Leftovers

Some people do a double take when I tell them Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Maybe that's because 99% of people say that theirs is Christmas. I understand, I LOOOOVVEEE Christmas too. In fact, later today I plan to put up my Christmas tree, and listen to Christmas music. But Thanksgiving ushers in this holiday season with the Macy's Parade, football games, delicious sights and smells of traditional foods, and loads of family fun. There's not a lot of decorating, no major hoopla in the media about it, no gift-giving, Thanksgiving comes in quietly and leaves us with warm memories of time spent with family and prepares us for a winter of holiday celebrations. It's fantastic.

My bias to this holiday may also be due to my extreme love of cranberries and stuffing, but we'll stick with what I was saying before. 

It's funny, because in all of my love for Thanksgiving, I don't love the leftovers. Well, that's not entirely true...I like leftovers but every time I eat them I'm reminded that they just are never as good as they were the first time around (with the exception of pumpkin pie, that is always delicious).

There's a connection to be made between thanksgiving leftovers and real life. It's something that I have been dealing with in my own personal life, and I'm sure I won't be alone in this. There are a lot of things to look forward to in life and I think God enjoys when we look forward to and anticipate the things He is going to bring us to and through next. He has created an exciting life for each one of us! However, I think trouble can easily brew with this when we spend so much time anticipating that we forget to be thankful and take joy in each day that leads us to those great things ahead. 

I'll be completely honest here and say that this is the place I've been living for a little while. I have spent so much energy and focus on all that is ahead, that I have forgotten to enjoy the whole road I have to take to get there. I have given my leftovers to a lot of people I love. My energy, my time, my focus, my joy, is all spent looking ahead at what is  right around the corner and the things that are happening in the everyday like, spending time with my parents and sister, enjoying my last few months at home, planning a wedding, the joys of my job as a kindergarten teacher, even just living in this season of engagement with my fiancé, they are all getting my second best, my leftover energy, joy, focus, and time. 

God's plans for us a marvelous, above anything we could dream up for ourselves, I know that full well. But He is also such a magnificent and loving father to never just make it about the finish line, He brings growth and blessings in the small, everyday experiences that can often seem mundane. So, next time you are focused on what is ahead, don't loose sight of what is happening in the process. Don't give out all of your leftovers, they aren't as good as the first serving. Find joy in the things that are happening everyday and be thankful for those small gifts (like tastebuds, because without them you couldn't have enjoyed all of that delicious food yesterday). Happy Thanksgiving!

I said yes!

It's a little overdue but, on September 13, 2014 in the quietness of the mountains, Joe got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I am engaged and God is so good and so very faithful. 

The Proposal: 
We had planned the night before to go on a hike, something we enjoy doing together and one of my favorite ways to disconnect from the busy city sights and sounds. That morning we grabbed some breakfast at the same place our relationship started, ironically, we even sat in the same booth. We made our way up the mountain and found a trail to take, it was a beautiful day and I had no clue what it was about to hold. We hiked for a while, taking several breaks (well, I thought they were breaks, really Joe was scouting THE spot) to enjoy the sights around us. We came to a place on the trail that overlooked a valley of trees, such a pretty view. Several hikers passed us and when it seemed like we were the only two people left on the mountain, Joe began so share with me his heart about our relationship over the past year. Each word was so carefully chosen and so genuine and everything he was revealing to me came at just the right time. I was so touched by his thoughtfulness and openness and a proposal was not even a thought in my mind, not even when I watched him get down on one knee. As he pulled out the tiny box, I was still having a hard time wrapping my mind around what was really happening. And then came the question, THE question, "Kaitlyn, will you marry me?"  

I never had expectations or plans of how I wished to be proposed to. Not because I wasn't looking forward to the day it might happen, but because I believe whoever God would place in my life to walk beside forever, would know and understand who I am enough to make the perfect plan. Let me tell you, Joe had the perfect plan. On that mountain, in the quiet creation, away from crowds of gawking strangers and busy life-sounds, it was just me, Joe and Jesus. And I said yes to spending forever with the most wonderful man I know. 

