Wednesday, December 07, 2005

Will we have breakfast in heaven?

If you are a fan of the Newsboys or Audio Adrenaline, go to another page - NOW! I'm about to say things you may not like. In fact, go to www.relevantmag.com and learn about new bands...

I just have to say that those two bands DRIVE ME CRAZY! They were hot in, what, 1994? The problem with Christian radio is that they're still playing their same old tired songs from a decade ago like they were the newest hits of today. It makes me cringe. This is why I don't listen to Christian radio!

While Matt was in the shower this morning, he had the radio on Air1 and the stupid breakfast song came on. If you don't know it, I'll give you a lyrical snack:

"WHEN THE TOAST IS BURNED AND ALL THE MILK HAS TURNED AND CAPTAIN CRUNCH IS WAVING FAREWELL WHEN THE BIG ONE FINDS YOU MAY THIS SONG REMIND YOU THAT THEY DON'T SERVE BREAKFAST IN HELL"

What...the...HECK is that supposed to mean????? How do they know that? Maybe there will be breakfast in hell, but it will be soft boiled eggs and lumpy grits? What if they don't serve breakfast in heaven? Will the Newsboys show up at the pearly gates, find out that there's no breakfast and then turn away? It's just retarded. Who writes a song about that? I mean, if you're going to write a silly song, do it right and say things like "Light up the stage and wax a chump like a candle". Matt just walked out of the bathroom saying, "What kind of crappy evangelism is that? 'Oh, well, you know, they don't have breakfast in hell, so you'd better straighten up and get right with God so you can have your Apple Jacks after you die.'" Yeah...works for me.

AND - did you know that Audio Adrenaline still charges somewhere around $35,000 to play at a concert??? WHAT????? Have they even made that much in record sales in the past 5 years?? Every year in our town, we have a big Christian music festival called Ichthus (you may have heard of it or been one of the 20,000 people who were here). Every year, Ichthus keeps raising their ticket prices just so they can keep bringing back tired, expensive bands like Audio Adrenaline. COME ON!!! There is so much more going on in Christian music right now. Oh, and this year they had Michael W. Smith and Selah play on the last night of the festival. Are you serious? I like them both, quite a bit actually, but at a rock festival??? They are not festival bands at all...and I wonder how much Ichthus paid for them...

All of this to say, if you want great Christian music, you're going to have to go out and find it for yourself. Those radio stations aren't doing it for you. Check out www.grassrootsmusic.com or www.relevantmag.com.

Sorry if that offended anyone. I just get a little worked up when it comes to this stuff. Matt will probably laugh when he reads this.

Now - can I just say that I'm a little ashamed to be a Hoosier fan today? They got beat by Indiana State last night. Whoa...it's even more painful to see that in writing. Anyway, I don't know much about sports, so I can't really tell you much about it except that it hurts. I'm hurt.

Okie dokie - off to the bathroom to get ready for work. Lots of students to get admitted!!!

Peace, Katie

Sunday, December 04, 2005

I don't think we're in Kansas anymore...

I know Kentucky is just a border away from Indiana, but it feels like a completely different country!

Apparently in Kentucky you have to apply for a license to hunt elk. I didn't even know there were elk in Kentucky, but whatever. So, out of 40 some thousand applicants, 10 (not 10,000 - ten) were chosen to be elk hunters this fall. Well, zip-a-dee-doo-dah, our landlord was one of them.

Matt came home from work Saturday afternoon with a crazy look on his face. "Do you know what's going on outside?" I had no clue. Then he proceeded to tell me that there was, at that very moment, a skinned, hoofless elk hanging from a tree in our front yard. What a trophy! I was immediately grossed out and mortified. "Maybe no one will drive by..." I thought. Much to my dismay, we got a call 15 minutes later from our good friends.

"Word on the street is that you have a cow hanging in your front yard!"
"That is not true," I replied. "It's an elk."

They were laughing so hard they had to hang up.

WHAT THE HECK? Kentucky is so crazy...

I'm not a vegetarian or anything, but for crying out loud, do we have to hang meat in the front yard? How gross? Now I keep thinking I'm going to have an dead elk at my door or hooves laying in the yard. Ugh...it's just too much.

Saturday, November 19, 2005

Thanksgiving

Yikes - I just realized that I have so much to do around the house before we leave for Indy on Monday. I'm hoping to get our Christmas tree up before we leave, but in order to do that, we have to clean this house first. (Geez - I'm turning into my mother. I always hated that we had to clean before we put up the tree, and look at me now...) We need to pack for our holiday week in Indy, but before we can do that, I have to get the laundry done. Does it ever end? I wish I could just hire a maid to do my laundry and dishes for me. That's it - I can handle the rest. It just seems like those are the two jobs that I do all the time and yet they still need doing!!! Drives me crazy...can you imagine how nuts I will be when we have kids? All those little clothes to wash and sippy cups to clean? Ugh...

