The Last Year

I have successfully completed the first 5 days of my last year as an undergrad. It's weird to think about this being my last year. I look back on past college years and I think about what I could have done differently if I had the chance. Here's the list for all you future high school graduates:

1. Go away for college, for at least a year. Don't do what I did and just stay there for one semester. You'll regret it later. If you try it for a year and don't enjoy it, then you can go back to a college/university that is closer in distance to your home.
2. Get involved in something, whether it's a campus club, a Greek organization, or a campus ministry (or all 3)!
3. Study Abroad as an undergrad. I did not do this as an undergrad, but I wish I had.
4. Budget your money. Budget, budget, budget.
5. Study, study, study.
6. Manage your time wisely
7. Buy a planner. Trust me, you'll need it.
8. Exercise at least twice a week. It will catch up with you if you don't.
9. Be a healthy eater. Sure those Oreos look great and taste divine, but that doesn't mean you have to eat half a pack.
10.  Be open-minded to the people you meet and the experiences you encounter. This is the most important piece of advice I want to give to you. College is all about embracing different things and different people. You are going there to get an education. Be educated in different cultures and in new experiences.
11. Don't get married in college. Your friends do not have the money to pay for multiple bridesmaid's dresses, shoes, wedding gifts, lingerie presents, and bachelorette parties. 

I'm looking into my options for being a teacher. I know I don't graduate until May, but the sooner I research all the options, the better informed I will be about what I truly want to do with my Education degree. I have had advice from family and friends about Teach For America. I did a little research on it this afternoon and I like what I see. However, I feel a little uncomfortable going to teach in an inner city, high poverty area, but I think it's due to the fact that I'm not used to being around it. I'm not opposed to teaching in these areas by any means. It is something that I will be praying about. It would mean stepping out of my comfort zone entirely, but isn't that what serving God is all about? Another option that I have considered is Teaching English as a Foreign Language. I can go to Prague and study to teach English as a foreign language. Once I complete the 4 week program, I would be certified for a lifetime to teach English as a foreign language. If I choose to not teach once the program is complete, I can still do it when ever I would like. The school works with you to ensure that you get a great job in one of the many countries in the world. Either option would be a wonderful experience, and I can do both, but I'm not sure which one I'm being called to do at this point. I ask all you readers out there for your prayers as I start to think about where God wants me to be and what He wants me to do with my degree. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Peace and Love,

Laura Kate

God Moments

I'm sitting at the Wesley foundation on the porch swing. One of my most favorite places to be on this Earth. It's a place where I like to sit and reflect. Today is no different. I was studying for the Praxis II that is coming up in a couple of weeks and I look up and the sun is setting. For some people the sunset isn't really that big of a deal, but for me, today and everyday, the sunset is a Godsend. I just sat here on the swing and took it all in. The fact that our God created this beautiful thing for us to look at each day is just something so wonderful I can't even fathom. As I'm sitting here I realize that I'm not worried about being productive. I'm taking in the sunset, the sounds around me, and the occasional silence where no cars are passing by, which is a rare occurrence given that this is a university campus.

Today was different. I'm not even sure how, but I feel God in a way that I haven't felt Him in a long time. I'm happier today and more content since last Tuesday where I was in such a weird mood that nothing was going right. I'm finally letting go of the worries I've had because I know for sure that God is going to take care of it all, and I have no need to worry about that.

My God moments occur when I least expect them to. But then again, that's how most God moments are. They usually occur when I'm with my family or sitting at the Wesley. This past Saturday was no different. I had the wonderful opportunity of keeping my cousin for the day. It's one that I rarely pass up. To see the world through a child's eyes is so humbling and innocent. I took my cousin to the Drill Field and we strolled and blew bubbles. The kid loves to push her own stroller, so I carefully helped guide her down the sidewalk as she pushed. At one point she stopped, looked at me, took my hand off the stroller and said "No, no". I had to smile at her need for independence, so I let her push the stroller by herself but I stood close behind to make sure it stayed on the sidewalk After a few failed attempts of her strolling off the sidewalk, she looked to me for help and we continued to stroll down the sidewalk with both of us pushing the stroller.

As I was driving her back home I thought about how we as Christians are sometimes like children who are gaining their independence. We like to think that we can do it all by our self, take control of our lives, etc. We let God guide us to certain points in our lives, but then tell Him we can do it ourselves, and like any Father, He steps back and allows us to do it on our own, but He stands close by. When we go a few steps and realize we need guidance, we look to Him and He always helps guide us back on the "sidewalk". There's never any "I told you so's" exchanged. It's simply a matter of picking us up and brushing us off and saying "I love you, follow me".

