Buster is Home

Buster came home last night, and really seemed to be feeling much better (thank you Jesus!). We played a lot and snuggled a lot last night. At one point he climbed into a tote I keep on a shelf with some of my scrapbook gear. Isn't he cute?

This morning he was still licking himself, and seemed to have a little difficulty peeing. I hope we don't have to take him back. The vet bill yesterday was just under $500, and thankfully they're working on a payment plan with us. I don't want to have to take him back! Poor guy...

Thanks for praying for him. He's such a sweetie...I hate knowing he's not feeling well!

Time to snap...

I am getting so stressed out that I know I'm going to snap at any time. My to-do list is a MILLION miles long, and the time in which I have to check off my tasks is growing increasingly short. There are work things, home things, church things, class reunion things, and I don't have enough time to get them all done! 4 newsletters to publish, 78 pastor interviews to schedule, church clusters to create, a mission trip to prepare for, a cat who is sick and needs special care, wedding gifts to buy, bills to pay, laundry to do, a house to clean, mailings to send out, Dad's birthday to celebrate, meetings to attend, and OH YEAH, did I mention we're probably getting a dog soon? Yeah. I'm that crazy.

Obstruction

This is Buster Bluth...




















He's our baby...I know that sounds stupid to a lot of you, but it's true. He has been the best cat: playful AND snuggly, and sometimes downright human. We love him so much...

He's not feeling well right now. He had a urinary tract infection a couple weeks ago, and we spent hours in the pet emergency room (and about $150) making him feel better. Since we returned from our Kings Island trip on Sunday, he's been acting funny. He's been peeing outside of his litter box (not normal at all...he never does that) and crying a lot more than usual. He's also gained some weight, and has not been wanting to play very much.

We took him to the vet this morning for observation, and the vet just called to let us know that Buster has a Urethral Obstruction. The doctor is sedating him, and will be putting in a catheter to clear the blockage. I called my mom with the news, and she let me know that she had a cat with that problem many years ago. She ended up having to put her cat down. I. AM. FREAKING. OUT.

First: we don't have the money for this procedure. It will probably cost almost $1000. I know we should have that much (and way more) saved for emergencies, but we don't.

Second: How many more times will this happen? Will we just have to plan for $1000 vet bills every year or more from now on? How much is too much to spend on your pet's life?

Third: We might be getting a dog soon. Will this stress out Buster even more? Yes. Will it be dangerous for Buster to have that stress? Possibly. Will it be good for Buster to have someone to play with? Most definitely. Ugh...the choices. If we had a child, and we're wanting another, we wouldn't NOT have another baby just because our first would be stressed out about it. People grow and learn and deal. Pets are not people...

So there it is - my drama for the day. I had intended to go to Bed Bath and Beyond today and spend lots of money on wedding gifts for the umpteen brides I know this summer. I'm not going to do that now though. They'll just have to wait! (Sorry girls...)

Pray for my Buster. Pray for my vet. Pray for my wallet.

Rhapsody in Silver and Blue

I am getting ready to have my 10 year high school reunion. Yes. TEN. YEARS. Ugh...


Some days it seems like it was just yesterday that I was a high school student. Oh my goodness, I was caught up in drama and boys and girlfriends and BAND...oh how I loved band...and school newspaper and ball games and boys and spring break and the fight song ("Home of the Silver and the Blue! P-M-H-S....THE BEST!"), prom and did I mention boys? I was ALWAYS with my friends, NEVER worried about much and OFTEN thought I was ready to grow up. I walked those blue halls with blue lockers, and dreamed of the day I would be older and carefree.

Other days that life I used to lead seems like it belonged to someone else. Like it's the plot of a book I read and loved years ago. The older I get, the less it feels like ME. Because really, there's no way I was a size twelve or a decent flute player or one of those mouthy girls who walks the mall giggling with her gaggle of girlfriends. That's not who I was, right? I've always been overweight and responsible and tired and out of touch, haven't I? Geez...

Did I mention that I'm planning my reunion? (Yes, I am a glutton for punishment. Why do you ask?) People keep asking me how I got the job of planning this shindig, and I'm honestly not quite sure. I thought I could help plan the event, since we finally lived in the area again. I got in touch with the Alumni Association at my high school, and was told that no one was working on the reunion. WHAT? No one is planning the reunion? We can't NOT have a reunion! "I'll get some people together," I said, and here I am. I'm not the class president (who should be planning this thing). I wasn't even one of the cool kids. I'm just some washed up band geek trying to get a party started.

