was a slight drizzle. On top of that, there was a call for rain the next day. Let's just say that we did a lot of praying that night.

Then the day of the wedding came and what a hectic day. Allison, Grammie, and I made vegetable platters, fruit platters, and more crab meat sandwiches that you have ever seen in you life. Sarah and Chelsie, Sarah's maid of honor, went to the salon to get Sarah's hair done. She forgot the crown for her vail and Virginia had to run over to the salon to drop it off. Meanwhile, the guys were over to where the wedding was to set everything up. Finally, Sarah got back and I started doing people's hair for the wedding. All of the bridesmaids, Allison, Virginia, Chelsie, and I, looked so beautiful.

Then we packed all the food and dresses into our cars and headed down to the "chapel" site. We unloaded incredibly fast (we were already late), got dressed, and were ready to go. Mom cried as she put her mother's pearls on Sarah, and then Dad walked mom to her seat. The day was beautiful, sunny, and bright. Canon in D began playing and we all made our way down the "aisle." Finally, Sarah made it to her groom and the ceremony began with my uncle presiding in his dress whites. The ceremony was short and wonderful. I cried, Mom cried, Virginia cried, basically everyone cried. And at the end my little sister became Mrs. Nathan Warner.

Pictures were taken in front of the water and then the reception followed. The reception was a blast. There were speeches, dances, and food. The maid of honor gave a more than memorable speech that was both funny and emotional. The cake was delicious (my sister made it herself). But probably the most precious and amazing thing that occurred at my sister's reception was her dance with our great grandfather who at the time could barely walk. I helped him out to the dance floor and took his walker as he took his position to dance with my sister. Dancing to "Grandpa, tell me 'bout the good old days," he took little baby steps and danced with my sister around one time. Enough to fulfill the promise he had made to her ever since she was little: that he would dance with her at her wedding. I assisted him back to his seat, both of us weeping. I don't think that there was a dry eye in the room. It was truly moving to see his dedication and persistence.

Finally, the garter was "snapped" and the bouquet was thrown. A groomsmen caught the garter and Chelsie, the maid of honor made a diving catch for the bouquet. The bride and groom packed up amidst flying bird seed and left for their honeymoon.

Something that I was repeatedly asked before, during, and after the wedding was, "Does it bother you that your younger sister got married before you?" My response was always "no." It really didn't bother me. I was truly happy for her. I know that eventually God will bring my along my own tom cat, but until then I will patiently. God knows what is best, and I think that I can certainly wait for the best.

Meow Mix Banquet

2008-11-02T00:05:00.003-05:00

Due to the fact that I had surgery and was required to take time off from work (I was not allowed to left more than 10 lbs so I obviously wasn't allowed to lift people at the nursing home), I was able to plan an event at my church. The College and Career Sunday School Class always has a project to minister to the church. This year it is the "Jerusalem Project." The Jerusalem Project is a plan to raise money to send our pastor and his wife on a Holy Land tour with Bob Jones University. The event that I had planned was the "Summer Romance Banquet." The college students had decided to have a nice romantic dinner for the married couples in our church, one that would not cost them a fortune.

Set up was on Friday following my surgery. We decided to turn our old gym into a nice romantic restuarant. Walls were set up with curtains to provide a more intimate atmosphere. Each table was covered with red rose petals and candles. Also the tables had floating candles in bowls of red water on them. Twinkle lights surrounded the room and entrance to the "restaurant," and the lights were dimmed. It was absolutely beautiful, at least I thought so.

The menu was planned and the servers prepared. Couples started to arrive and take their seats. I was definitely nervous. I really wanted it to be special for the couples. Drinks and salads were offered, and then came the main course: lasagna. After all the couples were finished, dessert was served: homemade strawberry shortcake.

As the couples were finishing up, I began to get ready for the game portion of the night. We chose the three most "newlywed" couples to play our first game. One couple had only gotten married two weeks before. It was great fun and we had a lot of laughs. This was followed by a "slave auction." Some of the college and career class, and also some teens were auctioned off for 3 hours of service doing whatever the couple might need. I was the auctioneer, which was certainly interesting in itself. Biding started at $15, and I believe our highest bid was $75. It was really exciting. We raised over $300 that night, with only 20 people in attendence. We thank God so much for this blessing in bringing us one step closer to completing the Jerusalem Project.

