A Happy Medium

Burning Out Again

2012-01-31T01:34:00.001-05:00

Today would've been a perfect day for a run, but I settled for a walk. I had this sunset for scenery and Switchfoot for my soundtrack. Their lyrics seemed quite appropriate for the situation.

Remember earlier this month when I said that "it seems like whenever I tell someone I'm doing better, I start doing worse again"? Check and check.

I've got a wound that doesn't heal

burning out again, burning out again

I'm not sure which of me is real,

and I'm alone again, burning out again

My hope runs underneath it all,

The day that I'll be home

It won't be long, I belong

Somewhere past the setting sun

Finally free, finally strong,

Somewhere back where I belong

— Switchfoot, "The Setting Sun"

Hellos

2012-01-16T22:54:00.000-05:00

My first two days in Columbia have reminded me why I love this city so much. I kind of wish I could stay in this pre-semester state and just hang out with people and never write a paper or study for a test again. Someone assure me that I can handle the workload.

Goodbyes

2012-01-12T23:01:00.000-05:00

Thinking about leaving Kentucky makes me want to cry. I'm so excited to see everyone in Missouri, but I hate the idea of saying goodbye to everyone here. My little heart feels like it's ripping. It's been stretched too far this year. Bits of it are scattered all around the country — in Kentucky, Missouri, Georgia, North Carolina, Indiana, Tennessee, Virginia and even places I've never been like Texas and New York and Wyoming. If people I love are there, at least some part of my heart is, too. I don't think it can take any more goodbyes.

Workin' on my layout

2012-01-10T20:53:00.002-05:00

Sorry about the mess. I'm trying to manipulate my blog layout with ~~my mind~~ my very limited understanding of HTML.

This picture is relevant on MULTIPLE LEVELS. #pleasedwithmyself

That Boy on The Bachelor

2012-01-10T00:13:00.000-05:00

I'm trying not to let Bachelor Ben's taste in women taint my opinion of men as a whole.

But his behavior on tonight's episode reminded me of too many guys I've met.

It was like watching my memories of middle school played out by adults:

Mean, self-absorbed girls who are friendly to boys and cruel to girls
And dumb boys who can't see past a pretty face (and/or various other features)

I'm already too invested in this completely ridiculous/wildly entertaining show.
Ben better pick Kacie B! If he doesn't, I might lose all hope in the male species.

(You know, that hope I barely managed to hold onto that time Jake picked Vienna over Tenley.)

Chopsticks

2012-01-08T21:22:00.000-05:00

Sleepover with these pretty ladies took precedence over blogging last night.

Apparently I held my chopsticks upside down. #typicalkate

We were eating American food, so I'm not even sure why we got them in the first place!

Points for trying, right?

Top 5 Friday: Guilty pleasure music

2012-01-06T23:42:00.000-05:00

I'm following Annie's lead and posting my top five guilty pleasure songs — songs I'm slightly embarrassed to love but love anyway.

Before I begin, let me tell you that close runners-up included everything Justin Bieber, old school Goo-Goo Dolls, "Breathless" by The Corrs, "When I Look at You" by Miley Cyrus and several songs from Britney Spears's glory days. In the end, however, these five prevailed:

5. "Real World" by Matchbox 20 | Best part: intro notes
No words adequately describe how much I love this song and how thrilling I find the little five- and three-note motifs that repeat throughout it. NO WORDS. p.s. Had to embed this song from MySpace because YouTube wouldn't let me. What year is it again?

4. "Lullaby" by Shawn Mullins | Best part: 3:20 (He goes all de-crescendo and re-crescendo on you.)
When he sings "everything's gonna be alright," I believe him. I did in third grade, and I still do.
Forewarning: Video is sort of questionable right around the aforementioned best part of the song.

3. "Kiss Me" by Sixpence None the Richer | Best part: chorus

Earlier this semester I watched this music video in my apartment like six times in a row. Also, I will watch She's All That repeatedly just for the moment when this song plays as Rachael Leigh Cook walks down the stairs post-makeover and Freddie Prinze Jr. realizes how beautiful she is. (I'll also watch it repeatedly because FPJ is totes adorbs. I believe I've mentioned this before.)

2. "I Want It That Way" by the Backstreet Boys | Best part: 2:22-2:32

This spot could really go to any of BSB's numerous hits. There's just something about a man in all white ... surrounded by slash harmonizing with four other men in all white.

1. "My Heart Will Go On" by the Céline Dion | Best part: note at 3:22
I was like 8 when Titanic came out — too young to see/appreciate Jack and Rose's PG-13 romance but not too young to appreciate the soundtrack to their romance. Also, I one time scored a 100 on this song while playing Karaoke Revolution. (The only other song I ever scored a 100 on was "I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith. What can I say? Wide range.)

What are some of your guilty pleasure songs?

My Cold: A Poem

2012-01-05T23:55:00.000-05:00

via

I cannot breathe, I cannot smell

I have been damned to sinus hell

My tissue box is nearing hollow

I die inside each time I swallow

I'm downing Sudafed like candy

Got eucalyptus cough drops handy

Got Tylenol and Zicam, too,

Even a Benadryl/NyQuil brew

I pile on blankets but quiver and freeze

With icy fingers and shivering knees

I prop myself up, pillows on pillows

In hopes to somehow appease my ill nose

But nothing works! It's all in vain

So in the darkness I have lain

For hours on hours with nothing to do

But pray I make it another night through

If I do not, I've a few final pleas

Remember me not for my cough and my sneeze

Remember the good days — before my congestion

Donate my organs, but I have one suggestion:

Do not donate my respiratory system

Impostor Syndrome

2012-01-05T01:10:00.000-05:00

If you know me well (or have read this blog for much time at all), you know that I worry a lot. Like a lot a lot. Like about everything.

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Every time I'm facing a new semester — or a new job or a new test or a new assignment — my tendency to worry manifests itself as Impostor Syndrome. No matter how well I have done in the past in similar situations, I am wholeheartedly convinced that I will fail in the future. I've somehow conned my way into my current situation, and it's only a matter of time before my inabilities are brought to light.

For example, I call my mom before almost every test and tell her that I'm going to fail. I haven't had enough time to study, and I don't understand the information, and I have six other projects that I'm trying to work on. And I'm going to FAIL.

(My brain continues: I'm not really cut out for grad school. Not bright enough for Missouri. Not as capable as the other students.)

I hadn't even realized that I always did this until my mom pointed it out during one of my pre-test meltdowns back in my college days. She said something to the effect of, "Kate, you always call and say you're going to fail, and you never actually fail." (So now I'm aware of the fact that my breakdowns are unmerited, but I still have them.)

A few weeks ago, I was talking to some of my friends, and I was amazed to learn how many felt the same way about various situations in their lives. I knew these girls to be capable and smart and diligent. I could think of dozens of reasons to reassure my friends that their successes were deserved and that they would continue to succeed in the future. When it comes to my own successes, however, I never think I'll be able to keep up the act.

This is what I'm dreading about the new semester. I'm dreading the feelings of Impostor Syndrome, dreading the sense of inadequacy and the anticipation of failure. I think hearing that my friends felt the same way was somewhat reassuring — not because I want them to feel incapable but because I know they aren't. And maybe the more these feelings get talked about, the more we'll be able to fend them off.

p.s. In writing this blog, I came across this interesting Impostor Phenomenon test. I would definitely answer often or very true for almost all of the statements on the test. Yikes! Here are a few examples:

I have often succeeded on a test or task even though I was afraid that I would not do well before I undertook the task.
I avoid evaluations if possible and have a dread of others evaluating me.
When people praise me for something I’ve accomplished, I’m afraid I won’t be able to live up to their expectations of me in the future.
I tend to remember the incidents in which I have not done my best more than those times I have done my best.
I rarely do a project or task as well as I’d like to do it.
I often worry about not succeeding with a project or examination, even though others around me have considerable confidence that I will do well.

Do you ever feel like an impostor?

Instagram Love

2012-01-03T23:50:00.000-05:00

Instagram is arguably my favorite iPhone app. (It pretty much makes even the most mundane moments look dreamy.) But I've long lamented that there was no real way to see people's pics online without clicking on them individually from Twitter or Facebook. Enter INK361, the site we've all been waiting for. You can see people's entire Instagram albums and comment and like them from the site! Yes, please.

Y u no like my hat?

Here's my INK361 page.
Are you on Instagram?

It's a good week for television, y'all.

2012-01-03T00:33:00.001-05:00

There's so much drama on this couch right now!

Which shows are you looking forward to? Anything as embarrassing as my selections?

New Year's Hope

2012-01-02T01:02:00.001-05:00

I'm not big on New Year's resolutions, but I am big on hope.
Hope is a word that I cling to as my own. It has come to define my life in so many ways.
Hope in the Lord's promises has given me strength and peace and resilience when I most needed it.

(This hope and this hope and this hope and this hope, among others.)

And my hope for this year is the same hope I've had for the past several years: I hope to run again.

For the first six years after my legs started hurting, I would try running a few times a year. I would test my legs — out of curiosity or impatience or upset — and see how they reacted. And the reaction was always an increase in pain, a week or so of punishment for my indiscretion. But I've run more in this past year than in the previous six combined. I've hit the road — or the dirt or the treadmill — and felt mostly just the pain of normal muscle soreness, not of injury.

Since I've been home, in fact, I've run four times. I didn't run long, and I didn't run fast — for the record, I was never fast — but I ran, and my legs and back mostly cooperated. And that is a huge step forward.

During the first of these four runs, I looked over from the treadmill and saw a guy I went to high school with but haven't talked to in a while. I remembered a picture that was taken of us at church camp in 2005. We were in the rain, and I was in my wheelchair. I hadn't thought about this picture in years. (It was pre-Facebook, you know?) How funny, I thought, to look over and see him now and remember that moment and those wheelchair months, which seem so long ago, as I pound away on the treadmill.

And then a few days ago, I was looking through old pictures and came across the same one. It's so funny to see that little me and think of all that has happened since then. So many doctors and physical therapists and misdiagnoses and tests and tears and painful months. And, at the same time, so many reassurances that the Lord would heal me.

I'm closer than ever to having that hope realized — not realized as in understood but realized as in fulfilled.

It's scary to put this all into words. It seems like whenever I tell someone I'm doing better, I start doing worse again. The pain is not gone yet, and I know that it might not be gone for months or years to come. But it's not like it used to be. It doesn't control my life anymore.

And I'm more hopeful than ever that I will return to running for good. There's no way for me to sum this blog up neatly at this hour. All I know is that He who has promised is faithful and that this gives me hope for a new year.

Whoonu

2011-12-31T01:58:00.002-05:00

It's technically Saturday, but I'm counting this as Friday's post because I haven't gone to bed yet.

Betsy, Leah, the brother, and I did pizza and games this evening.

Have you played Whoonu? People choose cards, and then you have to rank the cards by how much you like what's listed on them, and people get points based on how highly you rank their cards.

But these kiddos obviously know me too well because they gave me chocolate cake, surprise parties, celebrity gossip, reality TV, and weddings in the same round. How do I rank those?

Another round I had to rank road trips, pepperonis, bicycling, convertibles, the internet, and air-conditioning. HELLO!? I love all of those things.

BLAH BLAH BLAH ROFL BRB

2011-12-29T21:23:00.001-05:00

Came across these illustrations by Graham Roumieu in the newest Real Simple.

(I've been saying that a lot lately, huh?)

They sort of reminded me of myself. Oops.

Communication theorists like to talk about self-disclosure a lot. They talk about what causes people to self-disclose, what causes people not to self-disclose, why some people self-disclose more than others, etc. In general, self-disclosure is reciprocal. People self-disclose back and forth like they're playing ping pong. The internet changes everything, though. You can sort of self-disclose to no end, whether or not there's someone on the other side self-disclosing in response.