I hope lots of people show up. We have a minimum food and beverage total we have to reach ($2000 - shouldn't be hard with the cash bar, right?). I hope that I look good. I was too busy planning this thing to get in shape for it. (Okay fine, I haven't been in shape for anything since I graduated...) I know people have Romy and Michelle delusions about what this reunion might look like, and I hope they're not pissed when I disappoint them. Do you know how expensive reunions like that are? Maybe in another decade folks...

So in honor of my impending reunion, I wanted to share something with you. This is the poem my Mom and Dad (probably just Mom with Dad's encouragement) wrote to place in the last issue of the school paper when I graduated. I loved it then, and I still love it today. I think it will be fairly easy to see that we love music in my family...

Princess Katie Diane

From House at Pooh Corner to
Opposites Attract
From Friends in Low Places to
A Boy Like That
From Rockin' in the Free World to
Rhapsody in Blue
From Love Song for a Savior to
OU812

You're our perfect Grievous Angel,
you're our Devil in Disguise
You're either Manic Monday or you're
Almost Paradise
You're such a Groovy Kind of Love, it's true
Do You Want To Know a Secret?
We're so proud of you!

Love, Mom & Dad

I Love the Eighties...

Why would anyone in their right mind leave the house wearing an outfit like this?















Or wearing makeup like this?















Well, for an EIGHTIES NIGHT of course!

As of 5:00 last night, I had no idea what I was going to wear to my friend Lisa's Eighties Night Bachelorette Party. I popped in my "Katie's 80's" mix on the stereo, went to work on my hideous eighties makeup, and the inspiration just flowed.

Matt helped me cut up an old orange shirt I had. The skirt has been in my closet begging to come out for quite some time. I didn't have bike shorts, but my bermudas worked just fine. And the "Like a Virgin" cross necklace? I picked that up in Houston a few years ago, and finally had the occasion to wear it! What you can't see in the picture is that I had two pairs of socks scrunched above my pink and yellow Chuck Taylor All-Stars. Top off this stellar outfit with bright turquoise eyeshadow, pink frosty lip gloss and the thickest black eyeliner this side of a trailer park, and you've got yourself an eighties princess! :)

We went bowling dressed like this. We went out to dinner dressed like this. We went to a bar dressed like this. AND yes, everywhere we went people stared, laughed and pointed, but WHO CARES? We had a great time. We all looked equally stupid, and we loved every minute of it. Who doesn't love a theme party?

I'm thinking of wearing this outfit to Lisa's wedding on Saturday. What do you think?

Runnin' Down a Dream

If you remember this post, you'll remember that I LOVE Tom Petty. Well, my man and his Heartbreakers are in town tonight for a sold out show, and I'm not going. Yeah, I know. We waited a little too long to get our tickets, and they were sold out before I could get them. We're going to see them in St. Louis in a few weeks though, so I won't miss him entirely. I'm just missing him tonight.

Did I mention that I live 3 miles down the street from Deer Creek - the ampitheater where they will be playing - ? Oh, well I do. That means that I not only will be missing the show tonight, but Tom will be 3 MILES AWAY! So close, yet so far.

As I pulled out of my driveway to come to work this morning, a tour bus drove by the house on the way to Deer Creek. It didn't hit me for a few seconds, but once it did I thought of turning the other way and chasing them down the street. That could have been Tom! (Yes, I also know it could have been Steve Winwood - the opener - but this is my fantasy...don't ruin it!) Tom Petty might have driven right past my house this morning. *sigh*

It's raining today - outside and in my heart just a little. "Baby don't it feel like heaven right now?" No. No Tom - it doesn't. I'll keep waiting though...it is the hardest part after all, right?

Here's a little treat for you - a snippet from Tom's DVD "Runnin' Down a Dream" where he talks about the first song I remember calling "favorite" in my life. "The Waiting"

The Great Panty Caper

Matt and I just went to JC Penny after our movie. I needed unmentionables. (I'm not sure why I'm calling them "unmentionables" in this post. I am most definitely going to mention them...)

I usually don't mind buying undies. Come on - everyone wears them. It's no big deal, right? Still, when I have to buy them, I will always buy something else with them (a purse, a pair of shoes, anything) to help divert the attention from the underwear. I don't care if you think it's stupid...