9 Lives

2008-10-22T21:33:00.000-05:00

There is an old saying that says that cats have nine lives. Well this kat only has seven, yet I don't think I am any worse off for it. Many of you may be wondering why seven? Well, let me explain.

I have a heart condition known as supraventricular tachycardia (SVT). Although not likely to kill me, it is still quite a problem and nuisance in my life. Each time I have an episode of SVT, my heart rate can get up to 200 beats per minute (normal is 60-100). Because of this, my blood is not circulating properly, making it difficult to breathe and sometimes causing my chest to hurt. It basically makes my life more complicated.

Back in May 2006, I had exploratory surgery in the form of an ablation. At the time, the only way to correct the problem was using radionuclear energy (esssentially a laser), and this was very risky. There was a chance that I might have to have a pace maker if they missed the spot that they were aiming for. Considering that I was only 19, I opted out and decided to take meds to control the issue.

Over the past two years, my SVT has progressively gotten worse. Episodes are becoming more frequent now and lasting longer despite the use of medication. I went to see my cardiologist who put me on a second med in addition to the first and suggested surgery again. This surgery would be called a cryoablation. Instead of lasers, the cardiologist intended to cool the spot causing the problem down so that it would no longer be function. There was some risk involved, but the doctor said that for the most part "cryos" were reversible so if they missed their intended destination, they could just heat the area back up again and start over. After praying about it and talking it over with my parents, I chose to have the surgery.

I was excited the day of the surgery (strange I know.) I just wanted to be done with this whole heart problem thing and in my mind, July 23, 2008 was the day I would never have to think about it again. However, God had different plans. I arrived at the hospital and was given two vallium before going down to surgery (this is suppose to make you a little loopy). Then after getting to the operating room, the nurse pumped 2 mg of Versed down my IV. This I will explain. Versed is a medication that consciously sedates you. Basically, you are awake for the whole surgery, but you don't remember a thing when you are done. It sort of gives you amnesia. This should have "knocked" me out cold, but I remained awake for most of the procedure and I remember everything.

For those of you who are a little squimish, you should skip this paragraph. My cardiologist, first, inserted five catheters into my heart via the large veins in both my legs. I could feel this, but it was not painful due to the narcotic I was given through my IV. The nurse that I had, let me watch the monitor, and I could see all the wires weaving throught the chambers of my heart. The doctor did some periodic tests, purposely putting me into SVT so he could determine exactly the spot that he needed to work on. Then they stopped my heart twice which I have to say is the wierdest and most interesting feeling in the world. To feel your heart stop and still be totally conscious about it is indescribable to say the least. Then they again kept throwing me into SVT. After getting bored watching the monitor and feeling my heart beat a million miles a minute, I asked the nurse if I could get 2 more mg of Versed to see if that would put me to sleep. She kindly complied, and seconds later I was snoozing. The surgery was completed and the lights were turned on. I woke up immediately as light flood the operating room.

I looked at my nurse who had been at my side during the whole procedure and asked, "Did he fix me?" She very quietly replied, "No, he didn't, hon." My eyes immediately swelled up with tears. I was heartbroken. Here I had had a second surgery with no change from before. I felt the tears rolling down my cheeks as the doctor explained the reason why I hadn't been "cured." The spot they needed to correct was too close to a vital spot required to make my heart run, and although it is reversible, he would only have a minimal time to reverse it. It was still too risky, and in his words, he "chickened out." Needless to say, I was disappointed. I was so excited for this whole thing to be over and for me to go on with a life free from heart problems just to be shot down all over again. I was sad and angry and asking God why.

I was taken back to my room where I was on two hours of bed rest. My cardiologist came upstairs and said that if I could tell him what he had said to me downstairs that I could go home tonight. I rattle off everything that had transpired and followed with "You chickened out." He smiled and said that after a few walks down the hall that I would be released to go home. He increase my daily meds and sent a letter of recommendation to a specialist in Milwaukee. I was supposed to see this specialist sometime while I was in school. According to my cardiologist, this specialist is the best electrophysiologist in the country so there is the chance that something could still be done for me.