Sometimes when I read my own blog posts, especially old ones that I've forgotten writing, I am startled by how much I've self-disclosed. So many of my thoughts are just on the internet. For the world.

(Not that many people are reading this blog, obvs. But some people are. You, for example.)

All this to say, I'm not exactly sure how much online self-disclosure is too much. If you know, clue me in. I aim to stop short of too much, but I know that sometimes I probably sprint right past it. In those instances, please know that I'm learning.

And in return for your understanding, I promise not to tell you about the time I threw up on the school bus in third grade. (It was not one of my most elegant moments.)

To Have & To Hold

2011-12-28T23:20:00.000-05:00

At any given moment, I try to be aware of which celebrity I would choose if I had to marry a celebrity. (It's important that I always know the answer to this question because, frankly, so many celebrities are trying to marry me.)

Just kidding. (About the second sentence. The first one is totes true.)

I suppose I try to be aware of my choice because I so frequently ask my friends whom they would choose. (Also, it's sort of an outgrowth of my general love of celebrities.) I particularly like to ask my guy friends, but I have a tendency to lambast their choices. Really? You all want to marry Natalie Portman? Really?

For approximately five and a half years of my life (2003-2008), the celebrity I would have chosen was Clay Aiken. He had this cute North Carolina accent, and he was a Christian, and he was totes smart, and he could sing like an angel sent from the heavens above. Also, his hair was pretty awesome. And sometimes he wore glasses. And he was totes hilar. He was 24 when I, age 14, first felt in love with him, which posed some logistical issues, but, you know, nothing that like four years of waiting wouldn't solve.

Then Clay came out, and my world crumbled. Just kidding. It didn't crumble. Unless getting a whole lot of I-told-you-so phone calls and then having to rewrite your entire life plan counts as having your world crumble. In which case it did.

So I have not really had an excellent celebrity husband choice since 2008. I present you with a few of my favorite celebrity options:

The problem is these guys aren't actually viable options. They're either not Christians, too old, too married, too Mormon, or too dead. (#toosoon?)

I've decided recently, however, that the celebrity I would choose is Adam Young, a.k.a. the guy from Owl City.

He totes loves Jesus, his lyrics are creative and sweet, he's adorbs, and his tweets have me convinced that we're a perfect match. He could even wear that outfit to our wedding. I would be all about that. Your move, Adam Young, your move.

Which celeb would you marry?

Cabin Fever

2011-12-27T21:29:00.001-05:00

I've been feeling super cooped up today.

My cabin fever doesn't look nearly this cutesy, by the way.

This is like the Pottery Barn version of cabin fever.

via

All semester I've longed for a break to lounge around and read blogs and shirk responsibility. But I'm kind of lounged out. I'm antsy now. I want to go somewhere or do something.

I haven't seen the girlies much since Secret Santa. They are all:

out of town for the holidays
entertaining relatives who are in for the holidays
working like the adults that they ~~are~~ may or may not be
with their husbands

SCRATCH THIS BLOG. Kristina just called! She has been entertaining relatives who are in for the holidays, but now she is going to entertain me. Human interaction is calling my name, kiddos. Talk to you tomorrow.

Paranoid Parrot

2011-12-26T22:52:00.000-05:00

So after looking at waaay too many Paranoid Parrot pictures yesterday, I have become fairly ~~paranoid~~ certain that I am the Paranoid Parrot. I identify with all of these. Do you worry about any of these things, too?

Forewarning: Visual overload. Not trying to hypnotize you guys or anything. (OR AM I? #paranoidparrot)

Night divine.

2011-12-25T22:57:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas!

A Christmas Eve Message

2011-12-24T23:38:00.000-05:00

From me and Clay Aiken (who will always have part of my heart).

Listen to the note he holds at 2:07. LISTEN TO IT.

Here's some advice: Stay alive.

2011-12-23T23:50:00.001-05:00

So I'm halfway through Catching Fire and getting way too excited about the Hunger Games movies.

I'm already mentally preparing for the midnight showing. (Better keep my hair long enough for a side braid, right?)

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At this point in the books, I can't figure out if I'm Team Peeta or Team Gale, but I totally love the casting choices for both boys and Katniss. (And Haymitch and Cinna and Effie and Caesar, etc.)

1, 2, 3

I'm especially excited because the trailers make the movie look pretty true to the book and because the music is going to be awesome.

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Listen to this Taylor Swift song from the movie! (Courtesy of Keith.)

I bet they will put it in the credits. [I think this Willow Smith song would also be fitting, though not the right tone. (I can practically see a fanvid to that song with clips of Katniss in her fiery dress!)]

Have you read or listened to the books?
Do you think the movies will do them justice?

p.s. I can't remember who told me this, but apparently Hunger Games author Suzanne Collins also wrote Clarissa Explains It All. Weird, right?

#thatawkwardmoment

2011-12-23T00:07:00.000-05:00

when it's December 22 and you still haven't bought presents for any of your family members...

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I am not a procrastinator by nature. I don't like working in crunch time. But when it comes to picking out presents, I'm always behind schedule. I never think about finding presents until the week of Christmas (or birthdays, etc.), and I rarely feel like the things I've picked for people are any good.

Occasionally I'll find something that reminds me of a specific friend or family member, so I'll snatch it up to save for the right occasion, but I almost never find good presents when I go hunting for them.

A year or two ago, I took a love languages assessment, and, low and behold, I found that gifts are the way I'm least inclined to show and receive love. Suddenly it all made sense! This is why I need my family members to write their Christmas lists but I never want to write my own.

{my love language results}

Being aware of the various love languages has also helped me to understand how to show love to my friends better. Some need hugs, and some need help, and some just need to hang out. Do you know what your love languages are?

p.s. I did end up purchasing two gifts for family members tonight! #success

Self-Worth in a Can

2011-12-21T18:59:00.000-05:00

Came across these cute and telling illustrations by Mikey Burton in the January Real Simple.

They were featured in an article about debt, but I think they also serve as a commentary about advertising, marketing and the promises attached to products.

All ads appeal to needs of some sort — emotional needs or physiological needs, etc. And that's not a bad thing. Products can fulfill a lot of our needs. But they'll never provide a lasting or healthy sense of self-worth, happiness or accomplishment.

Sometimes I get surprised looks when I tell people I'm studying advertising. [I'm studying strategic communication officially, but that takes a lot longer to explain (especially because my actual degree is in journalism). It's confusing, so sometimes I just say advertising.] People have this idea that advertisers as a whole are engaged in deception and manipulation. But I think that good advertising, like good writing, is always focused on conveying truth.

I turned on the radio yesterday during a McDonald's commercial. The narrator, waxing poetic about the merits of the Big Mac, ended with the line, "The simple joy of complete fulfillment."

I was reminded of these illustrations. I can imagine a fourth, a paper bag with all-caps sans-serif text proclaiming its contents will provide COMPLETE FULFILLMENT. I'd like to give the writers of that McDonald's commercial the benefit of the doubt. I'd like to believe they simply mixed up the words "fullness" and "fulfillment." A Big Mac can most certainly provide complete fullness, but complete fulfillment doesn't come with special sauce and a side of fries (either way you read it).

If I ever end up working as a copywriter, I hope you never come across one of my pieces and find I've suggested a product will provide what only Jesus can. I wish I could add an asterisk to all my copy: *Everyone who drinks this water [or eats this Big Mac or wears these shoes or owns this phone] will be thirsty again.

"...but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” — John 4:13

Secret Santa

2011-12-20T22:25:00.001-05:00

Remember how I was going to blog every day over break? Well, I'm at Secret Santa, a.k.a. my fave day of the year. Chillin' with my grills if you known what I mean. So this is the post for today. And here are a couple of pics from the night so far for good measure.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Christmas Break To-Do List

2011-12-19T23:53:00.000-05:00

1. See my girls.

Got to soak up all the minutes I can with these lovely ladies.

(Especially now that a third of them are off and married. #whendidwegetsoold)

Can't wait for our annual Secret Santa party tomorrow! (I'm bringing a cheetah Snuggie. Don't tell.)

2. Catch up on blogs.

Wedding blogs, design blogs, Mormon mommy blogs, your blogs, etc.

via via via

3. Make an excessive number of trips to the mall.

Also, eat an excessive number of giant pretzels.

4. Pin things to Pinterest.

Things I want cook. Ways I want to do my hair. Babies I want to ~~eat~~ squeeze.

Neville (always Neville). Places I want to live. Clothes I want to wear. Et cetera. (Pin with me!)

5. Design.

I have six empty frames in my Missouri bedroom, and I'd like to fill them with some prettified Bible verses or lyrics. What are your faves? Please share in the comments.

6. Design some more.

I want to do more of these type portraits. And I want to figure out a way to print them nicely.

6. Update ze blog & ze portfolio.
I always get the hankering to update the layout over breaks. (And I'm still not satisfied with my thought bubble picture.) And I'm going to try to post every day. Look at me go.

7. Watch my shows.

Revenge. Pretty Little Liars. THE BACHELOR.

The most dramatic season yet. (Always the most dramatic season yet.) What are you watching lately?

8. Elliptical!

(I made it a verb.) ENDORPHINS.

9. Read.

Maybe I will finally finish Sense and Sensibility or The Chronicles of Narnia. Maybe I'll just curl up in my bed and listen to the rest of Catching Fire. That counts as reading, right? Any other books you'd suggest for mental-break reading? I've also thought about picking up Bossypants or Mindy Kaling's new book.

What Christmas break activities am I forgetting?

What will you be doing during break?

Twenty-Five Percent

2011-12-18T16:05:00.002-05:00

If grad school were a mile, I'd already be once around the track.

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This thought makes me feel somewhat accomplished and somewhat sad.

I just started, didn't I?

p.s. Doesn't this look like the coolest track ever? I don't think it exists, but I wish it did.

p.p.s. Melissa recently brought it to my attention that I quantify everything. I hadn't thought about this before, but she is totally right. I make up fractions and percentages and use them to make sense of the world. I haven't run track in ages, but I still make sense of progress by comparing it to distance travelled on a rubbery red oval.

p.p.p.s. Thinking about setting a Christmas break goal to blog every day. This might be too daunting a task, but it might finally get me back into blogging on a regular basis. Thoughts?

Make way! Here he comes! Ring bells! Bang the drums!

2011-12-13T00:16:00.000-05:00

(♪ Are you gonna love this guy! ♫)

My brother, Jack, is flying to Missouri on Thursday to hang for a little bit and then make the drive back to Kentucky with me. This video pretty much sums up how I feel about it.

Writing Woes

2011-12-03T21:44:00.001-05:00

Over Thanksgiving break I kept getting asked how grad school compared to undergrad, and I kept saying that it was more of the same — by which I meant, the work is not more difficult than that of undergrad, but there's more of it.

I feel like all I do is write. Write write write. I design a good bit, too, but that's not nearly as mentally draining. For the most part, I research, read, research, read, write, write, write, write, write.

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And yesterday while I was walking across campus and thinking about linking verbs — because that is the type of thing that I, Kate Brannen, think about — I remembered a paper that I wrote about writing during my senior year of high school.

Here is an excerpt from the middle:

I always feel a blockage when Ibegin an essay. Something hinders me from putting ideas into words.Writing an essay is hard. For instance, just then I had to pick a word. I used“hard,” for this example, but my brain was throwing so many other words at me. Painstaking. That came to mind. Grueling. That, too. Time-consuming.Exhausting. Frustrating. Oh, which do I choose? Which do I mean?

Also, that linkingverb begs to be replaced. Sure, writing ishard, is painstaking, is grueling. But can I say, “Writingpainstakes?” “Writing gruels?” No, I think not. And therein lies the dilemma. To write, I must grapple and battle with words until they say what I mean, and, all too often, I am unsure of what it is I mean.

So I write and rewrite and type and delete and cut and paste and stop and cry, and after all that, I have my rough draft. My oh-so-rough draft.

