important things for you to know about me

i am starting to realize that people don't really "get" me.
and even if they do, it is only partially.
so, "get" this:

>i am not one to be taken advantage of or walked on. when people dont take my interests, circumstance, or feelings in to account, i shut down and push away. i don't need it. i have put up with it enough in my lifetime thus far, and if i am a friend to you, i deserve better.

>i am not a standby friend. i wont wait for you to make time for me. i wont wait for you to finally realize that you have got yourself in a bad situation or have lost any other friends you might have had before you come running back. i wont be made a fool of.

>i dont get angry very easily. i am extremely passionate and i love to argue, raise my voice, and drive my point, but rarely does that mean that i am fighting or that i feel upset.

>when i get angry, i shut down. i rarely yell, i rarely argue. i hide out, shut everyone out, and cry.

>i am eternally dedicated to people i care about. i love my friends, i love my family. there is nothing i would not do for them if they needed me.

>on the other hand, i have found it necessary to take care of myself. if i am being emotionally trampled on by someone who i care about, i have to remove myself from them in order to care for my person.

>i am addicted to my responsibilities. i work, i go to school, i help to manage a household, and i am soon to be married. i have worked hard to get to where i am and i wont jeopardize those things by screwing around and living like it doesnt matter.

>i love to laugh and i love being a complete weirdo. i have odd obsessions, goofy tendencies, and an insatiable desire to have fun no matter what the circumstance.

>i like to tell things like they are. if you ask me for the truth, i wont sugarcoat it because i think it is deceitful and wrong.

>what i believe is the core of who i am. i do my best to live it, but i slip up just like everyone else does. if you are interested, ask. ill tell you because it is important to me.

i think that gives you enough to remember for today. more to come.

son of a...

from the greatest movie of all time...

oh so naughty

guilty pleasure:
keeping a secret collection of ABBA and Carpenters and listening to their albums when no one else is around. (definition taken from the urban dictionary)

or

something that you shouldn't like, but like anyway. (also from urban dictionary)

so, without further ado, these are the guilty pleasures, most of which i induldge quite frequently:

::cheese
::ice cream
::yogurt
::okay, so almost all dairy related products, exculding milk
::listening to nickleback
::starbucks
::hick chicks by cowboy troy
::the office
::shopping at the gap
::dundermifflininfinity.com
::angry chick music from the 90's
::driving too fast
::instant messaging
::ginger ale
::south park
::buying school supplies

that is all i can think of for the moment.
more to come.

my heart belongs in scranton

i love love love love love love the office.
my favorite character: pam beesley
i love pam because i relate to her very heavily.
she is extremely sensitive, she loves doing nice things for people without being asked, and she has pretty much no life outside of her work at the office.

the rest of my love list:

i love michael because he is tactless
i love jim because he is warm-hearted
i love stanley because he does crossword puzzles
i love meredith because she is a boozer
i love darryl because he is smooth
i love phyllis because she is edgy
i love angela because she is die-hard
i love kevin because he is goofy
i love dwight because he is insane
i love karen because she is simple
i love ryan because he is smart
i love kelly because she is loquacious
i love oscar because he is pretty
i love andy because he is neurotic
i love toby because he is quiet
i love jan because she is high maintenance
i love roy because he is kind
i love creed because he is disturbed

love x billion
:)

I am from...

I am from warm blankets, from Bisquick pancakes and never-ending laughter .

I am from the quiet suburbia, the slightly removed, the place where the train always makes it's presence known as it passes through in the middle of the night. From the fresh air and the cool river water.

I am from the limitless maple trees, and the faithful daffodils that push their head through the soil every spring.

I am from Dick's on Christmas Eve, great story telling, and unsurpassed love, from my mom and from my dad.

I am from the love of working hard and playing hard, and from a giving heart that is always willing to go above and beyond. From social butterflies and honest intentions.

From Fourth of July tales about the ghost of Harold Schwatzer and vital accounts about the God of Abraham and Jacob.

I am from going to church bright and early every Sunday morning . From putting my faith in the One who created me in His image, to do His good work, to live out His plan for my life.

I'm from the beautiful Pacific Northwest, raised by two locals. From close family ties, Chicken Couch and Dutch Babies.

From the hardest working man I will ever know, and the most faithful, caring mother. From the most dedicated, loving, respectable team to ever take on the task of raising three children.

I am from summers at Priest Lake and winters in the mountains, from spontaneous road trips in Eleanor and spur of the moment trips to Didiers.