That's really all that was on my mind tonight. I usually don't like to post things unless I have something meaningful to say and tonight I did, so here it is.

Peace and Love,
Laura Kate

Weekend

This past weekend, I had the incredible opportunity to attend Statewide Wesley 2010. For those of you who read this and are not sure what that is, it is a retreat where different university Wesley Foundations come together to glorify God and have fun with each other. This year we were blessed to have Todd Agnew as our worship leader. He talked about worship a great deal and what it means to truly worship. (I think he read my blog post on that very topic, because he basically said everything I talked about! :) Totally kidding on that one.) We also were able to participate in the Stop Hunger Now Program. Stop Hunger Now is an organization where groups can come together and package meals for children who are in areas where starvation is one of the leading causes of death among children. Here are a couple of facts about hunger :  

25,000 people die every day from hunger and related causes.

Every 6 seconds a child dies because he or she is hungry.

There are other facts listed on the Stop Hunger Now website, but those two are the main ones that stuck out to me. No child, or person for that matter, should die because they do not have enough to eat. We produce enough food in this world in order to feed hungry people everywhere.

In participating in the program, we were able to package 16,000 meals that will be sent to places like Haiti. 16,000. That is a lot of meals and a lot of children that won't go hungry. If you're reading this, I encourage you to get involved in this program somehow. It is something that I am extremely passionate about. I am part of a Hunger POD (Practicing Outward Discipleship) at Mississippi State University. We are bringing the Stop Hunger Now program to the Wesley Foundation on campus March 28th, though it's not limited to just Wesley Foundation attendees. We are working on fundraising and are still planning some details.

Things are going well. God is working in my life and I am in awe of the things He has done. He has blessed me with wonderful friends, old and new. I have been praying about ways I can help the world and I feel that He has called me to help with hunger-related ministries. I like doing good for people and I love serving God that way. It constantly gives me a reality check and I realize each time that I have everything I need. I have clean water to drink, I have a roof over my head, and I plenty of food. Everything else is just excess, things I have but don't necessarily need. That's a word we say often: Need. Think about that for a bit.

I'll post more tomorrow.

Peace and Love,

Laura Kate

A Rainy Day...

It's raining. Again. I should be going to bed right now because I've been walking around in a daze all day. This is what 18 hours of school does to you. I've been doing a lot of thinking (what else is new?) about the future and what it holds, and here it is: I'm looking at moving to either Birmingham or Kentucky. Two great places. Both hold opportunities of being able to get a teaching job. Pray for that. :) I know I still have a year, and plans can change. My plans most likely will change, because it's me.

I'm still in the process of finding web hosting site to host my photography website. So if any of you readers out there know of any good ones, your help would be greatly appreciated.

I like doing photoshoots. Wait, let me rephrase that: I like being the one to operate the photoshoot. I don't like being photographed, for some reason that is completely unknown to me. I just like being the person behind the camera. A few Sundays ago I got my sister (my built in model) and her friend (who absolutely LOVES doing my photoshoots) together for a little session. It rained all morning, but the sun eventually made its appearance around 1:00. My sister and her friend are two of my most favorite people to photograph, together and separate. When they are together they are so much fun, they just feed off of each other, which results in some really awesome photos. I'm not a fan of posed pictures, though sometimes I have to resort to them. I like my photography to be "in the moment". It's about capturing the essence of that person in a specific moment. So, as promised, I will leave you with a handful of the photos from the shoot.

Spring is around the corner...

I can just feel it. Last week it was GORGEOUS outside, and now this week it is cold, cold, COLD! That's Mississippi weather for you. The semester has started, and it is beginning to get a little crazy. Projects due, events to plan, photos to edit, papers to write, etc. I'm dying to edit the photos from my photoshoot Sunday, but right now my poor computer is in the shop, so the photo editing will have to wait. I'll post a handful here when they are finished.
Speaking of computers, I'm looking at buying a MacBook Pro. I've heard wonderful things about them, and since I'm serious about starting a photography business, I feel that it is neccessary to have one. I took the next step in creating my photography business. I designed and ordered my business cards. They arrived last week. Now it's all a matter of distributing them to places that have wedding and baby registries, as well as friends. I have a meeting Thursday with a friend of mine about shooting her wedding. I hope all goes well! She's told me a little about what the wedding party will be wearing and I'm super excited about the details! It will be a beautiful and fun wedding!
Class is about to begin, but I will post more tomorrow evening!