I've been feeling this way a lot these days. I'm so tired of writing. Sick of it, really. My brain hurts. My eyes hurt. My soul hurts.

Just kidding. My soul doesn't hurt. I couldn't think of a third thing, but I've been trained to list in threes.

It doesn't make sense that my remedy for being sick of writing is to write about it. It's like writing and I are in an abusive relationship. Writing totally beats me up, but I always go back to it because ... I just love it. I love it recklessly and irrationally in a way that makes my coexistent hate for it all the greater. I think there's an Eminem feat. Rihanna song about it.

Maybe I love writing for the same reasons that I love/d running, though to a lesser extent. I love it despite the fact that it's hard and because of the fact that it's hard.

And I suppose I write all this to say sorry that I've been totes neglecting the blog this semester. I miss it terribly. I've been busy writing far more scholarly things lately. I almost said "far more boring," but that's not exactly true. Much of what I've written has been interesting to me. But it's definitely painstaking in a way that blog-writing is not. It actually kind of gruels most days.

My Old Kentucky Home

2011-11-16T23:51:00.001-05:00

I'm headed home tomorrow, and I'm not sure I've ever felt this excited about anything before.

I miss my family terribly, and I miss all my girlies, and I miss Asbury, and I miss Kentucky. I miss the rolling green and the fences and the sunsets and the way the fall smells there.

(Google image-search "Kentucky horse farms," and you will see what I see on the way to the mall or to Asbury or to almost anywhere outside my subdivision. Does that not look like the most beautiful place on the planet? Kentucky is just like a little piece of heaven.)

When I was about to move to Missouri, I thought of Thanksgiving break as the week I just had to make it to. Everything will be okay, Kate, if you can just make it to Thanksgiving break. You will get to go home again. I had wanted so desperately to go to Mizzou, and I was so excited to get in, but my heart felt like it was ripping apart when it actually came time to say goodbye to everyone, pack up and move across the country on my own.

Thanksgiving break has continued to feel like the week I had to make it to, but in a different way than I had expected. I've been overwhelmed with schoolwork, and I've known the week off would be a bit of a respite from that. But I had anticipated a semester of loneliness. I had anticipated a shaky start in a new city and a struggle to find my place. I had thought before I arrived that Thanksgiving break would be a respite from friendlessness.

Turns out that friendlessness is just about the furthest thing from what I've experienced in Missouri. I have felt so enveloped by people in this city, and I just have so many people to love here already. That sounds like such a sorry understatement. It's more like the people I've met here are people whom my heart has somehow known all along. I got here, and it just clicked.

I think this is largely the result of meeting people who share my faith. Jesus provides the perfect common ground for us to start from. I'm so aware that all the people I love here are people he's known about all along. When I moved here, he knew about them. When I applied, he knew about them. When I was first visiting Mizzou last summer, he knew about them. Every person I love here is just another gift from him and another reminder that I am where I'm supposed to be.

So I'm happy to go home tomorrow and see so many people whom I love so dearly. But I'm also happy that I have friends here to say goodbye to. I think it's fitting that this break is for Thanksgiving because I am oh-so-thankful for both the people I'll be leaving behind and the people I'll be heading home to.

Words of Wisdom from Kim Kardashian

2011-11-05T14:54:00.006-04:00

Almost choked on my chicken when I heard this little tidbit of insight from Kim K's post-divorce GMA interview on Hulu during my lunch/study break.

Why isn't anyone taking her to task for this stupid statement?

Confessions of a Preacher's Daughter

2011-11-04T16:06:00.000-04:00

So Melissa and I went to go see Footloose last Friday, and I totally loved it.

This may come as a surprise to those of you who know of my exquisite taste in film. (Other favorites include A Walk to Remember and The Princess Diaries.)

Seriously, though, there are few things I enjoy more than a feel-good movie about high schoolers who are played by adults.

Ren, the main character, was totes adorbs and a sweetheart. And I identified with Julianne Hough's character, Ariel, because we both 1) are preachers' daughters 2) have crushes on Ren and 3) are super rebellious and can dance really well.

Just kidding about number three. Julianne Hough is a terrible dancer.

Just kidding about identifying with Ariel at all. She was kind of a tramp, and I never really figured out why Ren liked her. It was probably that whole preacher's-daughter appeal. Except for the fact that, as far as I can tell, that's not a real thing.

You know how there are activist groups concerned with the media portrayal of various people groups? Why isn't there one for preachers' kids?

I should totally do my grad thesis on the media portrayal of preachers' kids. It would be so journalistic of me. My research would probably involve watching lots of 7th Heaven. And my conclusion would be like, Hey, Dusty Springfield, not all preachers' kids can reach you and/or teach you things. Hey, Nicholas Sparks, not all preachers' kids inadvertently win the hearts of their schools' bad boys. Hey, whoever wrote 7th Heaven, not all preachers' kids have a million siblings.

One scene in Footloose particularly amused me because it was exactly like a scene in A Walk to Remember. Basically Ren/Landon wants to go out with Ariel/Jamie, so he goes to the dad's sanctuary one evening and stops him practice-preaching to ask for permission to go out with his daughter. And the preacher-dad totally doesn't want to say yes but says yes anyway because he is all moved by Ren/Landon's forwardness and knows that saying yes is the Christian thing to do.

I don't know why Ren and Landon figured they would find the preacher-dads in the sanctuary after hours, and I don't know why they were right. I've never found my dad chilling in the sanctuary at nighttime, giving sermons when there's no one there. (Take note, rebellious high school boys.)

Ridiculous portrayal of the preacher's fam aside, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and could not get enough of the soundtrack. Can we talk about this cover of "Holding Out for a Hero" for a second? Because I've basically had it on repeat since I left the movie theater.

I've always loved this song — and by always, I mean since Frou Frou covered it in 2004 — but this version is by far the best I've heard. I feel like the author of Marry Him: The Case for Settling for Mr. Good Enough (which I borrowed from Taylor over SBXI but didn't finish because it was depressing but which Melissa did finish and always references) would probably have a few words for whoever penned this song.

Namely that it's unreasonable to expect a man to be not only a hero but also strong and fast and fresh from the fight and sure and soon and larger than life. (Obligatory Backstreet Boys reference.)

And that author would probably be right. Because those expectations are pretty unreasonable. But I'm keeping the song on repeat anyway because how am I supposed to weed through all those rebellious high school boys pining for my preacher's-daughter heart unless I keep my standards really high? Answer me that, Lori Gotlieb.

Except for the fact that, as we established earlier, that whole preacher's-daughter appeal may or may not actually exist. So — for good measure/your listening pleasure — I've also included my second favorite Footloose soundtrack song, one which Lori Gotlieb would probably fully approve of.

p.s. Totes just did some Googling and found out that somebody already did a grad thesis on stereotypes of preachers' kids. Not even kidding. This is how she ends her introduction:

"For some time, perhaps even as long as there have been preacher’s kids; there has been a stereotype that is imbedded within our society. This stereotype, simply stated, is that the children of ministers are considered hellions and are believed to be capable of any form of bad or deviant behavior. There is also the belief that even though the children are thought to be deviant, they are also ideally supposed to be perfect."

p.p.s. She should have made "preacher's" plural possessive instead of singular possessive in her first sentence. And her first semicolon should be a comma. And she used the nonstandard spelling of "embed."
p.p.p.s. In case you guys didn't know, I am a hellion capable of bad and deviant behavior. Also, perfect.

Glamour & Grammar & the Duchess of Cambridge

2011-10-28T12:36:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the second edition of Glamour & Grammar, the blog series in which I address grammatical failures in pop culture.

Allow me to begin with the thought process I went through before writing this post:
Is it okay to correct the grammar of royalty?

Yes, just not to any royal faces.

Is it okay if the grammatical errors in question were made in a letter to a young cancer patient?

No, probably not.

But if it were okay, then I'd point out that Kate Middleton's been having some comma trouble lately.

I would let you know that the comma trouble surfaced in a note Kate wrote to a little boy whom she met in a children's cancer unit. I might even post the note on my blog and turn the problem areas purple.

Dear Fabian,

I very much enjoyed meeting you at The Royal Marsden hospital last month. Despite the enormously demanding course of treatment you are undergoing, I was so touched by your strength of character, and delighted to hear the news that one of your big sisters will be able to donate bone marrow to you later this year.

I will keep my fingers crossed that your health goes from strength to strength over the months ahead. This must be a troubling time for you, your parents and your sisters, but I know I left The Royal Marsden assured by how incredibly talented, kind and clever the team at the hospital are. Combined with your belief and positive energy, you couldn't be in better hands.

Keep up the good work with the blog and in the meantime I will keep you and your family in my thoughts and prayers.

Catherine

I would explain that "and" provides sufficient separation for "touched" and "delighted" in the first highlighted sentence. The comma between those words is unnecessary.

I would also explain that a comma is needed in the second highlighted sentence. A measly "and" isn't strong enough to carry an independent clause on each side. Like any coordinating conjunction, "and" needs a sidekick comma if it hopes to balance a compound sentence.

Sidenote: I really wanted to say a "prevenient comma." Thank you, Christian theology class.
p.s. I'm not Arminian.
p.p.s. I'm not Armenian either.
p.p.p.s. Christian theo was my favorite class in college. I wish I could take it again. #thingsineverthoughtiwouldsay

I might close my argument by reposting the sentences with correct punctuation:

"I was so touched by your strength of character and delighted to hear the news...."

"Keep up the good work with the blog, and in the meantime I will keep...."

At this point I would probably feel like a horrible person for critiquing a letter to a cancer patient.
I might even decide to give Kate points back for being a classy lady.

There is, of course, the possibility that someone other than Kate Middleton ~~penned~~ typed this letter. If England is anything like America, someone other than Kate Middleton probably typed this letter.

I have a letter of my own for that person:

Dear That Person,

Clearly you are in need of a public relations practitioner who handles punctuation aptly. Look no further. I have a degree in public relations and 15% of a degree in journalism, and I know how to place a comma. You can reach/hire me via the contact link at the top of this blog.

Grammatically yours,

Kate, Duchess of Commas

YouTube Gold

2011-10-24T14:02:00.000-04:00

Four friends from my brother hall made this music video in the basement of an Asbury dorm a couple of years ago. It enjoyed a brief stint online before one of them robbed the internet of its goodness by taking it down.

This week, however, it reemerged on YouTube, so I'm posting it in hopes that it will somehow be catapulted to viral video fame.

Featuring Landon, Abe, Holland and [linkless] Bill

p.s. The best part is the octave change right around 2:20. Whole new octave of awesome.

Things I've been meaning to blog about.

2011-10-20T01:52:00.004-04:00

1. I hate it when TV/movie characters kiss right after they have woken up. Worst time to kiss ever. Some of you are probably like, "Kate, how do you know?" And that is a pretty good question. But, in my opinion, the fact that there's a famous musical called Kiss Me, Kate entitles me to be the kissing police. And I say: Go brush your teeth.

The above screencap was taken from the most recent episode of The Lying Game, which I attempted to watch — at Gwen's urging — in the J-Lib today. I don't normally watch television shows in the library, but I had just finished a test and wanted to reward myself. I cut my show-watching short, HOWEVER, when that kiss started to happen. I was like, "Gwen, I cannot watch people kiss in the library." Twenty minutes later when Gwen was still trying to get me to watch the show, totes adorbs undergrad boy sitting next to her said, "I don't think anyone would be embarrassed if you watched people kissing in the library." ! ! !

p.s. I make no apologies about my love of a select few ABC Family dramas.

2. Mizzou invented homecoming. Did y'all know that? It's on Wikipedia and everything. I became a Mizzou student just in time to experience their centennial homecoming celebration, which I consider pretty good timing on my part.

