I'm BAAAAAACK!

I’ve been all over the place lately… literally!

This weekend, I went to Aspen to visit my aunt Helen and her boyfriend. WHAT a blast we had! (and that’s putting it mildly!)

My weekend began Thursday afternoon. After my developmental psychology test, I hopped on a plane with Mom, Dad, my aunt Mary Lee and my uncle Ben. In Aspen, we met up with Mary Lee’s sister, Keith (my roomie for the weekend!) and her daughter Maddin that lives up the street from Aunt Helen and my “honorary uncle” Jim. I’m sure Jim is just thrrillleeeeddd to be considered an honorary uncle :)

The weekend consisted of skiing (maybe more falling than skiing), the most amazing meals- including my aunt’s unbelievable cooking, lunch at the private club on Aspen Mountain, the restaurant at the Little Nell and a gorgeous sleigh ride to dinner where an elk loin and hot cider/rum awaited us. There was also plenty of vodka (oops) and OH MY GOSH probably one of the most fun live music shows I’ve ever been to. It was a three person jazz band from New Orleans, and although I didn’t think I was very jazzy, I had SO much fun! I might’ve gotten low… in front of my parents. It’s totally fine. 

Besides a little incident with the icy driveway- which ended with me literally bear crawling up the hill in the wee hours of the morning- this Mississippi girl fared well in the cold. I had so much fun skiing with my personal ski instructor (AKA Helen’s boyfriend Jim) who was beyond patient as he painfully watched me ski over my poles, run into the side of the mountain, and many more uncoordinated tumbles.

I also loved getting to see my “cousin” (not really but sort of) Maddin… she’s always so much fun and I loved getting to catch up!

A huge thanks to our sweet host and hostess, Aunt Helen and Jim. I loved getting to be a part of such a fun weekend! Helen does the “mountain woman” look in a very chic fashion, y’all.

Here’s a few pictures (clearly I only had my camera one night) :

"cousin" Maddin

 Sweet Sweet parents :)

 Jim and Maddin and I... Thanks so much for everything Jim!!

Daddy, Maddin, Uncle Ben and I

Well, I'm off to the gym to try and work off everything I ate and drank over the weekend... totally worth it though! Happy Monday to all! :)

LENT!!!

Good evening to all! I have a test tomorrow, so naturally what am I doing?... Everything BUT studying. I'll get to it, I promise!

Well, as I'm sure everyone knows, today is Ash Wednesday... the first day of Lent. Considering that I set lofty new year's resolutions which include:
no diet coke (or any soft drink)
no beer
no wine
no carbs/sugar

.....I decided I am NOT giving anything else up. I just don't think I could! So, I have signed up (through the Episcopal Diocese) to read all four Gospels in the 40 days of Lent. Dad introduced me to this deal, and it sounds pretty cool. I have a schedule of what to read each day, and each day the Bishop sends his notes on that day's readings. I am so excited to get started!

Tonight, I read Mark chapter 1. Sometimes, there's nothing like just reading God's Word. Devotion books are great, but it alllll stems from the Bible. So, I'm sure I'll have plenty of updates on these next 40 days! Nerd Katie (or intellectual badass as my sister, Suzy, put it) is fascinated by the Bible... I love just studying it and hearing other people's thoughts on scripture. Will let you all know how it goes :)

What are y'all giving up (or taking on)??

P.S. I fly out to Aspen tomorrow for the weekend and I could not be any more excited!! I've had my outfits planned for like a week now! Anyways, let's all send up a prayer or two that I don't compleeettteelllyyy make a fool of myself or break anything while attempting to ski... we all know how coordinated I am :(

Weekend Update

Happy Sunday, everyone! I have big news... sort of. I cooked fish and asparagus for dinner tonight! And the 'big news'... not only was it edible, it was actually GOOD! Clearly, it's the small things that make me happy :)

This weekend was wonderful. We all went out Thursday night.. it was ladiez night y'allll. Friday morning, I got up and went to work for a few hours, got my nails done and headed to Jackson. I got there in time for dinner with my parents (ate the ENTIRE 8 oz. filet from Ruth Chris and could've kept going... skinny). Then Saturday included breakfast with the brother, my nephew's basketball game, lunch with my Young Life leader and shopping with Mama (duh). My sweet nephew's basketball game was hilarious. He's 6.. so I'm sure you can imagine! And to make things better, my brother is one of the coaches. I can't decide who was funnier to watch- Hastings or Peyton. Anyways, the only thing that would've made the day better was if Suzy (my sister) and her family were in town... if y'all didn't know already, I have the best family in the world. Hands down. Sorry bout it.

This morning, I went to church with Rob and his fiance. They have started going to the Fondren Church in Jackson. Anyone in that area- go check it out... it was GREAT. I am so blessed to be surrounded with not only a loving family, but one that also seeks the Lord.

This morning before church, I read a passage from Habakkuk (okay okay I admit it, I had to use the Table of Contents for that one :/)

"Even though the fig trees have no blossom, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails,and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! The Sovereign Lord is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights."
Habakkuk 3:17-19

Weelllll, I had to do some research, considering I'm not exactly familiarized with this particular book. However, it really struck me. Pretty amazing that, throughout all of the tough conditions Habakkuk has to endure, he is still rejoicing in the Lord. He is still faithful and surefooted. I think this is an amazing example of FULLY relying on the Lord. So, I'm starting off the week with the goal to fully rely on the Lord, or more importantly- remain joyful in Him, not just in good (or bad) but in ALL conditions!