I am from the place where everyone knows my name.

I am from an unfathomable love, saving grace, and unceasing mercy.

From darkness to light. From the love of a Father who will always catch me when I fall, who will always have His arms wide open, pierced hands ready to lift my burdens and hold me in the comfort of His peace.

(template for this can be found here)

annoyed, to put it lightly

i retract my previous statement about this blog being used for things that were serious and "very important" to me.

i would rather just write whatever is on my mind instead of limiting myself and forcing myself to stay within a certain set of guidelines.

with that said...

i am tired of the statement "well, at least it is snowing in the mountains"
i dont give a crap if it is snowing in the mountains. if i cant touch the snow, then it doesnt make a difference in my life. i want snow around me for Christmas, and that is important to me, so dont try to change my perspective by showing me how the situation benefits your snowboarding hobby.

also: dont tell me how busy you are when you dont work.
when you work, go to school, and have a house to take care of, then you can complain about how you are busy. otherwise, you just are poor at managing your time.

also: dont complain about how you dont have money if you have a job and dont have to pay bills. if you have a paying job but have no financial obligations or responsibilities, then you should have money. if you dont, then you have a spending problem.

also: if all you do is repeatedly screw up your own life, i dont want to hear you complain about it, especially if you are aware of the issue. if you are aware of it, you should fix it and stop making everyone listen to you drown in your sorrows. stop acting like a piece of crap and take care of it.

that is all.

home alone on the weekends

this describes my life:

the rock candy's melted, only diamonds now remain...

there are somethings you learn to appreciate more when you can no longer have them. there are things that you learn to appreciate more when other things in your life are gone. this is what God likes to call teaching gratitude.

my closet has two doors that meet in the center that are on little spring-track sliders and hinge-like things in the corners (notice my use of technical terms). yesterday my left closet door mysteriously fell off the track when i opened it. after about 40 minutes of what i thought was fixing it and having it pop back off the track again every time i tried to make it function, i just kind of propped it up against the right door to make it appear as though it were closed. the problem with this is, every time i have to open the closet to get anything out, the door falls down again and i am stuck maneuvering it back in to it's propped up position. needless to say, i have never been more grateful for my right closet door. it still (for the time being) operates properly and serves as part of my temporary solution as it allows for me to perform my lovely propping routine in order to convince myself that my closet is indeed closed. in this moment in my life, i am in love with my right closet door, and terribly lost without my left.



anyway, it is a minimal example, but God works in mysterious ways sometimes. it is helping me to see the "big picture" with a bit more clarity.

i leave you with this thought:

"Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful."- Buddha

worse than you will ever know

music=life
therefore,
here are the albums that i could not live without...

any given thursday, disc 2: john mayer
as/is, disc 2: john mayer
august and everything after: counting crows
australia: howie day
before these crowded streets: dave matthews band
the best that i could do- 1978-1988: john mellencamp
close: live at mcclains: tyrone wells
continuum: john mayer
cracked rear window: hootie and the blowfish
the devil and god are raging inside me: brand new
dizzy up the girl: goo goo dolls
elizabethtown os: various artists
everything in transit: jack's mannequin
evil empire: rage against the machine
footloose os: various artists
friction, baby: better than ezra
greatest hits, volume one: the beach boys
greatest hits: elton john
grind os: various artists
the guest: phantom planet
heavier things: john mayer
the hits: garth brooks
hold on: tyrone wells
hot fuss: the killers
inbetween dreams: jack johnson
inside wants out: john mayer
international superhits: green day
jars of clay: jars of clay
little by little: harvey danger
maybe you've been brainwashed too: the new radicals
nothing left to lose: mat kearney
o: damien rice
office space os: various artists
rearviewmirror: greatest hits disc 1 and 2: pearl jam
remember the titans os: various artists
room for squares: john mayer
sams town: the killers
sleepless in seattle os: various artists
tell all your friends: taking back sunday
who we are instead: jars of clay
your favorite weapon: brand new

i am sure i forgot some, but that is a good start.
that is all.

the extent of His grace never ceases to amaze me.