New Year, New Beginnings

As I take a look back on the year of 2009, I can honestly say that I don't regret anything from the past year. It's amazing to look back on the past year of your life and realize how much you've grown. I don't feel like a grown-up, but I am. It's a funny thing, really. As children we spend so much of our childhood wanting to be "grown-up" that we grow up too fast. We forget to experience and savor all the joys of childhood, yet when we are finally "grown-up" we spend our lives wishing for more simple things rather than the complexities that adulthood brings. But yes, I am a grown-up. I do grown up things like live in an a apartment and pay bills. But how do we really define "grown-up". For me being a grown-up isn't about paying bills or living in an apartment. Being grown-up means having a sense of self and knowing what you stand for. It's about taking risks and chances throughout life, but also knowing when to settle.
This past year, I took chances that I never, in a million years, thought I would ever take. I'll confess this one- I actually let someone know how I felt about him. Let me tell you, that was probably one of the scariest things I have ever done in my life. I had debated back and forth about whether I should do it. But then I thought, "What's the worst that can happen?" So I did it. The outcome wasn't what I intentionally wanted, but because of it, we have become better friends. Was it scary? Sure. Do I regret it? No. Apart from the above mentioned, this year held a lot of "firsts". I got my very own apartment with just enough space for me. It's small, but it's cozy. I went out of the country for the first time, and that was such an amazing experience. My photography business is going well, and though right now I can't put a lot of time into it with being a full-time student, God is unveiling many opportunities where I can use my love of photography.
My wonderfully amazing family expanded even more this year with the arrival of my new twin cousins! It's really amazing what God can do with your life in a year. I have met some really amazing people through being a youth counselor and being an active member of the Wesley foundation on campus. He has blessed me with some pretty amazing friends and I am constantly thanking Him for it. Overall, I have to say that this past year was good to me. I have so much to be thankful for, as we all do. We are alive and we get another year to serve an amazing God who loves us the way we should be loved and the way we should love other people: unconditionally.

Peace and Love,

Laura Kate

It's Christmas Time!

It's 3 days before Christmas, and I'm happy to say that my shopping was done right after Thanksgiving. I've read in various news pieces that with the way the economy is right now, people are buying fewer gifts this year. For some that may be a big deal, but for others it's not. For me, it doesn't really matter. The way my family is, my sister and I were always taught that gifts weren't the main theme of Christmas. Sure when we were kids we had presents under the tree, and because we were younger we were probably more focused on the gifts rather than the actual meaning behind Christmas. As we got older, though, we learned to focus on the meaning of Christmas and time with our family rather than the gifts.

No family is without Christmas traditions. With my mom's side of the family we all get together, usually the afternoon of Christmas day, have lunch, and open gifts. We always have 2 of the younger kids hand out the presents. For a while it was always my sister and me, but now it's the younger ones. Once the presents are all handed out, we open the presents from oldest to youngest. The same goes for my dad's side of the family, though it goes much faster because there are only 3 grandchildren. Growing up, my sister and I always had "sides" of the tree. Each year we would switch sides. Don't ask me how we remembered who had what side each year, I have no idea. On Christmas eve, we would exchange family gifts. My sister and I would give our parents each a gift from each of us, and each year, my sister and I would open up 2 gifts from under the tree. We always knew what the gifts would be. Each year, my parents would give us 2 Hallmark ornaments. We used to get the Barbie ornaments and Madame Alexander doll ornaments,but as we got older, the ornaments we got were more of a reflection of who we are.

If you know me, then you know that I am a family oriented person. As crazy as my family is, and as much as they drive me crazy, I love them and I love to spend time with them. There is a family picture at my grandmother's (my mom's mother) house that was taken in front of Rockefeller Center in New York City. It was taken about 5 years ago. We drove to New York, and let me tell you it was a LONG drive. There were arguments and laughs and every other emotion one can experience while in the car with family on a 14 hour drive. Back to the picture, though. In that picture, my sister and I were the only grandchildren. Since that Christmas 5 years ago, my family has grown. My aunt and uncle adopted a little boy, who is so sweet. My other uncle got married and they have 1 little girl and 2 more little girls who will be here December 29th, if not sooner. It's amazing what God can do in a family in 5 years. Christmas is always a fun time with my mom's side of the family. We are a big family. My grandmother's house always has the pitter patter of feet, and there is never a dull moment.

So now that I've shared my Christmas traditions, I'd like to know what your traditions are. I'm leaving to go Oxford tomorrow and staying until Christmas eve. I hope each of you has a wonderful Christmas. Spend time with you family and take time to ponder on how truly blessed we are to celebrate the coming of Christ.

Much love and peace.
Laura Kate