Audience Participation Required

Remember how I went to my college for three and a half years and in the last semester realized that there’s basically a Blockbuster in the basement of the library? Yeah, major fail on my part. There are so many movies I want to see that I never have but it’s hard to think of them on command. What do you think I should add to my movie-watching list? (Infinite choices, 2 months.)

I don’t know how anyone can workout without music. Unless I’m doing a workout DVD, I need headphones in my ears and a fantastic song playing on my iPod to help me through my workout. I just got a bunch of Demi Lovato songs that I adore and are perfect for working out. Bouncy, upbeat and energetic. Still, I can always use more songs for the perfect work out mix. What songs can you suggest for my workout playlist?

I love to cook and I try to eat healthily but it’s not an easy task when you’re a broke college kid with a tiny dorm kitchen. Fancy ingredients aren’t practical to buy especially if they can’t be used often. So if I find a great recipe that calls for spices that I’ll only use once, I just can’t do it. Does anyone have a great suggestion for some reasonable recipes? Or easy to keep on hand healthy snacks? I can’t keep around a lot of things that go bad quickly because I just don’t get around to using them soon enough. Right now my must haves for healthy snacking are yogurt (although my grocery doesn’t carry Greek yogurt which makes me sad!), nuts, string cheese, and rice crackers. What else should I add to my cabinet or refrigerator?

Today, I’m trying to focus on all the blessings and good things in my life. While taking a shower, I remembered how my roommates and I had to suffer through five months with the worst stream of water because of our faulty shower head. Now we have a new shower head and it’s amazing. I am grateful for little things like this. I am feeling overjoyed with the good things going on in my friends’ lives; I have a best friend who just got into Omicron Delta Kappa (a big deal Honors Society), a friend who is enjoying the fun flirty stage of a burgeoning crush, and my sister and my mom are together catching up and I assume having fun. I am grateful for little texts from good friends that make me smile, for all the friends I've made near and far, and for Kindred Spirits (you know who you are).

And one blessing that I should focus on daily but too often forget to appreciate, is my healed back. I had back surgery for my herniated disc almost a year ago, and after five years of constant pain, I now wake up in the morning and go about my day almost entirely pain-free. Sometimes, I catch myself and stop what I’m doing and just start crying because I am so thankful to be living a normal life where I can get up and walk to class without limping, where I can feel my right leg and foot all the time instead of feeling constant numbness and pin-pricks and where I don’t have to take some sort of pain medication daily just to get through. I am blessed in a multitude of big and small ways and I want to spend more time focusing on that, instead of the little negative or bad moments I have. What blessings are you grateful for today?

Have a lovely weekend!

P.S.: You may have noticed my display name changed from "Katie" to "Kate". Yep, it's still me. There's a long story behind this, but to keep it short, I miss going by Katie, I wish people still called me that, but in reality most people call me Kate so it just made more sense to change it. But you can call me whatever you want--Kate, Katie, Mrs. Sterling Knight, etc. It's your call.

Valentine's Weekend Recap

I wish it was last weekend.

Why?

Because last weekend I didn't stop talking or laughing for about 72 hours. My sister Jen came to visit and we had the most amazing time! When we get together after long periods apart like this it can be overwhelming...for anyone in the vicinity. We're just fine.

Last weekend my sisterly Valentine and I saw "Valentine's Day."

I took her to sample some of my favorite places to eat and study. We enjoyed delicious food and spicy Mayan Coffees at my favorite Cafe by school.

We ate sushi! {Duh.}

Sister and I always eat sushi when we're together. It's delish!

We shared an Orange Crush with 2 straws.

{At my school, there's an organization that sells orange crushes around Valentine's Day. The way it works is you buy one and they deliver it to your "crush" on or around Valentine's Day. This year my amazing roommate sent me one. I love feeling loved!}

We made our favorite childhood recipe; Forgotten Cookies!


...Only we couldn't forget about them so we had to sample some of the batter while they cooked.

Last weekend was a wonderful time for me. I miss my sister so much when she's far away and it was nice to have her right there with me, even when we were just vegging out on the couch.

Although I wish my sister could still be here like last weekend, this weekend is shaping up very nicely, as well! After a long week of papers & tests I'm enjoying time with friends near and far, celebrating my friend's directorial debut for "The Vagina Monologues", and toasting my friend at her birthday party tonight.

What fun things does your weekend entail?

Sister Sister, never knew how much I missed you

When I was a freshman I was single.

{Ok, so nothing has changed there.}

But when I was a freshman I was single & sad about it and for Valentine’s Day my best-friend/sister sent me a fabulous gift box of goodies so that I could celebrate too. She sent me good books, candy, silly things and a huge huggable bear who I named Mr. Darcy.

That package meant so much to me and I didn’t feel lonely at all.