"Therefore, He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them."- Hebrews 7:25

expletive expletive expletive

the oxford dictionary of philosophy states:

"Aristotle writes that ‘the excellent person is related to his friend in the same way as he is related to himself, since a friend is another self; and therefore, just as his own being is choice-worthy for him, the friend's being is choice-worthy for him in the same or a similar way.’ Friendship therefore opens the door to an escape from egoism or belief that the rational course of action is always to pursue one's own self-interest..."


the devil's dictionary defines "friendship" as:

FRIENDSHIP, n. A ship big enough to carry two in fair weather, but only one in foul.

note: devil= opposite of right and true, therefore, definition= opposite of right and true
note: it is still funny, and makes a good point


interesting words on friendship from famous-like people:

"The only reward of virtue is virtue; the only way to have a friend is to be one."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"A true friend stabs you in the front."
- Oscar Wilde

"A friend to all is a friend to none."
- Aristotle

soo...
the point is...



yeah, i dont have one.
well, i do. but...
let's just say that i would rather not elaborate at the current time. i think that, if i tried, i might explode all over my blog, leaving bits and pieces of my thoughts in the forms of sentence fragments, made-up words, and vowel-less expletives. needless to say, it is better that i leave the topic alone for the rest of the evening before letting my words go ahead of my thinking.

gooooodnight.

marc robert john enivert

last night i felt "called" to sponsor a child through Compassion International.
his name is Marc.
he is 4 years old.
he is from Haiti.

----------------
Listening to: Incubus - Dig
via FoxyTunes

i like to pretend like i have beliefs...

"The signs of a hypocrite are three: Whenever he speaks he tells a lie; whenever he is entrusted he proves dishonest; whenever he promises he breaks his promise."- Muhammad

you disgust me, you betraying piece of crap.

planning my face off

i am getting married

i am stressed out with planning

just give me cake

off to make a rough draft guest list
ugggh

----------------
Listening to: Chevelle - Send the Pain Below
via FoxyTunes

trying to love the questions themselves

patience is learned.
i am not a good student.

i angrily commented on the fact that it decided to rain yesterday, the one day that i was planning on taking my car in for a wash.
heaven forbid i consider the fact that it has not rained for probably six weeks and the state is ablaze in forest fires.
the rest of the week is supposed to be absolutely perfect weather, sunny with blue skies. apparently i cant wait for one of those days.

that is a ridiculous level of unnecessary selfishness.
bad katie, bad.

news flash: having sex may cause some side effects... such as pregnancy

this evening, ladies and gentlemen, we will be bringing you a special segment, highlighting the topic of abortion, a little piece we like to call...
abortion: a logical perspective

now, before i start, let me say that for the purpose of this particular vocalization of my opinion, i will be setting aside my religious and moral beliefs and presenting the topic without them as foundation.
i have been strongly pro-life for as long as i can remember, always for many reasons, some of which are religious and moral, some of which are medically and logically based. as i continue to age and view the world around me, i notice that the idea of terminating a pregnancy is becoming more and more acceptable to the general population, which happens to also be correlating with the continued acceptance of loose sexual behavior. this correlation does not surprise me in the least, as i have watched my generation lose all concepts of morality and responsibility, and what a better way to display such losses than through rampant sex and frequent abortions. in my personal opinion, the more frequently people are allowing themselves to become sexual active in the wrong contexts, the quicker people are to not take responsibility for such actions. i am not sure when people began forgetting that pregnancy is something that can come for sex, not to mention a myriad of other far more unpleasant things, but i didn't think that this was news to anyone. last time i checked, sex is how babies are made.
now, let us be in the position of a young woman who is in a situation involving this issue. she has been on birth control for five years, and she is choosing to have sex life, whether it be with one person or a more casual "free sex for anyone and everyone" situation. she happens to get pregnant, and now she wants an abortion because shes young, unmarried, unattached, and wants to enjoy her freedom. or maybe shes scared, alone, being rejected by a loved one, or unsure. so this young woman pleads her right to choose. now, correct me if i am wrong, but last time i checked, those who advocate for a "woman's right to choose" are called "pro-choice". notice that the word "choice" is singular. in this singular context, i would have to consider myself pro-choice as well. i believe in a woman's right to choose. some women, CHOOSE to have sex, some women dont. THERE is your choice, your one shot. you make your choice and you deal with what your choices bring.