Even though at the time, I couldn't see why God had let me go through this, I can definitely see His hand in the whole thing. The most important thing that God has taught me through this experience was to just keep trusting Him. There is a reason for everything He does and this was just another trial that He had put in my life to bring me closer to Him. God even worked it out that the best electrophysiologist in the country was located only 45 minutes from my college. On top of all this, hopefully a seed was planted in the heart of one of my nurses. The nurse who sat by my bed and talked to me the through the surgery, the same nurse who had given me the news about the unsuccessfulness of the surgery, this nurse had opened the door to the gospel. She questioned me during surgery about my school, to which I responded that I went to Maranatha Baptist Bible College for nursing. She then asked me why I would want to go to a Christian college. And here was where I was able to share the gospel with her. I don't know if she has gotten saved or not, but I know that God gave me that opportunity for a reason, and that He may still be working in her heart. That in itself is good enough reason for everything that happened. So after two surgeries, I may be two lives less than nine, but there could have possibly been another life added to my family in heaven, and that is good enough for me.

A Kat That Likes Water (Weird I Know)

2008-08-28T21:20:00.003-05:00

This summer was very busy to say the least. Days off were few and far between. So when one of my closest friends was getting married, I finally took a day off. It was absolutely a wonderful day. I was able to get "all dolled up," something that rarely happens due to the different uniforms that I have to wear. The wedding was beautiful. Kayla had a gorgeous dress, the music was wonderful, and the ceremony perfect. Devin cried and so did his dad which was very sweet.

Then we all travelled over to where the reception was being held. It was right on the water. It was a splendid scene. In the background, a jazz band could be heard playing and a light breeze blew in off the water. It was an absolutely perfect day. When the couple finally arrived, we were all allowed to eat, and the newlyweds had their first dance as husband and wife. This was, of course, followed by a father daughter dance and a mother son dance. There was dancing, cake, and overall just a bunch of fun. I didn't catch the bouquet, but the girl who did actually got engaged a few weeks later. So maybe there is some truth in the statement that the one who catches the bouquet is the next one married.

After the reception, my "big brother"and his wife invited my sister, Sarah, and I over to their cottage on the lake to go swimming. I had not yet been swimming yet this summer so I jumped at the opportunity. I had also not seen my "big brother" Joe very much this summer. For those of you who don't know, Joe is a guy that I grew up with who has always looked out for my sisters and me. My parents basically consider him family so we call him our "big brother." We stopped at the house to get our bathing suits. We then went to get pizza and proceeded to the cottage. Following our incredibly healthy dinner of pizza and soda (can you sense the sarcasm), we all changed and went for a swim. It was so much fun. We splashed each other, dunked others under water, and had a good time. I ended up getting a charlie horse in both calves, but it was all good. We were able to talk and fellowship and spend some quality time with family.

The funny part about all this is that this was the only time all summer that I had the opportunity to go swimming, and I have a pool in my backyard. I know pretty odd, right, but it isn't very often that you find a kat that likes water.

Good Night for a Katwalk

2008-07-19T23:12:00.002-05:00

I was recently reminded about what a wonderful and amazing God we have. It was actually an accumulation of a number of things ending with something that one of my patients said to me.

I work evenings at a nursing home about a half hour from home. Driving home at 11:00 at night gives one time to think. There are no other cars on the road. It is very peaceful. It is one of the times that I am thankful that I live in a rural area. The best part about working late is coming home to the midnight sky. Almost every night, I get out of my car and stare at the stars. There is no smog or buildings blocking my view, just a brillant display of God's creation. The Milky Way can be seen running a streak across the sparkling sky. There are so many stars, and I can see them all just as clear as day from my porch steps. It is an amazing and gorgeous part of God's creation.

Then on Sunday, a couple of weeks ago, Pastor spoke on the faith of the Gentile woman and her persistence in asking of the Lord. I realized that I had not been persistent enough iwth my prayer life. I have been greatly desiring to play soccer in the fall, but have not been persistently taking it to the Lord in prayer or having enough faith that He could do it. Sure, I had prayed about it here and there, nothing consistently.

Just this week, I realized that I had been lacking faith. I had been called up for jury duty on Monday for jury selection. Because of this, I had to take time off from one of my jobs because I didn't know if I would be selected or not. All I had was a little over 40 hours for the week which was very discouraging. I need more hours than that to make it back to Maranatha. Turns out, that I didn't get selected for jury duty. And I was able to pick up some hours at both Hannaford Supermarket and the nursing home. Even with jury duty, I still managed to get 75 hours this week. God blessed despite my lack of faith which is growing stronger by the minute. Please be in prayer for the next week. I have VBS and surgery next week so I need as many hours as possible.