I had a lot of trouble finding something else to buy today. I tried a few handbags, but nothing got me excited. I almost bought a cute sundress, but Matt scrunched his nose just enough to make me think I looked like a cow in it. I tried to get Matt to buy a new dress shirt, but he insisted that he didn't need one. Finally, I put the panties down, and said, "Let's just go." He looked at me and said, "Don't you need those? Isn't that the reason why we came in here in the first place?"

How do I explain my "No panties left alone" purchasing philosophy? I know it's dumb...and I didn't want him to call me out on it, so I sucked it up and bought the panties.

As I walked to the register, I felt that package of undies burning in my palm as if it were a burning coal. I felt like EVERYONE (not exaggerating) in the store was looking at me, and judging me for the panties I was buying. Ugh.

Then we get to the register. There is a sweet looking older woman behind the counter helping someone else. I sighed a little bit. No big deal buying undies from an old lady! I was almost free. Out of NOWHERE this young dude with perfectly coiffed facial hair came to the counter and called me up. NOOOO!!!!! Suddenly I'm 5 years old, at the pool for swimming lessons, being pushed towards the diving board even though I DON'T WANT TO GO!!! I could feel Matt pressing me towards the counter. What could I do? I couldn't run. I couldn't throw a fit (although I really wanted to). I had to do it. I had to buy the panties. And I'm going to be honest people: these were not cute, sexy panties. These were BRIEFS! Full on, nude-colored granny panties. The kind of panties that only come out of the drawer on the three or four days of each month that I DON'T WANT TO BE LOOKED AT (let alone touched). At least they were "French Cut"...whatever that means. Oh - and to top it all off? They were on clearance. Yeah. I know. I wear grannys AND I'm cheap. Sexy, isn't it? (Go on...tell Matt what a lucky guy he is to have a catch like me!)

I am normally really friendly to people at the store (and restaurant, and gas station, etc.), but today I didn't even look this guy in the eye. I just swiped my card, grabbed my bag, and got the heck out of Dodge. I think I'll be shopping for underwear online from now on.

Don't be stupid...Get Smart!

Matt and I have had a really busy, stressful few weeks, so we decided to take some time and just go chill out for a while on our day off. We went to the new theater in Noblesville to see Get Smart. So many of our friends have suggested this movie. We finally caved in to peer pressure (come on, everyone else is doing it!), and I am so glad we did!

It's a great movie. GREAT! Great cast, great plot, great fun. Not too bloody. Not any real nudity to speak of (okay, one really funny butt scene, but it's just too cute to be offended by!). Not much foul language. It's just wonderful! It will definitely be a DVD purchase.

(For my new friend Karen - the Icee's were unavailable at our theater as well. BOO! We settled for Wild Cherry Pepsi..)

You're a handsome devil. What's your name?

Oh how my heart beats for John Cusack. Many years ago a friend made me watch Grosse Pointe Blank, and I was instantly smitten. Not too long after, I fell in love with High Fidelity (Are you kidding me? John Cusack AND great music? To die for...). Then I realized that he was in one of my all time favorite movies - Sixteen Candles. That sealed the deal. I have been loving John ever since. I'll watch a movie just because he's in it. They're not always the best movies, but he's always great!

The other night I was trying to find some sleepiness in front of the TV, when I saw that Better Off Dead was on. Um...yeah. I totally stayed up until 2:00 a.m. just to watch it! About halfway through I found the sleepiness I was desperate for, but John kept me awake way past my bedtime. Now my sleep clock is all funky, but I think it was worth it. :)

Hookers Like Big Macs Too...

I forgot to bring something for lunch today, so I found myself driving to McDonalds today for lunch. McD's isn't my fave, but it's really close, so I deal.

I work in a weird part of Indianapolis. One block south of my building is the ghetto. One block north is the artsy, old, EXPENSIVE neighborhood (read: the governor's mansion is just up the street from me). Although the ghetto is not far, I have never thought to prepare myself to encounter the likes of what I saw today.

Right there at my local McDonalds, standing on the sidewalk near the building was what MUST have been a full-fledged prostitute. She wore what seemed to be a strapless, tight black onesie, a thick gold belt cinched around her waist, and the highest stripper heels I've ever seen. The onesie stopped about halfway down her rear end, so the bottom half of each butt cheek was hanging out the bottom of her outfit. Oh, and would it be too much info to let you know that she had an ATOMIC WEDGIE as well? Ick.