what makes this even more aggravating is not just the fact that people are not taking responsibility for their actions, but the fact that they could NOT have an abortion and still be absolved of their parental responsibilities, yet they are still choosing to have abortions anyway. why do people not consider the option of adoption to be a valid one? are you that selfish that you would deny another woman who cannot have a baby the gift of having a child to love and raise because having an abortion saves you time and energy? in 2002, there were over seven million women in the united states who were unable to successfully conceive a child or carry out a full-term pregnancy. in 2002, there were over one million abortions performed in the united states. ONE MILLION of those women could have had newborn babies in their arms that year. now, i am not saying that there are not plenty of children that are in need of homes that these women could have adopted, and i am sure that at least some of them did, but to deny your child a chance for life and to deny another individual their right to happiness out of selfishness and inability to deal with the results of your actions shows further that you have no responsibility whatsoever, and that you really are a disgrace to humanity.

okay, i have exhausted this topic for this evening. stay tuned: more to come on the medical reasons that i am strongly opposed to abortion.

living as children of light

i am currently reading through the book of Ephesians.
Ephesians 4:17-32 and 5:1-21 present a valid issue, something that i was discussing the other day with Nathaniel, focusing specifically on the topic of profanity.
Paul writes that once one has accepted Christ, it is important to "put off your old self" and "put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness" (4:22-24). he then goes on to list a number of things that one should work on changing or avoiding in their new life in Christ in order to 1: display the change that has been made in your life to others, and 2: to live the holy life you have been called to live in gratitude for the grace that has been bestowed upon you. Paul lists these things:
"put off falsehood and speak truthfully" (4:25)
"'In your anger do not sin'" (4:26)
"he who has been stealing must steal no longer" (4:28)
"do not let unwholesome talk come out of your mouths" (4:29)
"get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other" (4:31-32)
"be imitators of God" (5:1)

now these suggestions are not intended to imply that that because you have been saved by grace, you are now expected to attain perfection and complete holiness in your life in order to sustain that grace. Rather, Paul suggests that we should aspire to do these things, to live the holiest and purest life that we can, turning away from our old lives in order to let the change Christ has made in us more evident as well as to be pleasing in the eyes of the Lord in seeking after Him wholeheartedly.
some might suggest that attempting these feats might separate us from the very people we are trying to reach, those who are still lost and who are still willingly living in a sinful nature. this could be true, if in doing these things, we avoid all contact with those who are not leading holy lives in order to ensure our own paths are straight. but that is not what Christ commands. it is called of us to be in the world, but not of the world. it is called of us to find common ground with unbelievers and to share in life with them while still living a life that is pleasing to God.

Paul goes on to write in Ephesians 5:8-10: "for you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists of all goodness, righteousness, and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord."
we are called to willingly turn away from our sinful nature and to act in ways that are pleasing to the Lord because of the gift that He has given us, because of the light that He has brought in to our lives. we are to avoid lives of sin and to avoid behaviors that are displeasing to God out of gratitude for His grace, and out of a desire to serve Him and show yourself to the world as someone who was once in darkness, but has accepted the free gift of light that has been made available to us through Christ.

we strive to be imitators of God because of how grateful we are for His son and because of a desire to please Him. we are made children of light through His grace, and we are called to let that light shine before all men.

you say you want a revolution

Ron Paul is my man for the 2008 presidential elections.

capitalization and punctuation

so i was told that i should start a blog.
this morning, while i was in the process of raving about the candidate of my choice for the 2008 presidential elections and discussing this and that group that i wanted to become a part of to show my support for different ideas and beliefs, my boyfriend, Nathaniel, so wisely and rightfully suggested that i start a political blog to voice my opinions on such issues.
i shrugged the idea off at the time, seeing as how i already have a lightly maintained blog established on Myspace that serves as my personal spew zone of ideas, frustrations, interests, and sometimes interesting images, and so didnt feel the need to create and maintain something separate just to voice my political views. as the idea embedded itself in my mind, however, i saw a need to express myself my seriously and more intentionally on the things that matter most to me.
so here i am.
while the original idea for this blog was to present my political opinions, i find it difficult to limit myself to something that is so seemingly small on the grand scale of ideas. my purpose will be not only to express my personal political opinions, but also my religious and independent ideas on society and the world as a whole, as well as whatever seemingly random ideas pop in to my head from time to time.
as fair warning in advance, i dont put much effort in to correct punctuation or capitalization in my blogging, as i am sure you can see. it is my honest opinion that such things will not so drastically alter the content of my expression that it would be necessary to take the time to include them all in full. if my opinion is not clear enough for you without such grammatical inclusions, read someone elses blog.
let that be my first opinion and idea expressed here.

----------------
Listening to: Mae - This Time is the Last Time
via FoxyTunes