I'm off to hit the treadmill for a QUICK jog... Hope this week is amazing for everyone :)

Top Ten Workout Songs :)

So... Everyone (in college at least) gets motivated at the gym this time of year for one main reason: SPRING BREAK! Here at State, everyone tends to go to Destin. I mean EVERY.O.N.E. So, obviously, bathing suit + all of your friends = weight loss (or in my case, just whining about being a beached whale the whole trip... freshmen year anyone?)


Well, this SB I'm going to the Big Apple with Mama and a few of her and my friends! I literally cannot wait! Even though I'm not going to the beach, I'm still motivated to get fit for one sole purpose: SHOPPING. Clothes just look cuter when you feel better about your body. (Or that's what I think at least :))


My point of this post is this: I finally revamped my workout playlist to, what I think is, perfection! Thought I'd share my top 10 faves. It's extremely random, ranging from oldies to rap... some say I'm weird, I'm choosing to claim 'versatile'. Just a warning- some might be slightly vulger. But I listen to them only because I like the beat..... or that's the excuse I'm sticking to.


1. Teenage Dream (Katy Perry)- any of my best friends have witnessed my absolute love for this song. It will NEVER get old to me. ever.


2. Starships (Nicki Minaj)- Nicki. Enough said.


3. Kerosene (Miranda Lambert)- Random, I know. But honestly, who doesn't love a girl plotting revenge??

4. Stereo Hearts (Adam Levine and Gym Class Heroes)- Cheesy but I love.

5. Forever Young (Rod Stewart)- I am my mother's child when it comes to Rod :)

6. Dancing in the Moonlight (King Harvest)- Good start up song.

7. Like A Prayer (Madonna)- This song, and Madonna, will NEVER get old!!!

8. Ass Back Home (Gym Class Heroes)- Sorry for the bad word :/

9. Pretty Girl Rock (Keri Hilson)- "All eyes on me when I walk in..." okay well if that were EVER the case, I better not look like a whale.

10. Part of Me (Katy Perry)- Last but certainly not least: my absolute favorite. Take that for dumping my girl KP, Russell Brand. Nothing motivates me more than revenge (hypothetically speaking, of course ;))


ENJOY and happy running, y'all. I'm off to get ready for a night on the town with my besties- sure do love them. Speaking of besties, shout out to my roomie KATHLEEN for dragging me out of bed at 7am and making me go to the gym with her, despite the nasty things I miiiiight have yelled at her in the process of waking me up. Sorry bout it, girlfriend.

Happy weekend to all, I feel another post coming on tomorrow :)

Valentine's Day

Hey all... I have a confession: I LOVE VALENTINE'S DAY! I have never ever had a boyfriend on the day, but I love the holiday. I love the pink and red combo, the abundance of chocolate and flowers. I mean really, who doesn't love chocolate and flowers??

AND to make it even better... my sweet mama ALWAYS sends a happy my way. Talk about the best mama ever ( love ya May May :))

We ALL know I love a good baked good :)

And lastly, let us not forget the best love of all :)

Wishing everyone a happy happy day!

Blogger Fail

I've been MIA... majorly. My bad, my bad. As I told in my last post, I had a weekend trip to Texas Tech. Short and sweet but mannnnn was it fun! After returning to Starkville on Monday, I immediately hit the books to study for a Physiology test on Tuesday. Mmmm.. confession: I LOVE biology classes (the material, not the studying part). Closet nerd- right here. So, there's my excuses for not blogging!

Doing my devotion a little late today. I usually start my day off with it, buuut I overslept. Sorry bout it. Anyway, the passage I read was Matthew 14:28-32 and was a story I've heard since I was in, like, pre-school. But, what I love about stories that you've heard a million times, you hear something/learn something new from it each time.

This is the story of Peter, who is fishing, and Jesus tells Peter to walk to Him. So, as Peter steps onto the water, wind and waves hit him and he begins to sink. He cries out to Jesus to help him, and Jesus does. Soooo, when sinking, look to the Lord. Do not get discouraged...He knows our weaknesses (better than even we do) and will meet us there. Something I should  quit telling other people to do and work on it myself! So, I think I'll add that to my list of things to work on :)

Sorry to sound preachy, but I thought it was cool that such a common Bible story can STILL give insight, even after reading it a bazillion times!

Here's some weekend pics:

It was an 80's party.... I swear.

aaaand I'm bored with pictures now... sooo that's all! Good night and GO DAWGS (we play Ole Miss tomorrow night!! :))

Procrastination Station

Happy hump day y'all! I have a test tomorrow, clothes waiting to be folded, and a suitcase to pack.... buuuut in typical Katie fashion, I'm avoiding it :) It's a skill... really it is.

I can't contain my excitement because after my test tomorrow, I'm headed to Jackson to catch a flight Friday morning to Texas Tech! What's there, you ask? Ohhh, just an awesome friend I met working at a Young Life camp in British Columbia a few summers ago. Alex and I both worked at Malibu in BC and became fast friends. We've kept up since then and I CANNOT wait to see her this weekend! Other work crew friends, be jealous... and probably a little bit worried- y'all know what a disaster we are when we get together! :)

Alex visiting State my freshmen year! (This was clearly before the freshmen 15 kicked in..)

I LITERALLY DIED when I saw this... struggling back there?

Last but certainly not least, our pride and joy. We were in charge of those coffee makers. We're legit, I know. We messed up and they overflowed at least once a week. And Harold yelled at us, at least once  a week.

Happy rest of the week/weekend to all.... Look for a new post Monday- with PLENTY of good stories I'm sure! :)

P.S. Birmingham was fabulous Sunday/Monday- thanks to all for the the thoughts, calls, messages and prayers. The Lord sure has blessed me with far more than I deserve:) NOW- still keep your fingers crossed, I sure did love the Birmingham area.