Before Joe and I began dating, I wrote this prayer in my journal, "Lord, you have created and crafted this heart of mine. You know every crack, every detail of it. You love me with a love that no one else could ever show. God, I trust you to hold my heart. I know that if you have created someone to hold onto my heart along with you, then you will be faithful to bring him into my life at just the right time." A few weeks later, we started dating and never once has the promise of God's faithfulness seized to be evident in our relationship. Joe pursues me, he takes the time to hear and understand my heart. He has demonstrated his ability to lead well. He takes the time to pray with and for me, he encourages me and challenges me. His love for God's people inspires me. He is gentle, considerate, compassionate, and strong. He treats me with dignity and care. I am so abundantly blessed by his presence in my life and so thankful that God has brought us together! 

I've got to say, being engaged is pretty awesome and every day I look forward to the promise of the rest of our lives, I am excited to see what God has in store for us together. I can't wait to be Joe's wife!  

Flaunt What You've Got!

I've been thinking lately about a post I wrote several weeks ago, talking about exercising not to keep ourselves looking perfect in the world's eyes but to keep our temples of the Lord in the best form possible to accomplish His will (if you missed it, read Summer, Sunshine, and Something to Think On). In contemplating what I wrote then, it caused me to realize just how many areas of our lives we sacrifice our "made-in-His-image" selves for the sake of fitting in and gaining attention. One of the most prominent areas is our wardrobe.
I'm not hear to preach "modest is hottest"...at least not in the way you're probably used to hearing it. In fact, I am not a huge supporter of that saying in general for two reasons:
1.) Who defines 'modest'? how do we measure it? Oh sure, we all know the feeling of modesty when we see another girl who we consider to be dressed immodestly. Or, to the opposite, we know what it feels like to receive the, "did you really wear that?! here?!" stares and glares. But I want a substantial, objectively measurable definition.
2.) I hate, yes hate. I hate associating the word 'hot' or in this case 'hottest', with a person. I think it degrades them. I think it takes away from the beauty and value of who they are and who God created them to be. Now I get it, it's just a cleaver saying someone came up with to send a strong message quickly. I'm not saying we stone its author or burn the saying out of our vocabulary, I'm just telling you why you'll never catch me uttering the phrase. 
But, getting back to the heart of the issue at hand, our wardrobes sometimes get in the way of people seeing our true character. I know it can be tough to dress any other way when things that are "cute" or "in-style" leave little to the imagination but I'd like to raise a point I made in that previous blog post I referred to earlier...you were fashioned and created by the God of this universe who breathed life, beauty, value, loveliness, and dignity into you as He formed you, and I think part of the reason we maybe don't always buy into the "modesty" campaign is because we don't understand the enormity of that truth. 
you are valuable. 
you are beautiful. 
you are dignified. 
And, you do NOT need to prove that by showing the most skin while still maintaining the boundaries of socially acceptable dress. In fact, that proves just the opposite. When we make those decisions to display our physical attributes first, we are making a statement that says, "I have no value, I am not dignified" it comes across as a cry for attention. 
I will say it again, when God breathed life into you He gave you value, dignity, loveliness, and giftings and passions that individualize each and every one of us. THESE are your true attributes of beauty. THIS is your character. And, the way you dress should exude these qualities because they are truly who you are and what you are about. 

So go flaunt what God has given you, a dignified and lovely spirit! 

xo, 
Kaity

Graduation, Career Paths, and God's Plan

So, we've got one more day of this squat challenge! I hope you've all challenged yourselves to stick it out and finish strong!! 

The last few weeks have been a roller coaster ride for me. I started my LAST class to complete my BS in Kinesiology, this past monday. All of the time and effort I have put in to it is almost done. I'm excited to meet this milestone and achieve this goal that I have had to graduate.With graduation fast approaching, I started applying for new jobs a few weeks ago. It's always a strange feeling when you're watching a new season of your life approach, it's exciting and nerve wrecking all at the same time and as I began to apply for new jobs in the "real world", I was facing all of these emotions. I found a posting for a particular position and began to do some research on the employer. It took almost no time for me to get excited and passionate about the position, the company, and the opportunity. So, on Sunday afternoon, I sent in my resume and application. And by friday I was offered employment with them. It was one intense week!