Finally, last night one of my patients noticed the moon out her window. At the moment, it didn't seem like much, but when I really thought about it, the moon is a blessing all on its own. It lights my way home at night (we don't have street lights in "Smalltown, USA") and it makes for a nice night walk. Walking by moonlight is something special in its self. It truly allows one to revel in God's wonder. So needless to say, God has taught me a lot as of late about faith, trust, and just how great a God He is. So whenever I feel doubt or faithlessness creeping in, I jusst need to step outside my own front door and remember that it is a good night for a katwalk.

Ready to Pounce, or Not

2008-07-08T23:09:00.002-05:00

So if I haven't mentioned this yet, I am sorry, but my little sister is getting married in August. Being as I am her sister, I was asked to be a bridesmaid along with my baby sister and one of her close friends. In early June, all three of us, Virginia, Allison, and I were ready to pounce on our opportunity to throw Sarah a surprise bridal shower. Plans were in the making and the date was set for June 28th. That would give us a month to prepare or so we thought. Needless to say, things did not go exactly as planned.

First, the month flew by, and before we knew it, it was the week of the shower and almost nothing that we had planned had been set in stone yet. Panic mode set. I know we are terrible bridesmaids! Anyways, we had finally got everything set, the invitations out, and the whole thing planned with one minor glitch. We couldn't get Sarah to come home for the weekend that we had planned the shower. We tried to convince her to two days to no avail. Finally, we had to tell her. Yeah, it spoiled the surprise, but we did get her home, and the bridal shower was a hit.
The day of the bridal shower I had to work so I was really crunched for time. As soon as I was done with work, I did a little last minute shopping and hurried home to set up for the party. Unfortunately, I came home to a messy house so I had to do some cleaning first. An hour before the shower was to start, Allison came over to help me with the set up. She was such a blessing! She helped me make the taco snacker platter, set up the chairs, and she organized the games. She even helped me count 594 M&Ms for one of the games that we were to play.

Just before the party started, Virginia arrived home. She had planned on being late because she had to work, but her boss let her out early so she could be at the shower. And so it began...
It all started with Heather Long's devotional which was amazing. We laughed, we cried, but most importantly we learned how to have a good marriage: make God the center of it. Marriage will not be perfect, but with God as the centerpiece, marriage can be the greatest blessing. Even for someone who is not getting married, I found this very encouraging and challenging. Next were a few games. Oh and the 594 M&Ms, on girl guessed 595 and won the prize. Then came the presents. We all waited in anticipation as Sarah opened them one by one. At times to refused to show everyone what she got (due to the lack of fabric contained in the packages), but we forced her to show us. We all ooo'ed and ahh'ed and laughed together and had a great time. As every mingled about eating cake and other various foods, our guests slowly began to make their ways home.

By the time everyone was gone, we were all exhausted. We stared at the mess that we were left with, just wanting to go to bed, but knowing that it all needed to be taken care of at the same time. And so the clean up started. Thinking back on that night, everything had not gone perfectly. The surprise aspect was ruined (Virginia and I need to work on our pounce a bit), things were procrastinated, and everyone was pressed for time. But then again, marriage isn't perfect either. It has its ups and downs and bumps along the way, but with God as the main focus of a marriage, there is nothing a couple can't handle no matter how good Satan's pounce may be.

Making My Way Home, One Paw At A Time

2008-07-05T10:23:00.005-05:00

The beginning of May brought the beginning of a new life for me. School ended, I left all my friends at school, and traveled home to Maine to start my life of chaos. I thought school was hectic. The way home was an interesting one for sure. I had planned on leaving for the airport to pick up my mother at 2pm. However, when I called my father to tell him that I was leaving for the airport, he informed me that my mom's flight was delayed by three hours. I was both discouraged and happy at the same time. I wanted to get home, but I also wanted to spend more time with my friends at school. I said good bye to my closest friends in the world, Lynnae, Kristin, Tim, and Jarid, and then headed up to another friends graduation party. Nate had graduated a year early and Mr. Rick, my "Wisconsin Dad," just happen to be his father so it was like spending time with family. I finally set out for the airport hours later. I made the loop a few times looking for my mother at the pick up, loading dock before a cop stopped me. Needless to say, I was a little nervous. I rolled down window and was asked, "Are waiting for your mother from Maine?" "Yes" was my confused reply. "Is your cell phone broken and that is why you can't contact her?" "Yes." At this point, I was a little creeped out. The cop then told me to stay put and left me waiting in my car very puzzled. In a few minutes, I saw Mom walking towards with another police man. She got in the car and explained everything. Her flight got in about an hour and half before. There had been a mix up and her flights got switched or something like that. Anyways, she couldn't call and tell anyone because she can't make nationwide calls on her cell phone. We laughed it off and started on our long journey from Wisconsin all the way back to Maine.