Here I am pre-homecoming parade with Gwen, Melissa, Mollie, Whitney and Jessica.
Yes, you should read their blogs, and, yes, journalism school is weaning me off the Oxford comma.

3. Speaking of Missouri friends, I have them. I haven't posted many pics of them on here, but we do fun things like Wednesday lunches and Thursday small group and apple-picking and shopping and Orange-Leafing and birthday partying and House Dec-seeing. Oh, and lots of grad school workload commiserating. (Do you like how I started that sentence with regular nouns and then switched to all gerunds? My brain. It is dead. It is throwing parallel structure to the wayside.) These friends are what I am most grateful for about my new life.

4. Speaking of Missouri friends, I have no guy friends. That is a slight exaggeration. I have approximately 1.8 guy friends in Missouri, and that number results from the fact that I know approximately four guys in Missouri but know them, on average, only about 45% as much as you need to know a guy before you can call him a friend. I've always been that girl who hates hanging out with guys, but I'm really beginning to miss male company. I especially missed it a week and a half ago when I needed new brake pads and had no idea what to do. I especially especially missed it a couple of weeks before that when I broke the mini-blinds in my shower and had no idea how to fix them.

5. There's a window in my shower. Yeah, the one I shower in. And the blinds in said shower broke. And by broke, I mean snapped in two at the top and fell out completely. Not having a father or brother or other male friend to call for help with my blinds, I resorted to covering the window with various household goods. First I made a barrier of shampoo and conditioner bottles on the windowsill. That lasted for two weeks or so. Then I replaced the bottles with two giant strips of aluminum foil, which I taped to the tile around the glass. That lasted for two days or so. Then my roommate Scotch-taped the blinds apparatus and put it back up like a champ. I guess I didn't need a man after all, just a roommate and some Scotch tape. (Never ever let that become my mantra.)

6. I've started saying "y'all" more since I moved here. I think this is part of the reason why Mizzou is probably switching to the SEC. They can't handle all my southern-ness.

7. This picture is the background on my computer. It has been such a comforting reminder to me lately when I've been stressed about schoolwork.

via

8. My grad school workload is leaving my life in disarray. Exhibit A: Monday's cereal bowl sitting on my desk. Exhibit B: My clean clothes still in the laundry basket two weeks after I washed them. Exhibit C: The tape on those mini-blinds I told you about. I realize this is not a very blogger-y statement to make. Bloggers say things like, "Look at my wonderful crafts. Look at my hipster husband. Look at my vintage dresses. My life is so pulled together." My life does not feel pulled together these days. I do not make crafts for my hipster husband whilst wearing vintage dresses. But I do dry my hair on a fairly regular basis, so that's something.

9. Spotify is my new best friend. Lately I've been listening to lots of George Winston, John Mayer, Taylor Swift, Demi Lovato and Blake Stratton. Weird combo, I know. When I'm stressed about homework, I all about some Bethany Dillon, Jimmy Needham, Robbie Seay Band and Jenny & Tyler. Are y'all on Spotify yet? It is seriously my favorite new internet thing since Twitter. ~~Who~~ Whom are you listening to?

Go listen to this on Spotify ASAP.

10. I went running last Thursday. It was the seven-year anniversary of my stopping running due to injury. Seven years. I can't believe it. I wanted to blog that day. I wanted to provide a little two-years-later update since my last major post on the topic. But I found myself swamped with schoolwork and unable to carve out the time. I did carve out the time, however, to go for a little mini-run, and it was wonderful. I wanted to test my legs and see how they'd hold up. They held up well, and I was even comfortably sore in a nice muscle-y, non-injury way for a couple of days afterward. I have made so so so so much progress in the last year. Maybe more progress in the last year than in the six years that preceded it. I will try to get that all out in blog form soon.

View from my mini-run. Not even kidding. Approximately two minutes from campus.

11. It was sunny last week, but it has been gloomy this week. It is putting me in a funk. Don't let my oh-so-pale skin fool you — I need sunshine to function!

12. This sentence was in one of my class readings this week. Do not attempt to read it. It will hurt your brain. I just wanted you to see how long and ridiculous it is. 201 words. Not cool, author. Not cool.

13. My mom and sister are coming tomorrow. And by tomorrow, I mean today! Woohoo! I'm so excited.

Insert joke about how they are matching here.

14. On that note, it is my bedtime.

Reunited and it feels so good.

2011-10-13T01:09:00.003-04:00

Remember that time sweet Lindsay paid me a surprise visit all the way back in 2009? Well, she paid me a surprise visit again this weekend!

Okay, okay, I'd known about it for two weeks, so it wasn't exactly a surprise, but it felt like one because I never expected any of my friends to come all the way from Kentucky to visit me. Just me. Being the quality-timer that I am, I've rarely felt so loved.

Here are a few iPhone pics from our Missouri adventures!

Right after we were reunited & right as we began our roadtrip to St. Louis

Hit up Chick-fil-A on our way to STL. Duh.

The Gateway Arch (Seeing it was on Lindsay's bucket list.)

Lindsay was bummed after we just missed getting tickets to go up in the arch.

Almost as bummed as that lady in that famous picture from the Great Depression.

(It was on display in the Museum of Westward Expansion, which we settled for.)

Here I am imitating my ancestors.

(As you've probably figured out from my long, dark hair, I am like 1/128th American Indian. I am basing that fact and that fraction on the presence of a really old photo of an Indian in one of our family photo books. As you've probably figured out from my white, white skin, I am like 127/128th not American Indian.)

Maybe taking pics outside the arch will make people think we went in.

Lindsay hung with new friend Gwen while I T.A.-ed yesterday! Worlds collided.

But soon after that, I had to drop Lindsay off at the airport. Sad face. Definitely shed a tear or two.

I can't wait to see her again (and all my Kentucky kiddos) next month during Thanksgiving break!

Glamour & Grammar & Gaga

2011-09-28T23:03:00.001-04:00

Welcome to the first edition of Glamour & Grammar, the new series in which I'll address ~~grammar fails~~ grammatical failures in pop culture. Today we'll be talking about Lady Gaga and her flagrant misuse of pronouns.

In Gaga's newest hit, "You and I," the singer mistakenly follows "about," a preposition, with "I," a subjective pronoun, instead of "me," an objective pronoun.

Using the word "I" when the word "me" is correct is the grammatical equivalent of sticking your pinky out while drinking beer. It's out of place, and it has the potential to look pretentious.

This grammatical mistake pains me more than all others because it's an overcompensation. People don't say "and I" unthinkingly. They say "and I" deliberately because they've been taught that "and me" is wrong.

Sometimes "and me" is wrong. Take, for example, Lady Gaga's 2009 hit "Bad Romance." In it she uses "me," an objective pronoun, as a subject.

In an attempt to avoid this ostensibly more grievous mistake, many people have begun to avoid "and me" and "or me" altogether.

They start saying things like:

"Lady Gaga waved at Alejandro and I." (object of preposition)

"If Gaga wants my bad romance, she better email my agent or I the contract." (indirect object)

"The paparazzi won't stop photographing Gaga and I." (direct object)

(in a slightly different vein)

"Lady Gaga and I's poker faces are unreadable." (possessive adjective)

These constructions overestimate the capabilities of "I" and underestimate the capabilities of "me."

Just because "me" makes an unfit subject or predicate nominative doesn't mean it can't make an apt direct object, indirect object or object of a preposition.

And just because "I" makes a first-rate subject or predicate nominative doesn't mean it can function as a direct object, indirect object, object of a preposition or possessive adjective. Read: "I's" is never a word.

[In fact, I think the widespread acceptance of "I's" as a newfangled possessive adjective indicates just how far the "and I" epidemic has spread among English speakers. We already have "my," which is fully capable of both standing on its own and being paired with another possessive word (e.g. Lady Gaga's and my poker faces).]

So next time you're trying to pick between "me" and "I," ask yourself, "WWLGD?" And then do the opposite.

Just kidding. But, seriously, I hope this blog undoes a bit of the damage done by Gaga's grammar and makes the future of pronouns a little bit brighter for you and me.

p.s. Yes, I am aware of the fact that "you and me" doesn't rhyme with "cool Nebraska guy," but I'd be willing to bet she came up with the "you and I" line before the "Nebraska guy" line.

p.p.s. What types of grammatical errors pain you most?

A long blog that you should read anyway.

2011-09-16T01:13:00.003-04:00

So one of the most interesting things about coming to Mizzou has been getting to see what's popular at a different school in different part of the country.

The first thing that I noticed about Mizzou was the way the students dress. On the first day of class, approximately one million girls were wearing this number: neon sports bras, sorority slub tanks and Nike track shorts.

(Do you like the little Photoshop compilation I made for you?

Legs from one model, torso from another, sports bra and shorts just stuck on in there? Thought you would.)

My initial reaction was, "OH, so this is their hazing. They make the girls wear these outfits." But no. The first day came and went. And girls were still wearing this. It's like the thing to wear.

On the one hand, I can see the logic in this wardrobe choice. For the first two weeks of classes, it was approximately one billion degrees on campus. On the other hand, I can't see the logic. Because they're going to class. With their sports bras sticking out.

So if that's how the girls look, how do the boys look? They look bearded.

I know what you're saying. You're saying, "Kate, they might look bearded, but they don't look like Jon Hamm and Brad Pitt." To which I say, "Au contraire, monsieur."

Okay, actually not au contraire. You are right. (And you're probably not a monsieur.) They don't look like Jon Hamm and Brad Pitt. But they do look bearded, and I can't miss an opportunity to remind people that Brad Pitt and Jon Hamm went to Mizzou.

And as long as we're speaking in French, want to know what else is rampant on Mizzou's campus? Amour de Apple. Seriously. I know that I posted this same Mizzou classroom picture back in February, but now I've seen this Apple love with my own eyes, and it still amazes me. Classrooms actually look like that.

Also, the Mizzou campus is like one big iPhone-fest. It's not just the majority of kids who have iPhones. It is the vast majority.

(I also see a surprising number of kids — undergrads, grads and non-J-School kids alike — traipsing around campus with iPads. They're all like, "No big deal. Just chillin' with my iPad.") It's like the future.

Another thing kids love at Mizzou (and my favorite spot on campus) is the completely ridiculous — nay, opulent — recreation center, which everyone calls The Rec. I always go after my classes end, so I have it to look forward to all day.

Going into The Rec is sort of like watching MTV's Cribs. It just seems like way more than anyone could ever need in the way of recreational space.

Don't like the cardio theater?

Go to quiet cardio zone.

Don't like the locker room?

Go to the fancier locker room. (Just $16 a month.)

Don't like the weight room?

Go to the other weight room.

Don't like the pool?

Go to the other pool.

Don't like the other pool?

Go to the other, other pool.

Don't like the other, other pool?

Go to the sauna, ya whiner.

Don't like your toenails?

GO GET YOUR TOENAILS DONE. IN THE REC.

That little Q&A there just began to touch on all that there is in The Rec. I found out recently that The Rec was actually rated the number one recreational center in the country by Sports Illustrated. I'm not surprised.

(My favorite thing to do in The Rec is the hip-hop spin class. Have you guys ever been spinning?

It is so fun. Go try it. The class I go to is in a black-lit room, and they play loud music, and we all just spin away.)

There are also some random popular things at Mizzou or in Columbia that don't fit nicely into any categories. They include but are not limited to:

1. Tiger Stripe ice cream

I still haven't tried it, but it is made on campus, and people love it.

2. Churches

Everyone I talk to goes to a different church, and everyone I talk to loves ~~their~~ his or her church.

I've visited three, and I liked all three of them. (First world problems, right?)

3. Smart people

Everybody seems smart here. [I am like not even that special anymore. (Just kidding, bahaha.)]

But, seriously, it makes sense that Columbia is the 13th most educated city in the country!

Or at least it was in 2006.