This year she’s topping it. Jen is coming to visit me for 4 days over Valentine’s Day weekend! So much fun will be had. Count on it.

A mess is still a moment I can seize

There’s a radio in my head and it’s always switched on. Songs pop in and out of my head at their own leisure. Sometimes it’s easy to pinpoint why (…because I’ve just finished listening to that song ten times in a row) and sometimes they come from nowhere (…hey, I haven’t listened to that song in ages!)

Yesterday, I was worried. Those who know me well will be tempted to inform you that this is nothing new. While I do have a heightened tendency to worry I’ve been doing better at calming myself down and controlling it.

{Matthew 6: 25-34 helps quite a bit. "Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself." I’ll admit to reading this passage most days just to remind myself. It instantly brings me peace.}.

Still, yesterday I couldn't stop worrying.

Around bed time when my mind was exhausted from a long day and the worrying part of my mind was really taking over, “All Will Be Well” popped into my head. I claim divine inspiration. I settled down for my nightly prayers and let this favorite song of mine continue on in the back of my mind.

I listened to the song as I fell asleep and let the lyrics sink in. They mean so much to me, and I added bolded emphasis to some lines that stand out to me. I am thankful that I was able to remember this song last night when I needed it.

All Will Be Well by the Gabe Dixon Band

A new day dawns
And I am practicing my purpose once again
It is fresh and it is fruitful if I win

But if I lose
Oh, I don’t know
I’ll be tired but I will turn and I will go
Only guessing ‘til I get there then I’ll know
Oh, I will know

The winter’s cold
But the snow still lightly settles on the trees
And a mess is still a moment I can seize
Until I know

That all will be well.

Even though sometimes this is hard to tell
And the fight is just as frustrating as hell
All will be well.

You got to keep it up, and don’t give up
Chase your dreams and you will find
All in time

And all the cars running fast along the interstate
Can feel the love that radiates, illuminating what I know is true

All will be well
Even after all the promises you’ve broken to yourself
All will be well
You can ask me how but only time will tell

Answers Part 2

Here are the rest of the answers! Because I know you have all been waiting in breathless anticipation. Mhm.

Favorite thing about yourself? -Tina
My belief in change and renewal. I fail often in my attitude and in my endeavors but I always pick myself up (after some ranting/crying) and pray on it and decide to try again. I have faith in the future and my ability to keep trying.

Least favorite thing about yourself?-Tina
Speaking before I think, getting caught up in angry/sad emotions and acting on them, and not always being proactive when I should be.

Favorite recipe? -Tina
Honeyed Yogurt Cuppies, for sure.

Predictions for your future? -Tina
I will have dogs. I love dogs. I will read many more great books, meet many more people who will change my life and I will always need my family. I won’t let the things I want to happen but don’t defeat me. Nothing in life—marriage, kids, a house—is certain so I’ll figure out how to love whatever life I’m living.

To be more tangible (which I think is what you want) I will finally read Sense & Sensibility, the only Austen book I haven't read, and I will keep up with my Physical Therapy.

Which Harry Potter house do you honestly think you'd be sorted into? Be honest. -Tina

Oh don’t worry, I wouldn’t try to pretend I’d be a Gryffindor or something. I’d be a Hufflepuff, I’m 99% sure.

Favorite U.S. President? -Tina
I seriously don’t have one. Sorry. I could say somebody cliché like Lincoln or Kennedy but the truth is I’m not much for politics.

Dream role in a play/musical?-Tina
The little girl in me wants to say Eponine because Les Miserables was the first musical I ever fell in love with. I knew the soundtrack and the characters’ stories by heart because my family would listen to the CD often…and then I got to see it in London, New Year’s Eve 1998. I always liked Eponine way more than Cosette.

But let's face it, Elphaba would be an amazing part as well.

Fav Starbucks drink? -Vanessa
Pumpkin Spice Latte

Do you collect anything? -Vanessa
Nope, I’m not that interesting. I am a pack rat, though. I have trouble throwing “memories” away so I have way too many scraps of paper or napkins or pens that are supposed to remind me of something. I’m a sucker for nostalgia.

Favorite Vacation ever taken?-Vanessa
This is a tough call so I’m going to divide it between family and friends…
With family:
England (Bath, York, & London mainly) in the Winter of 1998
With friends:
Venice for the general group fun, Switzerland (Berne and Grindelwald) for the adventures

Best thing about blogging?-Vanessa
Making friends, absolutely. Also, writing & sharing whatever I want to based on my own whim and no one else’s. I’m trying to keep myself to a strict honesty policy here and not say or do anything with anyone else in mind. I am so easily (and unknowingly) influenced by others in my daily life and so I’m trying to be 100% me here.