Of course I went back to work with my lunch, and told my co-workers about this encounter. They didn't seem as surprised as I was. (Maybe I spent too many years in Wilmore...is this not shocking to anyone else???) One of the bosses in the office just replied by saying, "Prostitutes need lunch too. You can't live on love!" Oh my...

Shear Genius or Sheer Boredom?

If you know anything about me, you know that I am a HUGE fan of shows like The Office and Ugly Betty. And OH how I dream that Arrested Development was only "brilliant" without "canceled" being tacked on. Summers are always a wonderful time for fun in the sun, but are always a miserable time for television.

In the past few weeks I have found myself getting really excited about the season 2 premier of "Shear Genius," and I can't quite figure out why. What is it about Bravo's "reality" shows that gets me all in a tizzy? I do love Top Chef, but given my culinary interests, I'm not surprised by my affection for this show. I am not a professional hair stylist. I can barely get my hair to look acceptable before rushing out the door in the morning! Why do I love Shear Genius? I just don't understand...

Whatever the reasons, I was glued to the TV last night (thank God for DVR...no commercials necessary!) watching Shear Genius. I'm hoping Daniel (the cute little boy from Dallas) will win. I think he's great. Maybe these stylists will keep my TV on this summer while I wait for The Office to return. Christ knows I am chomping at the bit to find out about Jim and Pam AND the love triangle between Dwight, Angela and Andy. OH - and I would really like to see Michael give Jan the boot she deserves, and date Holly instead.

Facing the Giants

Matt and I watched Facing the Giants yesterday. We’ve been meaning to watch it for months now, and finally got around to it. I was touched by the movie, and here is where I begin to tell you why…

Let me start by saying that Facing the Giants is NOT my favorite movie…nowhere near it. It is your typical Our-team-sucks-but-watch-us-beat-the-odds kinds of movie that is intended to make you feel good and want to try harder in all you do. It’s a Christian movie as well, and in normal Christian movie fashion, the acting stinks. (Why, oh why can’t we have Christian movies with decent dialogue?) We found ourselves successfully predicting plot points, and laughing at the cheesiness of a lot of the scenes.

So why was I in tears at the end of the movie? Why would I take so much time out of my busy schedule to blog about a movie that isn’t really that good? Because Matt and I have some Giants we’re facing right now.

Life is really stressful for the Swishers these days. We are dealing with situations that make us feel angry and victimized and misunderstood. Satan is weaseling his way into our home like the jerk that he is, and we are feeling afraid and hurt and ready to quit. Our confidence is shattered, and we feel like we’re on-edge frequently.

Our hopes for a baby still have not been realized, and at times we are definitely feeling desperate and hopeless. God has been encouraging us lately through this struggle, but we still connected with the movie because of this as well.

As the movie closed, and Matt and I laughed at the cheesy ending, I couldn’t help but think about how many similarities we shared with the couple in the story. One glaring difference was clear though, and that is why I blog to you today. They prayed – we don’t.

We love God. We serve Him with our life and our vocations. We praise Him when things go well. We have never been good about praying together when we have trouble.

I just finished reading “The Shack” (AWESOME book – I’m sure I’ll blog about it soon), and in this book there is a lot of talk about sin and free will and God’s plan for creation. It became clear to me through this book that we sin because we ultimately want independence from God. Isn’t that just like us? Don’t we, as children, decide that we don’t have to listen to our parents, so we do our own thing? Don’t we get ourselves into trouble that way? Oy vey…what a predicament.

God desperately wants to be in relationship with us. He wants us to talk to him about our life, to consult him when there are decisions to be made. He wants to guide us, and he wants to help us become exactly what he intended us to be in the first place – dependent on him.

I don’t know what our future holds. It’s not really my business anyway. We may slay these giants, and we may not. Regardless of the outcome, it sure is nice to know that God is on our side, guiding us through the battle. Thank you Jesus…

The eternal band geek

I'm such a band geek.

I played flute in school, and I LIVED. FOR. BAND. Seriously. Marching band, jazz band, symphonic band, orchestra, pep band, etc. I did it all, and I loved it. For a long time I actually planned on making music my career. In college I played with the Indianapolis Symphonic Band, but once I got engaged to Matt, my music interested waned. Now my flute sits in the closet in my craft room, and only gets played once or twice a year. I'm saddened when I think about all those years I spent practicing, learning, playing...only to have my talent put on a shelf now. I still get out my flute and play now and again, and I always promise that I'm going to pick it up again. Play at church. Join a community band. I have yet to do any of this though...Right now my band days are buried deep in my past.