It was an interesting couple days that's for sure. I caught my mom up on all the things that had happened to me while I was at college. I explained the story of Wicked to her while we listened to the soundtrack. On the second day, we picked up my Pastor's wife, and drove to Connecticut so that she could ride home with her daughter. The three of us were pretty cramed in that car with all my stuff from school. And stuff was constantly falling on the person riding in the one seat in the back, but we had fun. We finally arrived home two days later and both crashed into bed for a quick nap before the evening service began. It was good to be home, but sad to be away from all my best friends. And this is when the chaos began.

Starting Monday, I began working 40 hours a week at a nursing home where I work as a per diem CNA. I was also working here and there at Moody's Diner where I am a waitress. Not even two weeks later, my sister Sarah graduated from college, and we traveled to Portland to watch her graduate from Southern Maine Community College. Then late in May, I went to see my cardiologist to see what could be done about my worsening heart condition. He suggested another operation for me to consider which I did. I am having surgery on July 23rd so please be in prayer. Also in May, I accepted a full time position at the nursing home for the summer and began a third job working for Hannaford Bros. Supermarket in Rockland. Ever since then, my life has been crazy busy.

At the end of the month, my baby sister graduated from high school. The entire family came up for her graduation including Sarah's fiancee. It was such a blast. Mom cried because her baby was graduating, and Virginia nervously played her clarinet piece which was beautiful. Mike Shrock gave an excellent challenge to the graduates, and so Virginia graduated. It's hard to believe that my little sister is old enough to be graduating, but she is.

Life is flying by so fast. I am now working anywhere between 60 and 80 hours a week between my three jobs and it is already July. The summer has gone by so fast which is both good and bad. Bad because I haven't saved nearly enough money for college yet and I will be leaving home again soon. But good because I will be able to see my friends again and start another year of school and be that much closer to graduation myself.

When kittens come out to play

2008-06-23T21:28:00.003-05:00

I know that this is a little late, but here it is nonetheless. Back in March, during spring break, my choir buddies and I ventured out into the great unknown and went on tour. Okay, it really wasn't anything that dramatic, but it was a blast and I had loads of fun. The Maranatha Baptist Bible College Chambers Singers traveled all the way from Wisconsin to Maine on our two week tour. We were able to stop at places like Chicago, Niagara Falls, the Norman Rockwell Museum, and my home church! I was able to meet so many new people on tour. For 14 days straight, I stayed in a different home with different people from the choir. So not only did I meet a lot of new people, but I made a lot of new friends in the choir as well. There were a couple girls that I get especially close to and I am very glad for their friendship.

One of the best parts of choir tour was the fact that I got to stay at my own house for one night. My pastor called the school and asked that our church be a stop on the tour and so it was. My parents had 5 of my closests friends and I stay at my home. We had fun talking, surfing the internet, and watching a movie. It was good to be home again after being away for a couple months, but it was also sad because it would be another couple months before I would be there yet again.

The most important part about choir tour was the chance that I had to get closer to God. My devos during that two weeks were amazing. I learned so much and learned a lot about trusting God. I was able to get some wise, godly advice from a friend and grow even closer to God. The best part about it is that I was able to get past something that had been burdening my soul for a long time. It was amazing how such a peace and contentment overwhelmed my soul when God finally took that burden away and for that I am so thankful. I am sure that I was not the only one who learned a lot on tour. I sure that God worked in each and everyone of our lives to bring us closer to Him. So even though the kittens were out for a good time, God worked in their lives and brought them closer to home than ever before.

Cats on parade

2008-05-10T23:26:00.004-05:00

Just before spring break, Day Dorm 2nd Floor decided to have a floor activity. The activity was to go ice skating at Slice of Ice, and outdoor ice skating rink in Milwaukee. I was one of the drivers for the trip, and so four other girls and I set out in search of the ice rink. Unfortunately, mapquest doesn't take construction into consideration when giving out directions, and Milwaukee is not the greatest at detour signs. Needless to say, we got lost. However, we got directions from a friend and finally arrived at Slice of Ice.