Through these weeks the Lord has been so incredibly faithful to me. As the craziness of this week unfolded...actually the craziness has been happening all summer and just sort of came to a high point through this week...I was confronted by every fear I have, every negative thought I think about myself, extreme emotions and nervousness. I was mentally and emotionally weary, but every time one of these fears or negative thoughts or nervous breakdowns began to approach, I was covered by a Peace that surpasses all understanding. It was in these moments that God quietly and tenderly whispered the truth of His love over me, and reminded me of who I am in Him and that He is more than enough for me. I began to realize that my life is in His hands, that He has good things for me, and that if He doesn't open the door for this job then that just means that He has better things in store for me. It was remembering this truth, that gave me the confidence to walk through each opportunity knowing the Lord had gone before me, and the victory belongs to Him and Him alone. 

Beautiful things happen when we say, "yes" to God and allow Him to lead and guid (okay, sometimes drag) us through difficult and scary situations. We begin to see His hand at work, we are able to see that He really does protect, provide, and pave the way to His plans for us that are prosperous, that give us a future and a hope (see Jeremiah 29:11 for the fullness of this promise). One verse in particular that the Lord showed me as I was spending some quiet time with Him this week, is Psalm 40:5 and it says, "May, O Lord my God, are the wonders which You have done and Your thoughts toward us, there is none to compare with You. If I would declare and speak of them, they would be too numerous to count." This verse just solidified for me, the truth that God has a plan and a purpose for my life and with trust and faith and a willing heart to walk where He calls me, He will be faithful to complete that work and fulfill all of His promises. He is GOOD, He has good things for each of us, and wants to take us all on an incredible adventure of a life!

30 day fitness challenge

Hi friends! Yesterday we warmed up with a reminder as to why it is really important to take care of our bodies. Today, we put those words into action. I wanted to give you all something you could do anywhere, so we are starting our first challenge off with squats. I know...they're not my favorite either, but you don't need any gym equipment, you can do them anywhere and they are great exercise that helps strengthen your legs and core! 

Day 1 (that would be today, don't wait for monday to come!): 30 Squats

Day 2: 50 Squats 

Day 3: 75 Squats

Day 4: 60 Squats 

Day 5: Rest Day 

Day 6: 60 Squats

Day 7: 90 Squats

Day 8: 50 Squats

Day 9: 45 Squats

Day 10: Rest Day

Day 11: 120 Squats

Day 12: 40 Squats

Day 13: 75 Squats

Day 14: 125 Squats

Day 15: Rest Day (We are half way through this, keep going!) 

Day 16: 80 Squats

Day 17: 50 Squats

Day 18: 125 Squats

Day 19: 50 Squats

Day 20 Rest Day

Day 21: 145 Squats

Day 22: 80 Squats 

Day 23: 40 Squats

Day 24: 100 Squats

Day 25: Rest Day

Day 26: 75 Squats

Day 27: 50 Squats (3 Days left!!!)

Day 28: 150 Squats

Day 29: 95 Squats

Day 30: 175 Squats YOU MADE IT!

Okay so here we go, let's get to work! But just a few more things before we do; don't be discouraged if the going gets tough, remember this is a challenge. If you have to break the squats up into several sets, then do it, but the goal in all of this is to keep going. Also, check yourself, don't sell yourself short by deciding to break things up before you even try, push yourself, you will be surprised you are stronger than you think! Good luck, stick with it, I'll be challenging myself right along with you! 

Sincerely, 

    Kaity

Summer, sunshine, & something to think on

Time seriously flies! I cannot believe it's already been 2 months since I last blogged, my goal was to blog every week and I am kicking myself for not sticking to that, but life happens, and the good news is I am not quitting! So there, small victory :)

Summer is my favorite season and the official first day is saturday! Summer means a lot of happy things: watermelon, picnics, beach trips, warm weather, pool time, lake trips, bright colors, flip flops...oh I could go on for days! I love summer. But as summer comes there is this whole thing about getting ready for "swim suit season", and with that comes a lot of fears, anxieties and crazy diets. So I wanted to talk about fitness in this post but with a different spin on it then maybe we are used to. I'll try to keep things short, but I'm really passionate about this topic so if I get long winded, forgive me, and KEEP READING...I really want you all to get this :) 

I think it is SO important that we not only have knowledge of the fact that God has created us fearfully and wonderfully (hence the name of this blog), but that we also live that out! The Message version of the Bible puts it this way, "...I thank you, High God- you're breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration- what a creation! You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; you know exactly how I was made, bit by bit..." did you catch all of that? Tell me that doesn't just make you stand still for a second, in total amazement that God has especially crafted Every. Single. One. Of us! I don't think we celebrate this enough. The fact that though we are humans, in desperate need of the rescue from a Savior, we are still the Lord's creation, we are wonderful simply and solely because we were crafted by the hands of the Perfect Artist, Himself. Oh my goodness!