So - we're going home in a few days. I'm pretty excited. It's been a busy fall at the office, so I'm glad to get some time off. We're leaving Monday after work and heading for Noblesville, IN to spend a few days with our friends Jeff and Julie and their kids Sarah, Anna, Elizabeth and Daniel. This is the rockinest family you'll ever know, and we're completely excited to get to spend some time with them. We've known them for years - Jeff was the pastor at Center (our home church), and then a few months before we got married, he took a church in Evansville where we lived. It was great. It was like having family there in Evansville to help with our transition. God really knows what he's doing, doesn't he? Now Jeff is at a church in Noblesville (north of Indy). Anyway - ever since we lived in Evansville together we have had Thanksgiving together every year. They really are like family to us. I think that's what I'm looking forward to most about this week. We always get to see our families when we come home, but we don't get up to Noblesville very often. It's going to be so good...

Wednesday is Noodle and Pie night at Mom's. For those of you who don't know about my family's crazy tradition, well...I'll just have to tell you about it another time. I'll try to post some pictures from it when we get back. Suffice it to say that it's a very messy, very loud, very special time and there has not been a Thanksgiving in my life without it. It's fabulous and I love it...even though I always make myself sick at my stomach by eating raw noodles...oh well - it's worth it!

Thursday morning we're having a Thanksgiving breakfast with Matt's family, then we're heading up to my cousin Lisa's for dinner with my mom's family. Matt is actually coming back to Wilmore Thursday night since he has to work Friday morning. I'm going to stay though, so I can go shopping with his mom and his sister. They're those crazy people out at 5:00 am the day after Thanksgiving fighting for Tickle-me-Satans...er...uh...I mean Tickle-me-Elmos. It should be fun...

All of that to say that we're going to have a crazy busy week! But it will be great to be home visiting friends and family, making ourselves sick by eating too much. Isn't that what Thanksgiving is all about??? I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving and that you get to spend it with many loved ones. May we all remember those who are less fortunate than ourselves and be thankful to God, who blesses us richly.

Be His,
Katie

P.S. Praise God for the birth of little Hannah Barnett. She was born this morning around 3:45 and Mommy, Daddy and Hannah are doing well. Thank you Lord for a perfect delivery!!!

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Learning some Spanish

Yo estoy aburrido.

This is Spanish for "Oh my goodness, when the heck can I go home?" Seriously - I have been in this language lab for like 10 hours now, and I'm still waiting on Matt to get off work so he can pick me up. Okay - it's really only been 90 minutes or so, but STILL! I'm bored! I'm really tired of this class. I like Spanish, and my teacher is really nice, but I want to quit! I feel stupid for saying that. You should have seen Matt's face when I told him that this morning. He shot me a look that said, "Are you KIDDING me? Do you know how many hours I'm taking right now? Can you even comprehend how much work I do for my classes? I read and write for hours every day, never complaining, and you have the audacity to bitch about your stinking 101 Spanish class that you're getting an A in?" ... or something like that. Really- he's just not supportive at all. :) (I'm just kidding - my mother will probably bitch at me for saying that about Matt. She'll say something like, "He's the best thing that's ever happened to this family, so you had better do everything in your power to keep him happy!!!" She always sticks up for him...)

I think I'm just tired of going to the stupid language lab. I hate this place. First of all, it's really warm in here, and it makes me sleepy. Second, the stupid recordings don't give you enough time to answer the questions they ask. It takes me a few seconds to form my answers, and by the time I'm saying the answer, they're already moving on to the next question. It's maddening. I only have 8 more classes though - then I am done! I think I'll reward myself with a trip to Mexico or something for all the hard work I was supposed to do this semester...

Hace mucho frio.

This is Spanish for "Holy Crap! Where's my friggin' coat?" I know it's only 30 degrees today, and it's definitely going to get colder before it gets warmer, but I'm sick of it! I think I'll just start hibernating like a bear or something. I'll cuddle up underneath my comfy down comforter and sleep/watch television/eat ice cream all winter. Sounds good...

Yo tengo hambre.

Spanish for "Do I have any more of that cheese popcorn in my pantry?" I'm hungry. I had a little leftover spaghetti for lunch today, but that was six hours ago. I'm dying for a glass of milk and some steamed broccoli. yummmmm....broccoli....