Ice skating with all my friends was a blast. We all tried to do tricks and failed miserable. Some of tried to teach others to ice skate who have never even put skates on in their life. (I think we might have failed at that too.) Some of the girls stayed inside and sipped on Starbucks coffee; party poopers. We played tag and limbo, and even red rover; I know probably not the smartest thing to do on ice skates, but it was the most fun that I had all night. When playing red rover, we even got people not from our school asking to join in. We, of course, let them join, and learned all of their names so that they could play along. The night flew by and ended longer before I wanted it too. Alas, we all turned in our skates and headed home for the evening. Despite this, I don't think anyone with forget the night that all of paraded around the ice skating rink in our totally "checkable" pants having the time of our lives. Day dorm 2nd floor has got to be the coolest group of girls on campus, and I will always remember this night of friends and fun.

Contentedly Purring in the Lap of the Master

2008-02-28T21:34:00.002-06:00

The semester is already half way over and deadlines are soon approaching. I have two papers and a test due in the next week before I leave for choir tour when I will see you all. It is totally crazy. I also need to make up the junior church programs for the next four weeks because I will be gone on tour. There is so much to do and so little time to do it. However, even with all this chaos going on, I am very excited about going on tour. The choir is going to be visiting the Norman Rockwell Museum, Niagara Falls, Boston, New York City, and a couple lighthouses in Maine.

I have really been struggling emotionally lately. I need all your prayers. A lot of things have happened in my life that have been very unexpected. These things have hit me very hard and have been very discouraging. Despite this, I know that I am closer to God now than I have ever been in my entire life. My devotions have been very consistent and my prayer life has been so much better than before. God is an amazing friend, the very best. No matter what I am going through or how discouraged I may be, I know that I can go to God, talk to Him about it, and He will understand as no one else can. Sometimes I have difficulty trusting Him, but still He proves faithful. God has become so many things to me in the last month that I never thought He could be. I don't know what I would do without Him. I would be completely lost. No matter how far I may want to run away, I keep reminding myself that the safest and best place to be is in the center of God's will. So although I may be struggling right now, I know that God has a purpose in it all, that He loves me, and He means all of these trials for good. So until God calls me home to be with Him, I will be content purring in the lap of the Master.

The Kat's Meeeoow!!

2008-02-22T20:11:00.006-06:00

February the 15th was Artist Series. For those of you who don't know what that is, it a formal event that Maranatha has around Valentine's Day each year. The day was definitely interesting. My friends and I all have class until 3:20pm. Immediately, Kristin, Lynnae, Khristyna, and I ran back to our rooms, grabbed all the hair products we could find, and headed to Lynnae's room to do everyone's hair for the big night. Lynnae and I did Kristin's hair first. Not to brag, but I think that her hair looked amazing. It was really a funny site too. After we had curled Kristin's hair, Lynnae started doing my hair while I finished doing Kristin's hair by pinning up her curls. Then after finishing my hair, all of us rushed to the dining hall to for "Steak night." The steak was amazing, at least, it was after getting a medium rare piece. We shoveled everything down incredibly fast and then ran back to Lynnae's room to do her hair and finish getting ready. Lynnae has lots of hair and it took an hour just to curl all of her hair, but it also looked amazing when we were done. With 15 minutes until it was time to leave, all the girls threw their dresses on and put on some makeup, and we were all ready to go.

Our theme was black, white, and pink. Lynnae and I both wore black and white gowns. Kristin wore a beautiful white dress while Khristyna wore a pale pink gown. Tim and Jarid, the male figures in our entourage, matched us. Tim wore a black suit with pink shirt and tie, and Jarid wore his tux with a black, white, and pink striped tie so that he matched every one of the girls. We were definitely the hottest group there. We were the cat's meow so to speak. And per usual, we all took lots of pictures. One thing is for sure, my friends love to take pictures. To be honest, I love pictures because they are how we all remember, and years down the road, I want my children to be able to look at all the pictures I have while I tell them stories about each one of them.

Upon arriving to the event, we found that the boys had bought us all one long stemed red rose, except for me. Lying in my chair was a chocolate rose. I laughed at it before confronting Tim about it. I knew that the chocolate rose was Tim's idea because it is a long standing joke between us. Tim calls me fat all the time even though we both know that I am not. Therefore, I got a chocolate rose instead of real one so that I could get even fatter.