How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a wood chuck could chuck wood? -Thome
Depends, is it a North American or Canadian wood chuck?

And also have you seen my keys? I know I left them around here somewhere. -Thome

Check behind my followers box, I think I saw them there.


What is your major? -Sara-Jane
I am an English Major with an emphasis in Creative Writing.

You've got a dinner party going on and you can invite ten people, dead or alive...who are they? -Sara-Jane

Jesus could bring the wine, J.K. Rowling could bring a better version of the Deathly Hallows epilogue, any party is better with my Sister, Nie Nie (even though I’d be dumb-struck in awe over her), I’d love to talk with my Grandpa who I never really got to know, Luna Lovegood would bring some undeniably awesome conversation to the table, I'd love for Regina Spektor to come (and do some singing, of course), I'd love to see my friend Justine again so she's getting a hypothetical invite, and my husband (so I can find out who he is!)

{Yeah, I totally threw in some fictional characters. It happens.}

I mean…would they all get along or have something to talk about? No, probably not, but it would be a “The Bachelor” style party where I’d take them aside one by one to talk. Really, it’s all about me, you see? (Kidding!)

What is something that you would like to do that you have never done before... before you would leave this earth? -Mart and Lu
Fall in love. And since I’m asking for hypothetical death bed wishes, I’d like him to love me back.

And finally, last but not least...

When are you coming to Boston?-Malia
So I know this probably wasn't intended as a real question but I'm an answering machine right now! I actually dream of living in Boston so let's hope I can get there ASAP, at least on vacation. But only if you'll show me around when I come, ok? :)

Answers Part 1

{There are no fun graphics to go with this post. I didn't feel like it. I hope you'll read anyway.}

You should be aware that as a born rambler it is almost impossible for me to give a straightforward, concise answer. I’d apologize, but this is my blog so I say it’s ok. I did, however, wisely split the answers into 2 different posts so that they seem less intimidating.

What is your situation in the relationship department? –Alexa Mae

Single, not by choice. I don’t know if it’s the scales that cover my entire body or my intolerable personality but for whatever reason guys don’t ask me out. Ever.

Which is your favorite book/author? –Johanna
Picking a favorite book is difficult because I love them so dearly. Plus, I feel there are categories—my favorite book from childhood, my favorite book that got me through a tough year, my favorite classic, etc. But to give you a simple answer, I’d say one of my all time favorites is “A Swiftly Tilting Planet” by Madeleine L’Engle. The series that has meant the most to me as a whole, though, is “Harry Potter” and my favorite of those is “Prisoner of Azkaban”, hands down.

If you could guarantee any ONE thing about your future, what would you like it to be and why? – Annie Cristina

Call me an idealist but I’m going to say that I would want to guarantee that my life would always have love in it. I’m not even talking about a husband (although that would be nice), I’m saying that I’d always have either friends or family in my life. I know you can’t survive off of love alone but I also know what it feels like to be alone and feel unloved and I think that as long as I have the love of family and friends in my life I will make it through.

WHY ARE YOU SO BEAUTIFUL?? –Allison

Allison, you must’ve gotten confused and been looking in the mirror when you asked this question.

Where are you from? -Sam
This is a more complicated answer than you’d expect. I was born in Florida, had a brief stint in diapers in Nashville, then went on to spend my childhood in Pennsylvania before moving to Colorado for my adolescence and now I shuffle back and forth between there and Tennessee where I go to school (and am currently sitting and typing this).

What are you graduating in, in college? -Sam

I’m pursuing a double major in Charms and Transfiguration at Hogwarts.

But my cover story is that I’m an English Major with a concentration in Creative Writing.

What do you plan to do with your degree? -Sam
Good question, any ideas?

I have none, so while I try to figure it out I plan to teach English in Spain for a year and hopefully return to the States with another adventure under my belt and a clearer idea of what I want to do with my life.

Why do you like Peeta so much?-Sam
Because I love hot Pita bread. And hot Peeta bakes bread. Make sense?

I could give you a real explanation but, as I think anyone who has read the books can testify, his incredibleness is inexplicable.

Where is your favorite place to be? –Kellie
For studying: this eclectic Café right by my school with the best Greek lemon soup and delicious coffee.
At home: I really like being in my room…it feels comfortable and safe and reminds me of myself at every stage of life.
Idealistically: Salzburg
In the world: wherever my family is.

What is your favorite book? -Kellie
I’m going to cheat and use this repeat of a question to give more answers.
Favorite Jane Austen: Emma
Favorite Book to Re-Read and think about: The Giver
Favorite Harry Potter: Prisoner of Azkaban
Favorite foreign language book: Love in the Time of Cholera
Favorite of the Moment: The Hunger Games

Come back shortly for Part 2. You know you want to.

{It's not too late to ask a question here!}