4. "Evangelists"

There are always people "evangelizing" in the speaker's circle at Mizzou. I keep getting this urge to throw Bibles at them and yell "Jesus doesn't motivate with guilt!" But I'm pretty sure that Jesus doesn't motivate by throwing Bibles either. (In other news, Brother Jed's home base is at Mizzou.)

5. Swearing

People love to swear at Mizzou. Profs swear at students. Students swear at profs. Profs swear in their lectures. Students swear in their homework. And it's all no big deal. No big deal, #$@% it!

6. Smoking

People also like to smoke on campus. I will never understand.

7. HyVee

People love this grocery store called HyVee. I went there, and I was all excited to experience it, but it turned out to be...a grocery store.

8. Hating kansas

People hate kansas here. They hate it so much that they don't even capitalize the k. That is the middle finger of grammar. (Prior to moving here, I'd only seen the middle finger of grammar used for satan.)

9. Asians

There are so many Asians here. (Do you like how I represented them with a picture of Russell from Up? Thought so.) I'm pretty sure there are more Asians in the grad school than non-Asians.

10. Parking garages

I pay $170 a year to park in parking garages, and I spend a lot of time in parking garages. They are taking over the city of Columbia, and there's still not enough parking.

Wow, parking garages make kind of a lame note to end on. I should have thought of that when I was arranging my collage, but it is 1:12 a.m. now, and there is no way that I am opening up Picasa to rearrange that and make a better conclusion for you guys.

Has journalism school taught me nothing!?

p.s. I'm starting a new series on my blog called "Grammar with Kate." Clever, right? No, not right. If you can thing of a better name, let me know. It will be a grammar series inspired by pop culture happenings. First topic of discussion: Lady Gaga's new song "You and I." So much is wrong with that song. (Grammatically and otherwise.) Get excited.

Life in Missouri

2011-08-21T23:11:00.000-04:00

The days since I moved to Missouri have been ~~a bit of~~ a whirlwind. I'd hoped to blog the whole moving and settling process, but I'm two weeks in, and I've already done so many things and met so many people that that task seems more than a little daunting now.

Overall, the last couple of weeks have been amazing. Part of me can't believe I've already been here for two weeks, and part of me can't believe I've only been here for two weeks. Classes start tomorrow, but I finally feel like I'm into the groove of Missouri life, so I'm having trouble wrapping my mind around the fact that I'm about to experience another major change.

Here's a brief illustrated overview of my first two weeks in the Show-Me State:

Packed up two cars and headed west. Stopped in Louisville to say goodbye to Jack—on his 24th birthday, no less!

Arrived in Missouri nearly 10 hours later. (We'll do it faster next time!) I was eager to see the J-School.

Spent the first few days unpacking, shopping, assembling, visiting campus and generally dreading saying goodbye to my parents. (Check out my new washing machine! And we tried out the froyo, duh.)

After the horrible goodbye, I headed to my new roomie's house in Sedalia to spend the weekend. Went to the state fair and even hit up Kansas City with Alysa and Bethany. Perfect distraction.

Arrived back in Columbia after the weekend and found that my parents had left surprises all over the house! (I think they're trying to fatten me up.)

Spent the next several days going to orientations, meeting new people, hanging with Alysa, walking all over campus and generally being amused by Alysa's cat. She seems to like my feet a lot.

And, of course, there've been lots of reminders of this little lady, Lindsay, all along the way. If you don't know the story of our internet friendship, read this. The photo in the top right might need a little explaining.* See below.

I've been truly amazed by the warm reception I have gotten from everyone here in Missouri. Coming from a state as friendly as Kentucky and a school as tight as Asbury, I expected that I would have to adjust to interacting with people whose overall dispositions were not as warm as those I was used to. But, seriously. Everyone is so nice. Everyone. (I know this can't possibly be completely true. I'm sure that one day I will meet a mean Missourian, but it hasn't happened yet.) Midwestern politeness is legit.

One highlight of my life in Missouri so far has been finally getting to know my internet-friend Gwen and her lovely roommates in real life. (Wish I had pictures to show you all of the adventures we have already shared.) Gwen, let's take pics next time! I have felt so welcomed by them, and after a 460-mile move, welcomed is just about the best feeling I can think of.

I have to admit that before I moved, I had these visions of myself doing things alone in Columbia. Like if saw movie previews for anything that was due out in mid-August or later, I'd be like, "Oh, I can't wait to see that with...myself." But, guess what, I have been to two movies since last Friday, and I didn't see either one of them by myself.

I'm waking up just about every day now eager to find out how God is going to surprise me next. From the seemingly-chance encounter with Lindsay's friends* and my instant connection with Gwen and her roomies to the fact that the girl who just happened to sit next to me at T.A. orientation yesterday is also a Christian and wanted to check out the same church that I did, I keep getting the overwhelming sense that God is directing my every step. And that is an incredibly reassuring feeling.

I still get sad when I think about the people I love back in Kentucky, but I have not experienced the terrible homesickness and fear that I had braced myself for. I know that so many people have been praying for me here, and I am so, so appreciative of that. God has been answering those prayers in such surprising ways.

My classes start tomorrow, and I am nervous. I'm nervous about getting to all the right places, and I'm nervous about being a T.A. in a huge class (eek!), and I'm nervous about graduate level coursework and about trying to continue to develop these new friendships once the semester really gets underway. But I know that I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be. I know that I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be. And that is enough.

"The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.

Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

– Deuteronomy 31: 8

*I was in Which Wich and wanted a sandwich, but I didn't know how to use the brown bag system, so I asked this girl in front of me in line what I was supposed to do. I started talking to her and her friend, and we went through the usual "Where are you from? What's your major?"-type questions. Anyway, the girls, Elaine and Allie, invited me to sit with them at lunch. And I was thinking, "Man, these Missouri people are nice. I just met them."

So we walked over and started talking to their other friend, Katie, while we waited for our 'wiches. Katie mentioned that she worked at YMCA of the Rockies this summer, and I was like, "Um, that sounds really familiar, but I have no idea why. Like, really familiar. Like, I must have read about it on the internet somewhere." And then they mentioned that it was part of this program called "Leadership Training," and I was like, "Wait, is that connected to The Rock?"

And they were like, "Um, YEAH, how do you know about The Rock?"

And I was like, "Funny story, actually. I started talking to this girl on the internet after I found her blog, and she went—"

And they were like, "WAIT, what was her name!?"

And I was like, "Lindsay Cochrum."

And then there was shrieking inside of Which Wich.

And they were, "WAIT, ARE YOU!? ARE YOU!?"

And I was like, "The Ship?"

And then there was more shrieking inside of Which Wich. Because, yes, I was The Ship, and they were friends with Lindsay. So we ended up calling Lindsay and then just having an all-around delightful lunch during which we basked in the ~~coincidence~~ providential encounter. (Can you bask in an encounter? I don't know, really. But I think we did.) Seriously, though. The odds of this situation were like nil. I don't talk to people in front of me in restaurant lines all that often, and even less often do random people in restaurant lines invite me to sit with them. And 32,000 students go to Mizzou.

It's the Final Countdown

2011-08-04T10:44:00.002-04:00

I'm leaving for Missouri in FOUR DAYS. Perhaps because of this, I have had "The Final Countdown" stuck in my head all week.

The part that is stuck in my head just goes:
♫ dodododooo dododododo dodododooo dododododododo ♪

I also keep imagining a little Gob Bluth doing ~~magic tricks~~ "illusions, Michael."

If you have never seen Arrested Development, please go watch it right now. It will change your life.

Blogging on the go.

2011-07-30T16:13:00.003-04:00

Here's my first attempt at blogging from my iPhone! I've been on the go go go for the last couple of weeks, and this is my second out-of-town weekend in a row.

Here are a few pics of my recent adventures! (Some are instagrammed, and some are not. I should start taking pictures only with instagram because they look better that way!)

Drove through Cinci with my mom to visit Ikea!
This was my fave desk there, so I just might be headed back up there this week to pick one up for my room!

Look what a champ my mom is! She always brings measuring tape on trips like this to make planning easy!

Met my lovely new housemate, Alysa!
She will be a senior nursing student at Mizzou this year, and she is best friends with my dear friend Bethany!

Went to Betsy's houseboat for a weekend!
Here I am with Linds and Stephanie on the run-about!

With Steph, Brooke, and Bets on top of the boat!

Got to see sweet Dottie and Adam right after they got engaged!

Her bling bling! She seriously has the cutest hands ever.

Got diagnosed with bronchitis! Aaah, daycare life. I was sick for no less than four of the six weeks I worked there this summer.

Wish I could post pics of my sweet kiddos from work. I've only been done for two days, and I already miss them. I can't really explain it. They drive me crazy sometimes, but I love them so!

Hopped into my new car with the whole fam on Thurs to drive down to Georgia to visit grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins and cousins' kids!
There's my dad navigating the roads!

Wish I'd taken more pics of my sweet cousins! Here are Chandler and Kip. The sweetest 7- and 4-year-old boys! They have brand new twin sisters, Emily Collins and Sterling, who I got to play with yesterday!

I will see my other little cousins, Canon and Abby Kate again tonight! They have another baby sister, Caroline Grace, on the way, too! Just wish I got to see them all more.

I'll be back in good ol' KY on Monday, and then it's crazy packingshoppingloadingcryingmovingfreakingout time! See you soon, Missouri!

PostSecret | Harry Potter Edition

2011-07-18T00:02:00.000-04:00

Loved seeing a few Harry Potter secrets on PostSecret this week.

Me neither. Nowhere close. (But, seriously, does this surprises anyone?)*

This reminded me of another PostSecret that I saved on my computer because I loved it so much. I can't remember when it was posted.

Dear Future Husband,

I'm game for a honeymoon at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Just saying.

Love, Kate

I so thoroughly enjoyed the last movie on Thursday night.

I just want to watch it a million times over.

With Bellatrix Betsy

Bellatrix, Umbridge, Ginny, Luna, Mrs. Weasley, and Hermione

aka Betsy, Kellie, Kristina, Leah, Mandy, and me

It was quite convenient that we had two natural redheads in our group!

*You know, love love. 'Cause, I mean, OBVS I love my dad more than Harry Potter.

I am waaay too excited about seeing Harry Potter tonight.

2011-07-14T08:28:00.001-04:00

I am like eat-sleep-breathing Harry Potter at this point. I'm just beyond excited.

In other news, I want to marry Neville Longbottom.

Talk about aging well.

No other wizard compares!

(Okay, but, actually, I love them all!)

Who's your favorite? Are you going to see the movie?

all pics via

To jort or not to jort.

2011-07-09T11:37:00.000-04:00

Confession: I bought some jorts.

Cute or not cute?

If somebody had told me two summers ago that I would purchase pleated and cuffed jorts in 2011, I would have been like, "Girl, you crazy."

So I'm not sure how I feel about this recent purchase. All I know is that Missouri is hot in August.

What's your opinion? ('Cause, I mean, I am the queen of returning things.)

As Promised

2011-07-06T21:35:00.001-04:00

Remember that time I said I would post more pics of Brooke's wedding?
Well, her fab photographer posted some of them on his blog today!

Take a looksie! I just love remembering what a wonderful day that was!
I want to go back!

Loveliest girl in the world? I think yes.

In the words of Rebecca Black, fun fun fun.

Our attempt at a Bridesmaids-esque pose.

(Just going to go ahead and own the fact that I look super awkward in that last pic.)

So quintessentially Brooke to wink on her way down the aisle.

How sweet and earnest is his watching-her face?

Could they look any happier!?

LOVE IT.

Oh, my word. I just love these so much! See the rest here.

Help me pick an iPhone case!

2011-06-28T18:47:00.002-04:00

Look what my parents got me for my belated birthaduation!

(I call this my just got home from eight hours of work at the daycare and now lying on the couch and taking terrible photo booth pictures of myself look. How's it working for me?)