Artist Series was a one man show. Literally! A man named David Burke did a performance called "David: A Man After God's Own Heart." He played all the parts and he also inserted psalms that David wrote where appropriate in the soliloquy. Along with that Mrs. Trainer sang while Dr. Legderwood played the piano between scenes. The message of the performance was amazing and really spoke to me. It really caused me to think and reflect on whether or not I was leading a life that God would call a life after His own heart.

After the show, we all headed back to our perspective dorms to change into some more comfortable clothes and then drove over the roller rink for the late skate. The late skate was a blast even though I didn't have anyone to skate with during the couples skate, but I have always said that I will not couple skate with just anyone. I am not going to go skate and hold someone's hand just to say that I held a boy's hand so I was okay with the not couple skating thing. While there, I ended up with a blue tongue from the blue raspberry slushie that I had and I came in 4th in the limbo (it is a lot harder to do on roller skates than you think). I would have done better, but my ponytail caught on the limbo bar and I wiped out. It was quite amusing I am sure. By the time, that we got back to the dorms, I was completely and utterly exhausted, and all I could do was crash into bed. However, it was a night that was very enjoyable and one that I will never forget.

Looking like a Drowned Kat

2008-02-22T19:17:00.000-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day!!! No matter how loud or often I say that, I still can not bring myself to like Valentine's Day. For years I said that V-day was just a commercial holiday that was made up for people who were single to feel bad. I just didn't see the point in celebrating the holiday of a Catholic saint. What made Valentine so special? Why don't we make a big deal out of St. Anne's day or St. Felix or St. Catherine? Pretty cynical, huh?

I have changed my attitude since then though. Although I am still not a huge fan of Valentine's Day, I don't hate either. This year I had to admit to myself that the real reason that I didn't like V-day was because I had never had anyone to share it with. He took one of my close friends being blunt with me to realize that. Though I am sad that I don't have a reason to be excited about Valentine's Day, I am not on it like I was before. I should spoil the day for everyone else just because I have an aversion to it.

Actually, Valentine's day was an okay day for me. It was a little lonely due to being on clinical and then working for most of the day, but it wasn't a too bad day. A really good friend of mine helped me to see that Valentine's day could be an alright day. She said something to me that completely made sense. She, being single herself, said, "Even though Valentine's Day is kind of sad today, I love Valentine's Day because of the potential it could have." I know that my Valentine's Day won't always be like this Valentine's, but I am sort of hoping that they start changing soon rather than later.

Despite all this, God has taught me so much about love in a way that only He can. No matter how lonely Valentine's Day may be, I can remember that God's love should always be enough for me. God loved me enough to send His only son to die for me. Love that great is amazing and nothing to be brushed aside. I can't even begin to imagine how much God loves me because it is beyond my finite mind. God's love is the best kind of love that I could get on Valentine's Day. I know that every Valentine's Day will be perfect if I am drowning in God's love.

Walking Down a Dark Alley

2008-02-08T20:42:00.000-06:00

The semester just began a month ago and it has already been a trying semester. At least I know that it can only get better from here on out. The semester started off with a bang when one of my very close friends had to go in for emergency surgery on the first day of school. We were up very late that night waiting for the surgery to be over and did not end up leaving the hospital until 12:30am, and I had class at 7:20am the next morning. Thankfully, she came through okay and is doing fine now, and I caught up on some sleep later on.

My classes are proving to be harder than I anticipated, and I did not get the best of grades on my first nursing test. On top of my nursing class, which consumes much of my time, I am also taking Bible Doctrine II, voice lessons, piano lessons, and Chambers Choir. My clinicals for my Medical- Surgical class are going well and are much more exciting than last semester. I just took my first Bible Doctrine test last week and got a 96/A on it which was very exciting.

I have been struggling with my friendships and interests this semester. About two weeks into the semester I got some bad news from one of my friends and it has been very trying since then. Despite this, I can definitely see God working in my life. My devotional and prayer are better than they have ever been, and I feel closer to God than I ever have in my life. I can say that God has truly become my very best friend during this time, and I pray that never changes. My relationships with my friends have gotten better and the hurts that were inflicted are healing thanks to God. I am so thankful that amid all the chaos that has been surrounding my life lately, that God has given me true peace which is something so indescribable and comforting. Maybe there is light at the end of the tunnel after all.