graduation and future things

 

 Can you guess what I did this weekend? Oh yeah! I graduated magna cum laude with my BA in English and Theological Studies! That's what! This was a day five long years in the making. And it was a great day, indeed. A few highlights of the day:

• I forgot to bring my camera. Hence the sad cell phone photos. 
• We had forty-something graduates this year. Which is a lot when you consider how small my alma mater is.
• I managed not to trip while walking across the stage.
• All of the ladies had to pin their collars into their gowns. Mine was very, very crooked.
• I broke my honor cord and my shoe right before we lined up for the processional. 
• I only cried like...twice.
• My dad gave the invocation, which I amazingly didn't cry at.
• Alberto Gonzales, the former US Attorney General, gave the commencement address. It was fantastic. This also brought the number of Attorneys General I have been in the same room with up to two.
• It doesn't matter what the weather is like leading up to graduation, or what it's like after--it's always insanely hot and humid. This year stayed true to form. Which was fun, considering I was wearing seventeen layers of black.

After the ceremony, my dad took my sister and I out to lunch at a seafood place on the river. My sister got me gluten free cupcakes from Vegan Vee, and they were the best cupcakes I've ever had--no lie. I'm not sure if Vegan Vee is that amazing or if I was just excited to be done with college and eating cake! 

Oh, here's a picture of my dad and mom being all cute after his graduation from our alma mater. 

So what's next? I've been asked that a lot lately. I already have a fantastic job that uses my degree, so I'm doing great in that regard. I am considering grad school, though if I do go, I probably won't enroll for a year or so. I'm looking at local colleges and online programs. I'm trying to decide between an MFA in Creative Writing, or an MA in English. There are pros and cons to each!

My more immediate plans include second shooting for and assisting a wedding photographer here in Nashville. That's going to keep me busy the next several weeks.

Oh, and I'm leaving for Northern Ireland in a month! I'm going on a music mission trip with my church. I'm so incredibly excited! Now, if only I can get all of my funds raised before our deadline in a week. I have faith that God will provide. He always does! :)

I'll be posting around here a lot more, now that life is finally starting to settle down some.

xo,

Katy

time has not touched it

 

 Though time may wear down wood and metal, I refuse to let it change my memories. They can be immortalized in ink and paper, in bytes of data. 

When I think of "home" my mind wanders down wooded paths to my family's tiny cabin, nestled in the Ozark Mountains. It would take about a twenty-minute drive in any direction to reach any sort of civilization. The parcel of land was given to my family by a very close friend. My dad designed and built the cabin himself (with some help from my grandpa, mom, and siblings, of course).

We would spend countless hours at the cabin. In the summer, we'd take a picnic, sit on the back porch, and sketch. In the fall, we'd spend every Thanksgiving here. We'd go down the night before, eat soup, play trivial pursuit, and read old copies of National Geographic. The next day, our extended family would pile in. There was no parade-watching or football. Only family and the woods around us. 

I remember dad hunting here. I remember hiking to the far ridge with my brother. I remember popping over to the closest cabin to visit with old friends. I remember my mother decorating with fresh-cut evergreen, filling the entire cabin with the fresh scent of winter.

I remember.

My sister and I went down last Wednesday, the five-year anniversary of my mother's death. Her presence lingers at the cabin. An old and faded evergreen arrangement, turned brown by the passage of time; an old coffee grinder placed carefully on the shelf; dried wax from candles long gone on the mantle. Each was a remnant of her. Each a reminder that this had once been her habitat. 

We stood in the kitchen and cried. As much as you try to convince yourself that you've moved on, grief finds those quiet moments and makes itself at home. 

I'm thankful for the time I spent with my family this last week. We all have a shared grief that binds us together, perhaps more than the common blood in our veins.

xo,

Katy

the words always come

I don't write poetry much, not really. My emotions are better expressed through prose or pictures. But there are some events in my life that I feel must be immortalized in some kind of verse. It's been five years. Today, I finally found the words for that exact moment.

And finally, in one quiet shudder,
The November wind has blown out
The one kind flame that sought to heal so many ills. 

A sterile death is an expected one.
Each minute a dagger to the hope of life. 

xo,
Katy

a new view, part two

Man. It's hard to believe this series is four years in the making. I posted about this last year. Each picture really does represent a new era in my life. New priorities, new friends, new fears, dreams, hopes, and goals. I like that this year's photo (the farthest to the right) stands out in contrast to the previous two. I like that there are rainy, cold, overcast days mixed in with warm, bright, sunny ones.

In a word, this year's picture represents hope. I have so much hope for the future. Truly, that hope is in Christ. If I've learned anything these past four years, it's that I can truly, only, rely on Him

This series has been fun. While I'm sad that it's over, I'm excited for what's to come.

xo,
Katy

feels like fall

 I am not a season stickler. I like to listen to Christmas music in July. I crave pumpkin-y things in March. I eat popsicles in February. And I stock up on Reese's Easter eggs to eat year-round. It's also no secret that fall is my very favorite season (with winter taking a close second.) So, though it's still 95 degrees with nearly tropical humidity outside, my heart is pondering fall. I'm ready for long hikes with leaves beneath my feet, steaming hot coffee to ward off the chill of frosty mornings, and pumpkin flavored anything and everything. So, with that spirit in mind, here are a few songs that just put my in an autumnal mood. While most of these songs aren't directly related to fall, they just feel like those cozy mornings that October and November bring. What songs make you think of fall?
xo,
Katy

Morocco--revisited

 

 Goodness. Looking back through these pictures from Morocco has been an emotional roller coaster. Morocco was the hardest place; the farthest outside of my comfort zone. I've spent my entire life safe and cozy in the Bible belt. To trade steeples for minarets was incredibly difficult. To be one of the only Christians in an entire nation? Heartbreaking. 

We couldn't witness in Morocco. Not in the traditional sense. While it isn't illegal to be a Christian in Morocco, it is illegal to proselytize, as well as convert from Islam to Christianity. Our witness and testimony was in our actions and love. We separated in to small groups and stayed in Moroccan homes.  We walked around the city and prayed. We prayed so hard. 

I didn't get many pictures in Morocco. It rained nearly the entire time, and I was cautious to use my camera as many people begged me not to take their picture any time I had it out. Many were wary of us as Americans already. I didn't want to make matters worse for us, as we were in an already precarious situation. 

As hard as it was in Morocco, I truly did enjoy my time in Fez. I felt as if I were walking the streets of Aladdin. It was absolutely beautiful. We stayed in the Old City, which was quite the cultural experience.  It was also really neat to see the Volubilis.

You can read a more comprehensive overview of my trip here.

Pray for the people of Morocco, that they would be open to Christianity, to what Christianity truly is, as their perception of Christ is incredibly skewed. Pray for open hearts. 

xo,

Katy