Yeaaaah! I feel like such a creative type when I'm carrying it around.

I need your help, though! I have to buy a case, and I don't know which kind to get.
Any recommendations (or non-recommendations)?

Here are some cute ones I've seen, but I'm not limited to these (or to pink).
I'm hoping to find one that is both safe and functional and not too expensive.

Thoughts?

Workin' on my fitness layout

2011-06-24T22:33:00.003-04:00

Please excuse any broken links! I'm working on the layout of my blog!

Love to all!

Because we're awesome.

2011-06-22T00:08:00.001-04:00

Check out this surprise dance we busted out at Brooke's reception.

It was the lovely bride's idea. We choreographed the whole thing at her bachelorette party, taught the groomsmen after the rehearsal dinner, and then wowed the crowd with our rockin' moves.

Probably one of the most fun things I've ever done!

Thanks to Brooke's new sister-in-law Hannah for posting the video on FB!

Twue Wuv

2011-06-20T00:32:00.001-04:00

I've been such a horrible blogger lately! Here's my temporary new header. I was so sick of the old one that I had to get this one up even though I'm not quite satisfied with it yet. Here you go.

In other news, Brooke got married yesterday! Her wedding was lovely, and I miss her already!

I'm still not used to the whole some-of-my-friends-are-married thing. It's been almost a year since Emily got married and two weeks since Laura got married, but I still can't wrap my mind around it. When did we get this OLD!?

Here are some pics from all the bridal festivities over the last couple of weeks!

Girls about to hit the town for Laura's bachelorette party!

Girls on the dance floor at Laura's wedding! Doesn't she look gorgeous?

After some late night swimming at Brooke's bachelorette party!

At the bowling alley the night before Brooke's big day!

With Brooke! (Seriously. That girl can rock some white.)

Sorry these are so blurry! I pulled them from Facebook!
I will post pics of Brooke's wedding once they go up on Facebook! She looked amazing, and the day was beautiful!

You know one crazy thing I was reminded of over Brooke's wedding weekend?

This photo was taken in May 2009, nine months before John and Brooke started dating!

Brooke, Lindsay, Josh, Kristina (not pictured), and I drove down to Nashville for a Hillsong concert, but we stopped in Bowling Green (where Brooke and Kristina go went to college) for one night, and this pic was snapped. And lookee who's in the background! John Schreiner. Brooke's future husband.

Crazy, huh?

So if you are on the lookout for a husband, go click through old FB pics because he may just be lurking in the background. p.s. Do you like my ridiculous attempt to get the ~~good~~ left side of my face in the foreground of this picture? Sometimes I go overboard in that attempt.

More wedding pics soon!

Evidence

2011-06-09T22:30:00.000-04:00

Here's some evidence that I really am working on a new blog header.

I have made my brother take photos of me three times now as I attempt to get a new thinking picture of myself. I edited the wall out of the left one and loved the lighting but decided I didn't look happy enough and wanted to try my hair up. (I'm a pretty caj girl. That's how it is most of the time.)

So I made him shoot me again tonight, but we forgot to adjust the ISO, so the colors and light look awful. I didn't even bother editing the rest of the wall out from behind my head.

Anyway. This is just my way of saying that, yes, it is coming.

I'm also hoping to take a new home girlies pic for my thought bubble at Brooke's bachelorette party this weekend! It's remarkably difficult to find a picture that both 1) includes all my girls and 2) is horizontal enough to fit my oh-so-landscape way of thinking.

Speaking of bachelorette parties and weddings, I caught the bouquet at Laura's wedding this weekend! Just saying.

Scotty and Lauren

2011-06-02T21:42:00.000-04:00

I didn't watch American Idol this year because I had so much else going on, but the more I hear about Scotty and Lauren, the more I wish I'd watched it!

I miss getting so so so invested in the show like I used to.

p.s. I'm adding the fact that this year's top three were ALL younger than I am to the list of things that make me feel old lately.

p.p.s. Scotty is the cutest 17-year-old since Justin Bieber.

p.p.p.s. I wish Scotty and Lauren were in love.

I have a tendency to forget.

2011-06-01T23:52:00.000-04:00

"But now, this is what the Lord says—

he who created you, Jacob,

he who formed you, Israel:

'Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;

I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

When you pass through the waters,

I will be with you;

and when you pass through the rivers,

they will not sweep over you.

When you walk through the fire,

you will not be burned;

the flames will not set you ablaze.

For I am the Lord your God,

the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.'"

Isaiah 43:1-3

Red is my best color.

2011-05-31T10:02:00.000-04:00

Look, you guys, I got a car!

Isn't it so cute!?

At first I was going to name it either Adam Levine or Maroon 5 because I love Maroon 5 and because it is sort of maroon and because it is an '05. Jack, suggested that I name it Maroon '05, which I thought was pretty clever.

But now I'm leaning toward naming it Georgia because I love UGA and because I feel like it's a girl and because it's black and red. Thoughts?

p.s. Do you like my Vanna White poses?
p.p.s. The little sticker inside the car says it was made in Missouri. Come August, I'm taking it back to its roots. (Or maybe it's taking me.)

A Few of My Fave Inventions

2011-05-29T14:31:00.000-04:00

Sort of in order but actually just off the top of my head...

1. internet
2. printing press
3. air conditioning
4. Coca-Cola
5. running water
6. phones/cell phones
7. cars
8. electricity
9. refrigerators
10. ibuprofen
11. sunglasses

What are yours?

p.s. Working on my new header RIGHT NOW.

Stylin' in my sleep

2011-05-16T11:14:00.001-04:00

This is how my hair looked when I woke up this morning (approx. 5 minutes ago).

I know, right? You are so welcome for that GPOY. I feel like it should actually be GPOM but whatever.

New blog header coming soon!

Because:

The photo in my header was taken freshman year
So I am significantly more mature looking now
And my side-bangs look better
Not good, really, but better
Don't judge by the above photo
And I don't really think about Jim & Pam
Or David Archuleta that much anymore

I am sticking with the same theme, but it will be updated! Just wanted to give you a heads up! You can see that I already went ahead and scratched out ~~college~~. Sad face.

Boys Boys Boys

2011-05-15T20:29:00.000-04:00

In my recent and ongoing attempt to purge my computer of old files, I came across this screen-cap of a FB chat I shared with best friend Brooke. Not sure exactly why I saved it, but I think it was that I found her last comment particularly amusing.

Am I the only girl who thinks get-togethers are always more fun when they are girls-only? I feel like this preference does not bode well for my future.

Audrey and Marilyn

2011-05-11T15:34:00.000-04:00

I did an Audrey Hepburn type portrait for graphic design class junior year, and it might be my fave thing I've ever designed. I've decided to work on a Marilyn Monroe portrait to complement Audrey.

Her eyes, necklace, hair, etc., still need work, but here's what I have so far!

I'm thinking about starting an Etsy for these.
What other celebs should I do? Grace Kelly? Jackie O? Who else?

I might do custom portraits as well.
They kind of take forevs, but I just love them!

I'm going to miss these girls.

2011-05-10T10:38:00.001-04:00

We took this picture in a Macy's dressing room freshman year:

And this one in the same Macy's dressing room during the last week of college:

People always say that you won't stay friends with the same people all four years of college. But we did! (Note that we did gain a one-year-younger pink addition! I've always thought pink should be considered part of the rainbow.)

From left: Katelyn, Jenelle, Lauren, Dottie, Taylor, Marie, Me, Anna

p.s. Yes, I know we are ridiculous for taking pictures in a dressing room. Ridiculously awesome.

The first day of the rest of my life. Or so they say.

2011-05-07T09:10:00.001-04:00

I get to sit next to bestie Taylor at graduation.

Kate Brannen + Taylor Brantner = Take that, alphabetical order!

I'm graduating from Asbury ~~College~~ University in approximately two hours. Graduation is exciting, but I'm not finding it to be the joyous celebration movies make it out to be. It feels a little too much like somebody is stepping on my heart with a cleat.

Last night my friends and I dragged our mattresses into one apartment to stay up late and soak in all our final collegiate moments. We were going to goof off and watch Spring Break Shark Attack, which we watch every year on the last night of school. (It is seriously hilarious.) But we all fell asleep just a few minutes into the movie. I just woke up and snapped this pic of the pallet-fest happening beside me. Look at my sweet, sleepy friends.

Graduation weekend feels like a feeble attempt to wrap four years in paper and tie a bow on them. I don't know how I can be expected to walk across a stage, accept a ~~diploma~~ case, and somehow feel like I'm done at Asbury.

I haven't just gone to college here. I've built a life here. This campus is home to so many memories and so many people I love. The air still feels full of our unfinished plans.

I know I can't stay forever, and I know we'll all be okay in the long run. But that doesn't change how unnatural it feels to say goodbye. The closer I get to graduating, the more I feel like the unnaturalness of goodbyes is an indication that we were never made for a short-term world.

Today I'm going to smile and cry. I'm going to feel grateful for my four years here but sad that they're ending. And I'm going to try try try to remind myself that this goodbye, like this world, is only temporary.

Finals

2011-04-28T11:54:00.000-04:00

I'm giving myself ten minutes to blog. Ready, set, go.

I just spent an hour cleaning our apt. because it was so messy I couldn't think.
I also can't think because my brain is FRIED from four years of thinking.

via

The next few days are going to be so busy. I hate hate hate hate hate that my last few days here at Asbury coincide with finals. Obviously this is inevitable, but it's creating an interesting conundrum.

The whole
my brain is fried thing
isn't working with the whole
I have finals and projects thing
which also isn't working with the whole
I don't have a lot of time thing
and the
I want to spend what little time I do have with my friends thing,
and that isn't working well with
schedule already full thing.

Okay, it's been 10 minutes. Off I go to attempt to get stuff done.
I keep daydreaming about my profs being like, "Hey, Kate, I know you've worked really hard for the last four years and that you are fully capable of getting an A on my final, so you should just skip it, take the grade that you have now, and spend your last few days with your friends."

Alas. Not gonna happen.

That was 11 minutes. BYE.

Will & Kate

2011-04-24T21:28:00.003-04:00

As you know, my name is Kate. If I had been a boy, it would have been Will.

What regal taste my parents have!

via

I've already written about how much I love my name, but I've gotten a whole new kick out of knowing I'll be sharing it with a princess.

You are 16 going on 17; fellows will fall in line.

2011-04-18T22:58:00.000-04:00

When I was little, I thought this was the most romantic scene in just about any movie. I totally thought that I would fall in love by the time I was 16, and I totally thought that 17-year-old boys were as mature and adorbs (and inclined to verbalize their feelings) as Rolfe.

Found out yesterday that Liesl and Rolfe were actually 23 and 22 when The Sound of Music came out. No wonder my childhood dreams of teenage love were unrealistic.

I should prob quit taking romantic cues from Nazis.

Why haven't I heard this before?

2011-04-17T18:41:00.000-04:00

Andrew Ripp + Ben Rector + Steve Moakler = Yes, please.

Pretty Little Liars

2011-04-11T22:00:00.003-04:00

So I started watching Pretty Little Liars recently, and I can't. stop.
I'm on episode 17, and I'm dying to know who A is.
Oh, also, I'm in love with Mr. Fitz.

Some things about this show, however, are ~~a little~~ ridiculous.
(Like how they curl their hair before the SAT and wear heals to traipse through the woods...)

One thing that I find most ridiculous is the ages of the real-life actors.

Spencer, Aria, Emily, and Hanna are all 16.
The girls who play them are 25, 21, 24, and 21 respectively.

Adorable Mr. Fitz (24) is only three years older than Aria in real life.

Not exactly scandalous. (I think this is why it doesn't seem as creepy as it would in real life!)

via

That means Mr. Fitz is actually younger than Aria's other semi-interest, Noel (25).

And teenagers Caleb, Toby, Jenna, and Maya? 24, 24, 27, and 32 respectively.