    So this all may seem a little off-topic of the fitness post I promised, but I needed to give this background information in your minds before getting to the nitty gritty. In a world that is so image obsessed, it's easy to get caught up the in the craze of trying to keep up with the latest and greatest. We need the latest fashion trend, the latest shoe fad, the most expensive purse we can find, even the brand of makeup we use determines how good we are at keeping up with the Jones'. It can be completely exhausting with things coming in and going out in the blink of an eye, and then there are the body image trends....most recently "the thigh gap". To even think about it makes me furious. We treat our body's like they are a fashion trend when really they are created in the image of the Sovereign God (I'll remind you to read the paragraph above, again). And with the pressure to look like everyone else, we often find ourselves in the gym, on a diet, juicing, fasting, etc. We treat exercise and fitness like something we need because we aren't good enough. Ick. 

    Now don't get me wrong, I believe exercise and a healthy life-style are absolutely necessary, after all I did say this would be a fitness post; and I am not saying that I have not found myself in the trap of striving after what the media deems as 'good'. What I am saying is this, we have the wrong perspective, people. The most important part of fitness, is a healthy perspective on what Christ has given us, so before we can get physically strong, we must first strengthen ourselves spiritually.  Exercise shouldn't be something we participate in to change ourselves (sure there is always room to get a little healthier but thats another issue), it's not something we should get into with the attitude of "if I can just fix this then I'll fit in better." What exercise and healthy living should be, is an act of worship and thanksgiving to God. Thank Him for the body, soul, and mind He marvelously created for you to live in...you've only got one. Worship Him through your healthy eating habits and exercise knowing that you are using that one body to get strong in order that you might be able to accomplish the good work He has for you in the best way possible. 

So, consider this our pre-workout warm up...tomorrow I am coming at you with a 30-day fitness challenge! Keep an eye out, and get ready ;)

My Strong God

Hi friends! 
The last couple of weeks have been, to be completely honest, some of the most exhausting weeks I've had in a while. Sometimes, I like to think I am Superwoman, that I can take on everything that comes my way. I'm even so silly as to not just think it, but to actually try to do it. I have a lot to balance right now, and I won't ever settle for giving things less than everything I've got. There is some twisted part of me that gets some sort of thrill over stretching myself to thin, and this is a problem because I'm focused on my own strength to see me through.What my flesh really likes about trying to juggle 27 different things, is the false sense of control I feel when I get things done that seemed impossible. 

It seems that whenever I get in these situations of "puffed-upedness" (I do believe I just created a word) that God finds a way to so graciously humble me and remind me that I don't actually have it all together the way I think I do. Usually, that comes in the form of all 27 juggling balls falling to the ground at close to the same time. I'm sort of in that place right now. I'm tired, I'm worn out, and I'm realizing that I'm not going to make it through everything I need to on my own. 

So, I love this verse in Psalm 73, it's in verse 26 that the author says, "my flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." We are not strong enough to fight the battle, to defeat the enemy, to win the day. Our flesh will fail, our weak hearts will give out unless we go to the One, the Source, of all strength and ask Him to not only fill us, but also to take back control over the things we are holding on to.

I know that I am not alone in this, I'm sure we can all look back and find a place in life where we have all seen our flesh and heart fail. Let's face the facts, none of us will ever be Superwoman. Remember, the Lord is strong, He is in control, He is here to hold you up and pull you through...forever. It's exhausting to try to hold things together that don't even truly and fully belong to us, and I don't know about the rest of you but I am ready to lay all of my stuff down, to put it all in the hands of my strong God!

Sincerely, 
          Kaity