Sunday, November 13, 2005

Why not?


hotties
Originally uploaded by Matt & Katie Swisher.
I got a message from my best childhood friend tonight - she's pregnant. I'm so excited for her, and yet I'm so jealous! What could be wrong in adding someone to our family? Don't get me wrong - I love our life now. We go to bed when we want, get up just in time to get to work, eat junk food for dinner (more than we should), make out ALL THE TIME, spend stupid amounts of money on things we don't really need (like Ren and Stimpy Seasons one and two on DVD...worth every one of those 30 bucks!). Having a baby around would change all of that, but somehow, I just can't get this out of my mind lately!

Where does this biological clock thing come from? Is it set to automatically go off at the most inopportune time in your life? Just when you feel like your life is coming together and you might have a lot of things figured out - BOOM! All of a sudden your uterus just cries out for attention. I just don't get it.

I love kids - I do. Sometimes all the screaming and pooping and questions just gets a little irritating. I'm sure it's different when they're your kids...I hope it's different anyway!

So - something to be praying for. My friend's pregnancy and for my sanity. I can't wait to hold her little baby...you think she'll name it after me??? Probably not. The last time she named something after me, I accidentally drowned it...

It was a hamster...and that night was one of the most tramatic of my childhood!!!

Peace...

Thursday, November 10, 2005

Katie and Matt at Duke

This is me and Matt on our recent recruiting trip in North Carolina. The building behind us is Duke's "chapel" (really, it's a cathedral). Duke was beautiful! But, Durham, the town where Duke is, SUCKS! I have never been so lost in my life!

We also went to Wake Forest University and Davidson College. It was a great week with lots of interest in Asbury. I love my job...

Monday, October 10, 2005

ALRIGHT ALREADY! Here's your update Krista...

I really think my friend Krista is the only one who looks at this. She sent me an e-mail today badgering me about how I haven't updated in a few days! Sorry babe - I've been out of it. Not a lot has been happening around here. Actually, that's a lie. Someone in my office turned in their resignation today - GASP! I'm thinking of applying for the job, but not sure if they'd hire me for it. It's a counselor position, and I could do that job in a snap, but they officially require the applicant to have an undergraduate degree, which I do not have. Sucks, huh? I've been chatting with my boss about it, and we're going to pray and decide what I should do. It would be a pretty good pay raise, and I would get to travel (which is awesome!). We'll see...Krista - you be prayin' for me girl!

So I looked at Ticketmaster.com today about the Bonnie Raitt tickets, and I think they're sold out. YIKES! I don't think Mom bought them yet. I'm going to be so bummed if we missed it.

My friend Dawn e-mailed me last night asking if I wanted to be her partner in the Amazing Race. She's CRAZY! First of all, I really can't take that much time off work. Second of all, I'M NOT COORDINATED AT ALL! I'm a big wimp that doesn't like running and craziness. I hate to tell her no, because I think it would be fun if it weren't a race, but I just can't.

So, yesterday Matt and I went with some amigos to Boyds Orchard in Versailles (local yokels pronounce this word "Ver-sails" not "Ver-sigh" like it should be). We picked apples and walked around enjoying the pretty trees. There were rotten apples everywhere, and everyone but me was grossed out by it. They reminded me of the house I grew up in. We had a couple apple trees in our back yard there, and I remember having to mow the grass through patches of fallen, rotten apples. It was gross then, but now it's just one of those things that makes me miss home. I'm such a freak.

So - tonight I think I'll fold laundry, clean the bathroom and dining room, then sit on my fat a$$ and watch some TV. It's been a crazy day, and I totally deserve to veg out. Does anyone else wish Extreme Makeover Home Edition was on every night? I do...I freakin' love that show...

Peace out!

Monday, October 03, 2005

I'M SO TOTALLY PSYCHED!!!

So, I was on Marc Broussard's website today to see if he was going to be playing anywhere near Lexington, and I saw he was playing a show in Nashville. I clicked on the link for more info, and guess who is the headliner? BONNIE RAITT! AND...the show is at the legendary Ryman Auditorium! HOW AWESOME IS THAT????? I immediately called my mother (who is so totally cool) and said, "Mama, pack yo' bags. We're headed for Nashville!" And of course she was like, "Bonnie Raitt? At the Ryman? I'M THERE!" So that's that. We're going. It's going to be a Buh-last. I'm sure the hubbies (A.K.A. "Dad" and "Matt") will come with, and we're all going to stay in a hotel and spend the weekend piddling around Nashville. SO FUN! The concert is on December 8th, so hopefully there will be beau-tee-full Christmas stuff everywhere. Now I just have to find out where I'm going to get the money...hmmm...if you are interested in donating, send cash or a check made out to moi to The Katie Swisher Totally Fun Weekend Fund, Wilmore, KY, 40390.