So high-schooler Maya (32) is only five years younger than Aria's mom, Ella (37).

(And in real life Ella would have had to have had Aria at age 16.)

I know it's no new trend for young people on TV to be played by older people and older people on TV to be played by younger people, but I feel like this show may be taking the trend to a whole new level of ridiculous.

All that said, I'm still obsessed with this show.

And I wish Mr. Fitz were real.

And I can't wait for it to start up again.

Celebratory Coke

2011-04-08T11:19:00.001-04:00

My little sister CPOd me this in celebration of the fact that I am going to be a T.A. at Mizzou next year. I'm so excited! (About both the position and the Coke.)

Thanks, Jane!

p.s. When my mom and I left Mizzou after our visit in July, I said, "The only things wrong with this school are that it is eight hours from home and that it has Pepsi products." True story.

It all ends 7.15

2011-03-28T16:26:00.000-04:00

The release date for the final Harry Potter movie somehow feels like the finish line of my childhood.

I've always been the same age as Harry. We've grown up together.

In the next five months, I will turn 22 and graduate from college and move eight hours from home. And I'll watch the last HP movie—the final installment in the seven-book, eight-movie story that has unfolded alongside my own life.

And I think I feel the same way about the movie that I do about growing up.

Excited, yes, but also sad.

One-Man Disney Movie

2011-03-22T08:16:00.001-04:00

Marci posted this link on her Twitter yesterday, and now I am obsessed.

I know, right?

I realize that approximately eight hours ago I posted to say that I would be gone from the blog for a couple of days, but I thought I could post this really quickly while I ate my cereal before class!

Brad Pitt and Jon Hamm both look good in suits

2011-03-22T00:34:00.001-04:00

and both went to Mizzou. Just saying.

I'll be gone from the blog for a couple of days because I am working on applying for assistantships! I thought I'd leave you all with pics of these two guys, though.

Black and yellow.

2011-03-12T08:35:00.002-05:00

I GOT INTO MIZZOU.

via

I know, right!? I am freaking out. I have no words, and I don't really have time for words because I am leaving for Florida for SPRING BREAK in approximately two hours and have not packed a darn thing, but I needed to tell the bloggy world. Thanks for all your encouragement.

I will blog more about this soon! (FROM FLORIDA!)

p.s. I think Mizzou's colors are actually black and gold, but I will be singing that "Black and Yellow" chorus all week.

I'm a nervous wreck.

2011-03-08T18:09:00.000-05:00

I just ~~talked~~ whined to my big brother for 40 minutes about Mizzou. Seriously.

You've already heard my freak-outs about how much I want to go there, but every day that passes without my knowing whether I'm admitted increases my neuroticism about the subject.

That sentence doesn't even make sense. I read it back and thought to myself, "Why would the world's best journalism school admit me when I can't even structure a sentence?" See. Neuroticism.

This whole graduate school admissions process has created the perfect storm for my particular flaws.

I worry too much + I find my identity in my grades + I'm too concerned about what other people think about me + I'm impatient + I never feel like I've done a good enough job + I forget that God has my best interest in mind + I don't take criticism well + I feel everything intensely + I obsess

= I am one mess of a grad school applicant.

Jack, being the awesome brother that he is, sent me these Calvin and Hobbes cartoons. Apparently Calvin and I are the same person.

So now I'm just trying to reassure myself of things that I don't feel.

Things like:

God has great plans for me.
My own personal value is not dependent on whether or not I get admitted to grad school.
I will end up with a job. I will.
Not getting in now doesn't mean never getting in. (How's that for sentence structure?)
Grad school has no eternal significance.
And, again, God has great plans for me.

"Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken. My victory and honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me. O my people, trust in him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge." Psalm 62:5-8 NLT

Pocket full of Bieber

2011-03-03T21:41:00.001-05:00

"I just want to put Justin Bieber in my pocket," Anna said yesterday.
I felt she had captured my sentiments toward him perfectly.

via

You see, I have a long history of swooning over celebs...

As a 9-year-old, I could profess my love for 23-year-old BSB Brian Littrell.
At 14, I could fall for 24-year-old Clay Aiken and 25-year-old Shane West.
At 19, I didn't feel creepy about loving 17-year-old David Archuleta.
And at 20, I had few qualms about drooling over 18-year-old Taylor Lautner.

But enough is enough.
At nearly 22, I simply cannot find myself crushing on a 17-year-old.
Even one as totes adorbs as Justin Bieber.

via

I always knew this day would come — the day when crushable celebrities started to be too young for me. And I think I feared that all the fun and excitement that obsessions can offer would somehow dwindle out as well.

But I am finding that I'm simply able to love Justin in a different way — a way that kind of makes me want to

pinch his cheeks

and make him a sandwich

and, yes, put him in my pocket.

As I watched Never Say Never last weekend, I found myself experiencing concern for his well-being. I know. All these years I've been trying to figure out when I'd know I was a grown-up. I figured I'd know when I started paying all my own bills or when I started living by myself or when I got a real job.

But perhaps I realized I was a grown-up as I watched Justin Bieber singing onstage in the movie. There he was, being screamed for by a thousand teenage girls. And there I was, identifying not with the girls but with the moms who'd brought them to the concerts.

Baby Bieber. Not even kidding.

via

All this said, I'm still obsessed with him. I still bop around my room to his music on a near-daily basis. I still waste time watching videos of him on YouTube. (I got a kick out of this one in particular.) I still find myself in awe of his incredible voice (and dance moves). I still can't wait for his next CD to come out. But this popstar-obsessing all feels a little different than it once did.

If you asked me, though, if I might ever have a crush on him in the future,

you know, when he's gotten a little bit older and taller,

and when his voice is deeper and he's finally in his twenties,

I'd say,

Never say never.

Taylor ♥ Adam ♥ Taylor

2011-02-27T00:32:00.000-05:00

I was bebopping around the apartment singing Taylor Swift's "Enchanted" on Thursday when Marie-Claire provided me with some thrilling information.

via

The conversation went something like this:

Me: ♪ "This night is sparkling / Don't you let it go / I'm wonderstruck . . ." ♫
Marie: Are you singing "Enchanted"?
Me: Yeah, I love that song! It is my favorite on the whole CD. It is so sweet.
Marie: Did you hear [the guy from Owl City] Adam Young's response on his blog?
Me: What? No! I mean I knew the song was supposed to be about him.
Marie: Yeah, Adam Young posted a response to her on Valentine's Day.
Me: BWHAAAT!?

So she proceeded to show me the sweetest blog post of all time. He basically confesses his love to her. And then he covers "Enchanted"! I know, right!? Seriously, you have to listen.

I am posting it here for you guys. The best part of the Owl City version is the end. It's so sweet.

I'm just a little worried about Adam because Taylor seems to fall in and out of "love" a lot. I feel stupid saying that. I just don't want her to break his little darling heart!

He seems like such a genuinely sweet guy. His lyrics are amazing. In fact, I could (and probably will) write an entire blog post just about how much I love his lyrics and the fact that he has his head on straight.

That said, I do appreciate the fact that he kind of put his heart (very publicly) on the line to tell her how he felt. Way to be a man, Adam Young.

Ponte Vedra

2011-02-24T12:51:00.000-05:00

Want to know where I'll be in two and a half weeks?

via

THE BEACH. Spring Break 2011, I am very excited about you.

The Porn Pastor

2011-02-23T18:48:00.000-05:00

Every semester, our school sends out a little chapel schedule for the next few months. I always scan the sheet, stuff it in my purse, and eventually dig it out to stick in my desk for future reference.

When I got my schedule this semester, I did my usual scanning and noticed one name that excited me to a ridiculous extent: Craig Gross.

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I had heard Craig speak in 2006 at CIY, and that message was so solid that I still remembered it even after all that time.

So I basically freaked out about the fact that he was coming to chapel.

It may sound weird that I freaked out about hearing from a guy known to many as the Porn Pastor. (He works to love people in the adult entertainment industry, to help people struggling with porn addiction, and to spread the message of Jesus.)

But this is why I like Craig's messages:
Even when he's talking about porn, he's really talking about Jesus and how much Jesus loves us.

You may call me old-fashioned, but I think that's the kind of stuff pastors are supposed to talk about.

During Monday's chapel he spoke about porn. During today's he spoke about Compassion International. But both messages were primarily and fundamentally about Jesus, about his love and his forgiveness.

That's what changes hearts and lives. That's what drove the messages of Jesus himself. It's the only thing that's really going to heal anybody, and it's the stuff I want to hear more of.

Monday's chapel:

Wednesday's chapel:

Craig's site. Craig's twitter. XXXchurch. XXXchurch podcast.

It's a small world after all.

2011-02-22T00:56:00.000-05:00

I don't even have words to describe the bizarro coincidence that Marci and I discovered today.
I will let you read it yourselves.

This is the comment Marci left this afternoon on my blog about the Steve Moakler concert.

This is the Twitter insanity that ensued. Keep in mind that Marci and I have never met!

The great big internet is the only thing responsible for bringing us together!

I know, right!? I think Marci got it exactly right when she said "mind blown. #inception"

My mind has indeed been blown. These Auburn guys were literally the only people we talked to at the concert. Sooo crazy.

I look forward to becoming better internet friends with Marci in the future.

Thank you, internet and Steve Moakler for bringing us together.

Excuse me while I fall for you.

2011-02-21T00:12:00.000-05:00

Taylor, Becs, and I headed to Nashville yesterday to see Ben Rector and Steve Moakler in concert.

Let me just tell you, I have such a crush on Steve Moakler. He is so ridiculously talented and adorable. He sounds great on his CD, but he sounds incredible live.

And, seriously, the combo of his voice + his guitar playing skills + his sweet demeanor + his song about his little sister + his lovely lyrics = love on my part.

If you are asking yourself whether he could possibly get more adorable, the answer is no. No, he could not.

Also, he loves Jesus. And he, like me, was bred in Pittsburgh but calls the South home. I know, right?

Here are a few of my favorite songs of his. (I think "All the Faint Lights" is my number one fave.) You can get all of his music here.

Here I am with Tay and Becs before we got into the venue!

Steve rocking it out / being adorable.

One of the cutest things about the show was that Ben and Steve kept helping each other out for each other's songs. They sounded awesome together. (Also, please note Steve's jaw in this photo!)

One happy surprise of the night was that Matt Wertz was in the crowd!
He joined them on stage for one song.
(Remember last time I blogged about him?)

Yes, please.

I hope I get to see them again sometime soon!

iTunes pages: Steve, Ben, Matt

Sing to me, Adam Levine

2011-02-18T22:06:00.001-05:00

Okay, so I've always known Maroon 5 was good. (I mean, let's be honest— "She Will Be Loved" is one of my favorite songs of all time, and Adam Levine is one of the prettiest men on the planet.) Until this week, however, I never realized how truly brilliant this band is.

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Until this week, I had only heard two songs from their newest CD. As I studied for my comm. theory test on Tuesday, however, I listened to the whole thing. And then I listened to it again. And again and again and again. It's BRILLIANT.

You know how when you were in the eighth grade, every love song that you heard on the radio (or through the headphones of your Discman*) seemed to be written about the kid you had a crush on?

Well, I have found the same thing to be true for me as a college senior listening to Maroon 5. Except that the kid I had a crush on has been replaced by the Missouri School of Journalism. Seriously.

Listen to these Maroon 5 lyrics:

"I am in misery / There ain't no body who can comfort me /

Why won't you answer me / The silence is slowly killing me"

I know, right? It's like the song was written about my wait for a letter from my dream grad school. And you want to know what it's called? "Misery." Like Missouri.** Get it? Get it? Yes, I've been acting like this all ~~week~~ month.