Although I no longer play, my band geek-dom can't help but rear its pimply head from time to time! Now and again I jump into stories that begin, "This one time at band camp...", and I still enjoy and appreciate great music. Yesterday, I was reminded again of my geeky past when I couldn't resist these at my local Staples store:

I apologize for the blurry picture, but I think you can still make out what the picture is of...

That's right folks - I bought treble clef paper clips! I love them, and I don't care what you think. These little babies make my band geek/office supply-loving heart go pitter-pat. :)

Geeky as I may be, I still do love music, and I will ALWAYS. BE. A. BAND. GEEK.

He has not forgotten me...

God has spoken to me through dreams on various occasions. One was so vivid I can still remember most of it to this day. It has not escaped my attention that obviously my mind is so occupied during the day that God can only get a word in edgewise while I am fast asleep! Last week God decided to speak to me through a dream, but unlike the other times, it was not my own dream. Apparently my mind is so consumed with myself these days that God is using my friends’ dreams to communicate with me.

Karen is a friend from Asbury. She and I worked together in the Admissions Office. She and I were never best friends or anything, but we got along well and had a great time working together. I haven’t really seen Karen much in the past year or more. We have moved back to Indiana, and the only time I’ve even talked to Karen in that time was for a quick minute when we were visiting Wilmore in December. Needless to say, she is not someone that I would usually confide in or keep up to date on the status of my life.

Out of the blue, I get a message from Karen on Facebook just after midnight on Tuesday. Here is what it says:

Hey Katie Swisher, Tonight is the second time in week that I've had a dream about you having a baby. Each time I have seen you cradling a baby saying "I'm blessed like Sarah. I have to laugh. I'm blessed." We need to talk. Send me your phone number. I need my beauty rest and I would rather be dreaming about a rich and handsome man. Not that you're not great to dream about.... Take this with you until we get a chance to talk — God is mindful of you and the desires of your heart — He has not forgotten you.Blessings and love,Karen

Um…okay God. You have my attention.

I wrote her back to give her my phone number later that morning, and she called me just a couple hours later. We were both surprised to be talking to each other, I think. She told me about the dream, and how she tried to just pray for me instead of calling. I think after the second dream, she knew she was supposed to call me. I’m so thankful she was obedient!

I’ve blogged on here about the issues Matt and I are having with trying to start a family. No doubt this call has totally blown me over! I’ve tried to figure out what this dream might mean for us. Obviously, the first thought I had was, “When am I having this baby?” J Then I worried about the “blessed like Sarah” part. Sarah was an OLD LADY when she had her child…am I going to be an old lady too? I swung like a pendulum between excitement for a child, and fear that I might be 50 when it happens.

It took me a while to realize what God’s message to me really was. How could I miss it?

“God is mindful of you and the desires of your heart – He has not forgotten you.”

Through all of this trying (and failing) to have a child, I have wondered where God was. I have wondered if he knew or cared about what we wanted for our life as a family. I know there are bigger things for God to worry about, but my God is bigger than that, and loves me and cares for me…right?

Right. Absolutely right.

This dream has given me hope again…a hope I haven’t had for so long. As friends and sisters and everyone around me has gotten pregnant, had babies and gotten pregnant again, I’ve become pregnant with hopelessness.

“God is mindful of you and the desires of your heart – He has not forgotten you.”

I don’t know why we are having so much trouble getting pregnant. Maybe I’ll never know, but knowing that God has not forgotten me is amazing. I knew somewhere deep down that he hadn’t forgotten me, but I guess that knowledge was shrouded by this hopelessness.

“God is mindful of you and the desires of your heart – He has not forgotten you.”

Thank you Jesus. Thank you for being mindful of me...of all of us. I have found hope again, and can’t wait to see what God brings us in the years to come…

"Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart."
Psalm 37:4

Stormy Weather (cont.)

Thanks for praying for our friends. Their daughter passed away this afternoon with her entire family by her side. Obviously everyone was sad, but as we sat in that hospital room with them, I was really amazed by the amount of peace and joy that filled the room. Their daughter's broken body, ravaged by disease, was still there in the bed, yet all they could talk about was how excited she must be to finally be in the arms of Jesus. To finally be in heaven with Him. To finally be able to "feast at his heavenly banquet." She hasn't been able to eat much of anything these past months, so there was plenty of talk around the room about all the foods she must be enjoying with her savior. They talked about how she must be dancing right now. How there is no more pain for her now. That she ran a good race and finished strong. That her life during her battle with cancer this past year has touched so many people. That she had spent her last months on earth making people laugh, reminding them that God loves them and inspiring them with her fighting spirit.