Seriously, if you haven't heard Marc Broussard, do it now!
http://www.islandrecords.com/marcbroussard/site/home.las

This weekend Matt and I booked our hotel rooms for a weekend trip to Indianapolis. We're bringing some good friends of ours with us to see the Circle City. They're from the Dallas/Ft. Worth area and this is their last year here at Asbury, so we thought we'd show them our old stompin' grounds. If you have any great ideas for things to do when we're there, let me know!
Anyway lovies, I should get back to work. Peace!

Friday, September 30, 2005

Crunch, crunch...kiss, kiss...

Ahhh...isn't Fall great? I love the coolness of night and the crisp sunshine of day. I really love playing in crunchy leaves...It makes me want to take long, slow, hand-holding walks with my hubby. The first time we kissed after I feel in love with him was in a pile of leaves in my parents' front yard. I still have a leaf that stuck to my hair from that kiss. It was great...Does Fall make anyone else feel romantic?

Fall in Kentucky is pretty great. As much as I hate being so far from friends and family in Indy, I really love the area where we live. It's so hilly and peaceful and beautiful. I can't wait for the leaves to start changing color!

For your reading pleasure, here are some lyrics from one of my favorite Nichole Nordeman songs. If you don't know her, go out right now and buy one of her CD's! I recommend This Mystery or Woven and Spun - they're her 2 best in my opinion.

"Even when the trees have just surrendered to the harvest time, forfeiting their leaves in late September and sending us inside, still I notice you when change begins, and I am braced for colder winds. I will offer thanks for what has been and what's to come. You are Autumn..."
-"Every Season" from This Mystery

So, life is good today. This week has been pretty busy at work, but slow at home. I'm totally psyched. Today I am wearing a pair of pants that I haven't been able to zip up since last summer! YAY! I have a goal of 80 pounds to lose, and the last time I weighed myself (a few weeks ago) I was 15 lbs. closer to my goal!

Alright...I'm going to get back to work. Take care and love each other!

Wednesday, September 21, 2005

Are you kidding me???

I'm sorry to belabor the point, but is there NOTHING the Magic Eraser can't do? I called Kelly tonight to tell her how right she was about the power of "TMPCTIAC" (see last night's post), and she said, "Oh yeah? Clean your shoes." So, I picked up my dirtiest, scuffiest pair of tennis shoes, wet the sponge and started scrubbing. Less than 5 minutes later, I have kicks as pearly white as St. Peter's gate! Seriously guys...go out and treat yourself to a Magic Eraser. You WON'T be sorry!

Love Eachother,
Katie

Tuesday, September 20, 2005

Freakin' Awesome!

I have just found my most favorite thing...the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser! Crazy, I know, but it's true! My sis has been singing the praises of the Magic Eraser (hereafter referred to as "the most perfect cleaning tool in all Creation) for a while now. I even went out and bought one a few months ago and tried taking scuffs off of my walls with it. It worked, but I didn't realize until tonight the power that little spongy block held!

I was watching television (big suprise) and saw a commercial for "the most perfect cleaning tool in all Creation" (hereafter referred to as "TMPCTIAC") where the lady was actually eliminating soap scum from her bathtub with "TMPCTIAC". Surely this was just a ploy by scheming (though effective) marketing executives to convince me that I most certainly could not live without "TMPCTIAC". Remembering my young sister's sage advice, and also remembering that I, in fact, did personally possess a "TMPCTIAC", I decided to dig it out of the laundry room and try it out on my not-quite-filthy-but-getting-pretty-darn-close-tub. With much skepticism, I turned on the water in the tub to wet my "TMPCTIAC", and after I wrung out the excess water, the "TMPCTIAC" wrinkled in such a way that it almost looked like a smirk.

"You don't think I can do this, do you?"
(*For the record, I didn't actually hear its voice...I could tell what it was thinking by the look on its face. I'm not crazy, you know.*)
"Of course you can't do this!" I replied. "You have no cleaning products to work with, no scratchy bristles. Why, I don't even need to wear rubber gloves to handle you. How powerful can you really be?"
"Watch me."

That was it. A small challenge made by an inanimate object was all it took to get my adrenaline pumping. With everything to prove, I dove into the tub and picked the ickiest, scummiest spot and gave it a few swipes...

Now, I must inform you that when one's pride is damaged as mine was this evening, it is never an easy thing to handle. However, this dose of humility was much easier to swallow than I would have thought. You know what they say: "A spoonful of a gleaming, scum-free bathtub makes the medicine go down..."