So I'm going to go try to quit freaking out, and you all should listen to some Maroon 5. It is sent from the heavens above. Of course I put "Misery" first for you all in this little playlist. ("No Curtain Call" might be my favorite. Or "Just a Feeling." Or "Stutter." Or "How." Who am I kidding? They're all amazing.) Let me know your favorites in the comments!

*Remember the days of running with Discmans? (Discmen?) Why didn't we just carry boomboxes on our shoulders? And, why, yes, I just tweeted this exact thought while writing this blog.

**And I tweeted this exact thought on Tuesday.

All the Makings of a Teen Classic

2011-02-17T14:01:00.000-05:00

Confession: I totally want to see Prom.

Awkward but lovable guy? Lockers and late bells? Girl who doesn't get asked? Cheerleaders and chem labs? End of high school sentimentality? Secretly soft-hearted rebel? Makeover revelations?

Check check check check check check check!
Of course I'm going to see it!

When I first saw the trailer, I thought, "How has this movie not been made yet?"
And then I thought, "Oh, wait, it already has been made. A MILLION TIMES."

I'm not mad, though. There are few things I like more than cheesy high school movies. Especially ones centered around The Prom.

"Who are you going with?" really was the most popular and important question in my high school's hallways between February and May of my junior and senior years.

Both years I was the girl who didn't get asked. No worries, though.
According to Disney, this means I'll end up with some soft-hearted rebel eventually.

It's been a while.

2011-02-11T00:39:00.002-05:00

I have been so busy. So busy. This semester is flying by.

1. Happy belated birthday to my favorite dad ever! Can't wait to see you on Sunday!

(Can you tell we like Georgia?)

2. I just want to hear from Mizzou already. I spend 70% of my day thinking about it. Yes, I know this isn't healthy. I go back and forth between reassuring myself that I will get in and bracing myself in case I don't. GRR. And I look Mizzou up on the internet approximately 15 times a day. And I look at pictures, and I read articles, and I drool. Also, I have become quite the Twitter stalker. Forget Facebook. If you have tweeted about Mizzou in the last month, I have read your tweet. If you have tweeted about the Mizzou grad school, I might have bookmarked it. I know. Unhealthy.

I just. want. to go there.

Photo via that newspaper that, oh, yeah, Mizzou students write. I know, right?

(And, yes, that photo was taken in an undergrad classroom, but I feel like it just says so much about the school. All those Apples? They have their heads on straight.)

3. Today when I left the chiropractor, I didn't schedule another appointment.
(Background: I began seeing a chiropractor in November because of my leg pain, and he has been amazingly helpful.)

I'm sure I'll go back to him for tune-ups in the future, but I didn't go ahead and schedule because I don't know when I will need to see him again. In the last six years, I have seen eight physical therapists about my legs, and each time I have been discharged for the same reason: they have done all they could do.

But today I was discharged from the chiropractor because he had done all he needed to do. Great feeling.

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Here's to hoping I'll be running soon. Hoping hoping hoping.

4. I guess it's no secret that Tenth Avenue North is good, but seriously. They are good. GOOD.

Listen to them.

"By Your Side" from Over and Underneath

Jane Jane Bo Bane

2011-01-20T23:29:00.001-05:00

Banana Fana

Fo Fane

Me Mi Mo Mane

Jane

Happy 20th birthday

to smart, beautiful,

and oh-so-favorite sister!

Love you so much.

DKNY 1, Express 0

2011-01-16T17:15:00.000-05:00

I was flipping through Marie-Claire's Marie Claire magazine yesterday — I know, right? — and I came across an ad I liked so much that I just kind of sat and stared at it for a minute.

"That's what I want," I actually said out loud as I held up the page for my friends.

The ad reminded me, however, of another perfume ad I saw recently — one I hated so much that I actually snapped a cell phone photo to remind myself to blog about it later.

The kicker for me is that the Express perfume is called "Love."

Not "Trashy Romance Novel" or "Visit from the Chippendales" or "Debauchery in a Bottle." No. Love.

And since four years of studying communications has made it nearly impossible for me to look at an advertisement without analyzing it, I began to wonder what each ad's planners were thinking as they came up with these ideas.

Both ads connect their product with the idea of love, but they present it in two very different fashions.

The first ad connotes comfort, intimacy, fidelity, even vulnerability.

The second connotes vanity, infidelity, selfishness, and power.

Making an appeal to humans' innate need for love is a classic advertising move, but if advertisers expect it to continue to work in the future, they need to get their definition of love right.

My applause goes to DKNY. Express, not so much.

L.L.

2011-01-14T23:42:00.001-05:00

L.L. means more than Lindsay Lohan. It means more than L.L. Bean.

It means Linnea Luzzo. And Light of my Life, which Linnea is.

Happy birthday, sweet girl! I love and miss you!

Is it technology or is it magic?

2011-01-09T09:21:00.002-05:00

This little gadget has blown my mind.

Click the boxes to have your own mind blown.

The more boxes you click, the better it gets.
(You can also click and drag to select multiple boxes at once.)

p.s. Make sure your volume is on!
(And, no, it's not one of those it-mesmerizes-you-and-then-a-creepy-face-pops-out things.)

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In want of Mr. Darcy

2011-01-04T23:33:00.000-05:00

"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single girl in possession of her right mind must be in want of Mr. Darcy."

— Sarah Arthur

Oh, my goodness. I finished reading Pride and Prejudice today for the first time, and I am in love.

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I've seen the 2005 movie several times, so I knew the general plot and ending, but I still could not put the book down!

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In the book, Wickham is more detestable, Jane more endearing, Elizabeth more relatable, Collins more ridiculous, Darcy more desirable, etc.

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The whole time I was reading, I was hoping Mr. Darcy would pop up again. Elizabeth's interactions with Darcy punctuated the whole book for me.

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My fave scene in the movie! Love when she sees him walking towards her in the field!

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I've repeatedly been told to watch the 1995 BBC version, so I'm beginning that one tonight! Can't wait to fall in love with Mr. Darcy all over again. (Though I may have trouble hating him at the beginning as I'm supposed to...)

There's so much drama on this couch right now.

2011-01-02T14:56:00.000-05:00

The Bachelor (a.k.a. the best part of spring semester) starts tomorrow.
I'm practically counting down the hours.
Let the ridiculousness begin.

See more preview vids here.

Christmas Vacation

2010-12-30T12:32:00.001-05:00

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I have accomplished next to nothing on break so far.
I have things to do, but I don't have anything that needs to be done now, so I haven't done much at all.

I have done a lot of

napping
reading blogs
going shopping
elliptical-ing
watching The O.C. (I finished the whole first season.)
playing Freecell (on my dad's new iPad!)
seeing friends

Oh, and just within the last couple of days, I have spent a lot of time Googling Garrett Hedlund.

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I don't even like country music OR action/sci-fi movies, but I want to see Country Strong and Tron just because he is in them.

I suppose there's something to be said for doing nothing — especially if you spend the rest of the year doing too much — but I sort of feel upset with how little I have done.

Josh Groban's voice is a Christmas miracle.

2010-12-25T00:29:00.000-05:00

A little Josh for your Christmas.
Would you believe he was only 20 when he recorded this?

Dear Seth Cohen,

2010-12-22T17:29:00.003-05:00

Why aren't you real?

I've been watching old episodes of The O.C. online, and I just do not understand how they cast Adam Brody as the dorky one. He is too adorable for words.

So much Adam Brody goodness.

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All I want for Christmas

2010-12-18T13:47:00.003-05:00

is to get into Mizzou. Sing it, Mariah.

Tyrone Wells, you get me every time.

2010-12-11T19:45:00.000-05:00

I am busy studying for my Christian theo final, which I will take Monday morning.

Tyrone Wells has been the soundtrack of my Christian theo studying all semester.
In one three-minute song, he'll get the gist of 16 weeks worth of theology.

Almost

2010-12-09T17:58:00.000-05:00

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The day before yesterday I turned in a final paper. Yesterday I presented a final project. Tonight I will present a final project. Monday I will take a final exam. Tuesday I will take a final exam. Wednesday I will turn in a final paper.

Tomorrow I will turn in my grad school application?
It's almost almost almost done, but my brain feels shot.

Panera

2010-11-16T08:40:00.000-05:00

My apartment-mate Lola went to Panera last night and came home with bags of free bread that they were about to throw away!

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This much bread in our kitchen = dangerous + delicious.

For dainties are all Kates

2010-11-15T23:39:00.000-05:00

I got a kick out of reading this on Mandy's adorable blog today:

"Kevin asked me what I would name myself if I could, and with a lot of thought I decided on the name Kate. Not Katie or Katherine, just Kate. I think the name Kate is simple and romantic and the last name really takes center stage on a name like Kate, making it timeless."

According to Dale Carnegie, everyone's favorite word is his or her own name. I've always loved my name but have never known if this was because my name was especially pretty or just because it was mine.

The older I get, however, the more I think that my name is especially pretty.

I feel like this is evidenced by the fact that I have never wanted to change it.

Even on days when I have wanted to change my hair, my skin, my height, my weight, my voice, or my nose, I have never wanted to change my name.
And I've always relished the fact that my name lacks that game-changing i.

Katie? People ask.
No, just Kate.

I want to put it on a résumé.

All this reminds me of something I wrote for a class my senior year of high school. Here's an excerpt:

"My name has given me something to live up to. Kate, after all, means pure. But when I think Kate, I think of actresses like Kate Hepburn and authors like Kate Chopin. Kate is the name that provoked Shakespeare to say, “For dainties are all Kates” and Ben Folds to say, quite simply, “I wanna be Kate.” I consider Kate to be such a versatile name. I can wear Kate with heels, and I can wear Kate with sneakers. Kate can be classy, and Kate can be comfy. Kate can multitask. Certainly, in saying that Kate is and does all these things, I do not mean to imply that this Kate is as perfectly capable as her name. But Kate does set a high standard for me."

Perhaps I seem vain for writing a blog devoted entirely to my own name, but I don't mean to take any credit for the name. I did not pick it.

Kate preceded me, really.

Call the ringmaster

2010-11-10T18:54:00.001-05:00

'cause I'm putting on a pretty impressive balancing act.

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Student, employee, intern, daughter, sister, friend. . .

I'll get back to you one of these days, blog.

Midnight showing, anyone?

2010-10-27T09:03:00.000-04:00

Enough.

2010-10-27T00:29:00.000-04:00

Photograph
By Cynthia Rylant

He washed his feet for the picture,
even his knees,
and wondered about that man
who cared enough to want him to sit there
for a photograph
even though he didn’t have nothing good to hold in his hands,
nor even a dog to sit by his chair.
It gave him, briefly,
some sort of feeling
of just being
enough.

I was randomly reminded of this poem today.

I hadn't thought about it in so long, but I love it.

Glee love.

2010-10-22T22:15:00.000-04:00

I am more than a little bit in love with the new boy on Glee.

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He and Quinn better get together.
That's all I have to say.

Dear Adam Lambert,

2010-10-08T23:54:00.001-04:00

I am slightly concerned that you are going to impale someone on one of the spikes with which you so frequently adorn yourself.

I just mean that as, you know, a forewarning.

Also, your new "If I Had You" music video reminds me of that stone table scene from the old BBC version of The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. (Which is saying something considering I haven't seen that movie in like 10 years.) They both take place in dark forests and involve disturbing costumes and way too much eye makeup.

See for yourself:

The White Witch = you

her evil minions = your creepy dance posse

floating spirits in Narnia = floating lights in your forest

I mean, your last music video didn't exactly leave me with high expectations.

(Snakes and apples? It's been done. Also, your lyrics remind me of satan.)

But, seriously, you're making Susan and Lucy cry.

Can you please tone it down next time?

Dear future husband,

2010-10-03T14:17:00.003-04:00

I hope you are nearsighted. If not,

I am buying you some fake glasses.
(Good glasses immediately make boys 10x cuter.)

Okay? Okay.

Love, your future wife.