I am so incredibly sad for this family. For these parents who watched their daughter pass on before their eyes. For the two young adults who lost their sister today. For the friends who had to say goodbye. Everyone will move on, but no before some serious, painful grieving. It is this grieving period that we must pray through now. We'll pray that God will sustain this family through their grief just as he sustained their daughter through her disease. He is mindful of their pain...

This young woman's life has left a huge mark on all of our lives. Thank you Jesus for being so evident in this situation. Thank you for not leaving our sides. Thank you for releasing Kristen from her pain, and for wrapping your arms around her. We know she is home.

I can only imagine what it will be like, when I walk by Your side...
I can only imagine, what my eyes will see, when Your Face is before me!
I can only imagine. I can only imagine.
Surrounded by Your Glory, what will my heart feel?
Will I dance for you, Jesus? Or in awe of You, be still?
Will I stand in Your presence, or to my knees will I fall?
Will I sing 'Hallelujah!'? Will I be able to speak at all?
I can only imagine! I can only imagine!
(-Mercy Me)

Stormy Weather

It's 12:18 a.m. on Sunday morning. I should be in bed, but I can't seem to make it back to the bedroom quite yet. I'm burdened with sadness, and can't help but feel like I need to be awake.

Our friends are at the emergency room right now, praying that their daughter will make it through tonight. She has cervical cancer (caused by HPV), and was rushed to the ER earlier this evening because she was bleeding everywhere. This young woman (early 20's) has gone through so much in the past year or so. I can't imagine what they're feeling, what she's thinking, etc.

We came to the hospital, and found her dad outside giving an update to someone on his cell phone. Once he hung up, Matt embraced him, and all this hurting father could do was cry. Sob. Meltdown. He hung on to Matt with desperation for just a few moments, and then gathered his emotions together to let us know what was happening. "This is when it sucks to be a parent," he said.

We stuck our heads in the hospital room to say hello, but left quickly so as not to disturb anyone. The mother has been so strong through all of this. Tonight she looked tired, but stayed as calm as she could, and helped her daughter as much as possible. We hugged for a moment, and she thanked us for coming. We decided to leave, chatted with the father a little bit longer, and let him know to call us - no matter what time - if anything should change.

What do you do? What do you say to these people who are going through the toughest battle of their lives? How do you pray through something like this? I wish we could do something to make it better, but nothing I can do will heal this girl. No dish I can cook, no errand I can run, nothing I can do will make this situation better. I don't know words to say to people who have a dying child.

I'm sad. I'm scared. I'm hurting for this family. Please join me in praying for them. They need all the help they can get right now...

Star Athlete

Matt and I got a Wii a couple months ago. We love it! We looked all over for this thing, and couldn't find it anywhere. Finally Matt's mom and dad found it on their side of town, bought it, and we reimbursed them. (That's great teamwork, don't you think?) We play it nearly every day. Seriously. We love tennis. We love bowling. We love pool. We love racing cows. We love shuffleboard. We love darts. We love way too much about this system!

Our favorite game is probably tennis, with bowling coming in at second. We ROCK at tennis, and we're pretty good at bowling too. This sounds silly, but I've found myself thinking, "Wow! I'm really great at tennis! Maybe I'll play in real life, and I'll be some sort of tennis pro. Maybe it's a talent that I am only now discovering!" OR "STRIKE! I'm so good at bowling! The next time we go bowling in real life, I am going to tear.it.up!"

What I'm about to say will probably be no surprise to 99.5% of the people on this planet, but here goes...
Being good at Wii Sports does NOT make you a good athlete. Period.

I became painfully aware of this fact when Matt and I went bowling tonight, and I bowled a 70. Yeah. 70. What's scary is that this is not even my worst game! My worst game is like 29 or something.

So sorry folks...I'm probably not the next great tennis pro or bowling champ. I'm still the very out-of-shape-super-clutzy-unathletic Katie I've always been. Wii has not changed my athletic ability. It has possibly gotten me interested in tennis though...anyone want to watch Wimbledon with me?