The rest, as they say, es historia. Take some advice from me (and my sis): go out RIGHT NOW and get a "TMPCTIAC" (hereafter referred to as "the Magic Eraser").

Until my next adventure...

Livin' la vida loca,
Katie

Monday, September 19, 2005

Slothful...

uuuggghhh...

I feel so slothful this morning. I just feel like a lump...an unmotivated lump. I really should be working, but I need a break.

We had a great weekend. Saturday Matt worked while I went with Mary Kathryn and Emily to Clinique for makeovers. The three of us then went to the latino festival in downtown Lexington to watch some dancing, then back to Em's place to get into our pretties for a hot date. Our hubbies picked us up at Kevin and Emily's wearing suits and bearing flowers (gerber daisies - my favorite!). We all walked to Le Deauville, a cute little French restaurant in Lex, for dinner. It was the most amazing meal of my life so far! Matt and I shared beef carpaccio, rack of lamb with julienned veggies and a neato potato dish I can't explain, and an apple carmel tart for dessert. Yum...Thank God we shared - our bill was only $50. The other two couples probably spent around $100 each. OUCH! We sat there for almost 3 hours just talking and eating and having a great time. We sat at a table right near the open patio, so we got to really enjoy the cool evening air. Two things would have made the night better: more comfortable chairs and a nice glass of red wine. The chairs were these awful wobbly bits of wood. You'd think for as much as we paid for our meals, they would have thrones ready for us! :) Even so, it was really nice to get dressed up and go out with good friends. After dinner we all went back to Kevin and Emily's and played "The Newlywed Game". Fun, fun, fun! :)

Sunday was okay. I woke up with a headache so bad I thought my eyes were boiling and melting onto my pillow. I couldn't even rest it was so painful. I got up, tried to make breakfast, but really ended up whining from the recliner until almost 1:00. After the headache finally subsided, I was able to go back to bed. After my nap, I got up, showered and was ready to start the day! We partied at Wal-Mart for a little bit, got Quiznos for dinner and watched In Good Company. Great flick...

Now we have balanced our checkbook and are going to try to screech by until Friday. It was a fun weekend, but you always end up paying for it, you know? I talked with my little sis, Kelly, this morning only to find out that she and her new hubby, Brandon, just bought all new bedroom and dining room furniture to go in their new house with their new living room furniture. I know that God has blessed Matt and I in ways we could never dream, but it's so hard to know that my younger sister has much nicer things and a lot more money than we do. Geez...I'm so jealous! Lord, help me to not feel this way! :) I couldn't be happier for them though. They're doing so well...really.

Okay - I'm going to get back to work. I actually had a really great post that I wrote earlier, but when I went to publish it, my computer blanked out and I lost it all. ARGH! Oh well...you'll just have to be happy with this one!

Peace...

Monday, August 29, 2005

Exhaustion...

Wow...it's amazing how exhausting a wedding can be - and I'm not even the bride! You have all this preparation and build-up for months, maybe even years, and it all leads up to a ceremony that lasts about 20 minutes. I'm sure there are people who think it's all very silly, but we had such a great time! Kelly and Brandon got hitched without a hitch, looked great and had a great time. We all had a great time, really. The reception was a blast! I can't remember the last time I danced that much. And the food - well, the food was out of this world! If you live in or ever get to the Indianapolis area, take a trip to the south side (37 and Southport) and eat a Pauly's Italian Restaurant. The food is great and the service is better. Anyway...Kelly and Brandon have never looked happier! I just cried when I saw them light their unity candle. I mean, how long had we all been praying for Kelly to find a good guy? God is so faithful...

I'll get pictures up from the wedding soon...Peace!

Tuesday, August 23, 2005

Exploration

So - let's explore what this blog stuff is all about, shall we? I think I'll use mine as a place to just think and reflect. My husband is in seminary right now, so really, I should have a lot to reflect on. At this moment though, I can only reflect on the fact that I am sleep deprived. My little sister is getting married this weekend, and I have been working a lot the past few days so I can be gone later this week. A wedding is an interesting thing to prepare for. I wonder how they got to be these huge events? If anyone has insight on this, let me know. The only thing I can come up with is that we're always trying to out-do one another (myself included). In 20 years, what will a wedding look like? How much will a typical wedding cost? Too much, I'm sure. I love weddings though - really, I do! If it's done right, a wedding is a time of covenant, of celebration, of love. Who doesn't like that???

Kelly, Matt & Brandon - Highbridge Posted by Picasa

Matt at Highbridge Posted by Picasa

Katie & Matt at home... Posted by Picasa

Matt & Katie in a refreshing pool in Pearland, TX Posted by Picasa