Checking In

I know I promised I would be blogging more lately, but I've just been so busy! Who is tired of hearing me talk about how busy I am? (Katie raises her hand emphatically from behind her monitor...) Sometimes I think that if could just get rid of this job, I would have all kinds of time to do the things I need to do! Who wants to pay me to not work? (No one? Really?)

So that I don't turn myself into a liar (again), I have decided to share some of my new favorite websites with my dear readers (reader? anyone out there?). Just a few faves that have been keeping my attention lately...

www.jellyfish.com - shopping has never been so much fun! It's like a game and a bargain hunt all rolled into one. Give it a shot!

www.foundmagazine.com - interesting to peruse - it's amazing what people actually leave lying around!

www.rottentomatoes.com - great movie reviews, showtime listings, etc. all in one place!

http://gsalr.com - Who loves garage sales? If you do, you'll really love this website. You can search for sales in your area, click the ones you want to visit, and the website will produce the route for you! Amazing...

Okay - I'm done for now. I do have actual work to do. (I'm stalling on this 8 page newsletter I'm trying to publish...blech.) Peace out!

What's Next?

Hi, I’m Katie, and I’m a foul-mouthed Christian.

Ugh…that doesn’t sound good, does it? But that’s what I am right now. I’m having some serious issues taming my tongue lately.

I’m a part of a bible study/mentoring program on Wednesday nights this spring. It’s a 6-week program. I really don’t like the book that we’re going through (don’t get me started…it’s a tirade I’m not energized for right now!), but I do enjoy the conversations and the relationships that I’m building because of it.

Last night’s lesson was on purity. I always think of “purity” in relationship to sex, but we talked about so much more than that last night. This study really helped me understand that my foul language is a purity issue, and that hit home. The author uses a phrase in the book that helped me to understand more about what might be going on with me. She says something like, “What goes down in the well comes up in the bucket.” That little phrase made me realize that I must have a lot of muck in my well!

I talked with Matt about it last night, and after he listened to me jabber on and on about it, he said, “So what’s next?” It wasn’t the response I expected. I actually expected him to tell me about how my bad language has affected him, and how it bothers him when I let foul things fly from my lips. Instead, he said, “What’s next?”

It was exactly what I needed to hear. That simple little question packed a punch of possibility! It not only indicated that he agreed and noticed my little problem; it let me know that he thinks I can overcome it and believes that I will. I love him for that.

So what is next? I’m not quite sure. I really think I need to be careful about what I’m listening to, reading, watching on TV, talking about, etc. It really does have an impact on my mind. I also have some scriptures that I’m going to try to reflect on daily to really help drive the point home. I really do want God to clean out my mucky well…even if it’s going to be difficult for me.

Anyone else struggle with this stuff? Comment, and let’s chat about it!

Here are the scriptures I have decided to focus on:

Psalm 51
10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Psalm 19:14
14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
James 3
3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4 Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5 Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, 8 but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

Updates? Meh...

So, I'm realizing that I haven't updated my blog since the Ice Age...so sorry about that. Obviously it hasn't been a big priority for me lately, and I apologize for that. I doubt many folks actually read my blog, so I guess I'm not disappointing too many people after all. Still - I feel a little bad.

When we left off, I had said that Matt and I were taking part in a weigh-down of epic proportions. Sorry to say that we have lost all momentum on that as well. So now I feel like a big, fat failure...literally! Why is it so dang hard for me to find some discipline in my life? The good news about our weigh down is that we did lose some weight, and we haven't gained it back yet! Hopefully now that warmer weather is coming around, we'll make it outside for some exercise. We did get a Wii recently, and although it has kept us in the house, it has kept us pretty active! I'm fairly certain that I'm suffering from tennis elbow...

Church is good. Work is good. Family is good. Oh - Matt's sister is having another baby, so we're going to have a new little addition to our family! We're so excited to have another neice or nephew. Personally, I hope it's a boy. It's always awkward to say "neices and nephew" instead of "neices and nephews." Is that the most stupid and selfish reason to hope for a boy or what? :)

I promise I'll be blogging more. I keep finding some neato websites that I might direct you towards. Maybe it will become a weekly feature or something. We'll just have to see. Until then, here's one website you must check out: www.cozi.com. Matt and I have been using Cozi for about a month or so now, and we love it! It's a great place to keep our calendars, shopping lists, etc. So useful...

Love you all, and we'll chat soon. Later!