The Great Blogging Challenge Day 8- Something you Crave

Ok....this one sounds fun! Instead of Crave, I kinda thought of this as "what do I look forward to more than ANYTHING?" So here we go:

1. DIET DR. PEPPER!!!! Ryan and I used to drink almost 6 of these a day! I now drink NONE, and Ryan maybe has one. This is for our new Diet....I mean- "Lifestyle" ;). But really, cutting pop out, carbs, sugar, etc...has made us feel a million times better, and lose some weight too!

2. PICKLES- I could live on pickles alone. And like I mentioned before- Peanut Butter and Pickle Sandwiches are THE BEST!! Last week I finished a jar of pickles in one day- I can't believe I'm admitting this. haha! But hey- it's part of our new healthy lifestyle:)

3. CHILIS SKILLET QUESO- has there ever been a better queso?! Problem: Chili's has an amazing dish, the Margarita Grilled Chicken, which is perfectly ON our diet, however when we go there- the queso calls out to us! Talk about will power...

4. CARBS- although i've felt great having cut MOST of these out lately, i definitely have moments of craving some of this good stuff:

5. PEDICURES- this is my favorite TREAT ever! I love foot rubs so so much- not a fan of the filing part because i'm super ticklish, but I LOVE the relaxation that comes along with it! Isn't this a cute pic too?!

6. Being able to fit into THESE again: (almost there actually!)

7. CHRISTMAS!! My favorite Holiday! A few reasons why: LIGHTS, SNOW, time with family, giving gifts, WRAPPING gifts (love this part), decorations, and most importantly- celebrating the birth of our Savior!

8. TIME w/ Ryan probably the one thing I look forward to more than anything! We LAUGH constantly and that is my favorite thing about us. He's truly my BEST friend. Last night was the FIRST night in probably a month that we had a WHOLE evening at home together- we cooked a healthy chicken/veggie stirfy, watched a scary move (HIS choice actually), and got in some good reading time before bed. It was pure bliss!

Alright, I could seriously go on and on (even more than I already have- sorry this is SO long), but I do CRAVE and enjoy lots of things in life! Thankful for the blessings of DDP, pickles, queso, carbs, skinny jeans, pedi's, Christmas time, and time w/ my man!

The great Blogging Challenge Day 7- Nicknames you have and why you have them

I can make this one short and sweet:) I have had many nicknames in my life...so I'll list them for you with a breif explanation:

1. Kat- friends in AR started calling me this and it stuck! I like it...probably my favorite "short version" of my name. :)

2. Kathy- GRRRR- NOT a fan of being called this from ANYONE but my brother-in-law, Matt. He started calling me this in 2nd grade when he and Kelly started dating (in 6th grade) so it's always been special to me...like a big-brother type thing. If anyone else calls me this, they will see my wrath. ha!

3. Caffeine- oh dear. This was from my EXTREMELY hyper adolescent days. I believe Cassidy started calling me this at Camp Goddard in 5th grade because I was SO hyper all the time. I can't imagine where anyone would think that. ;)
*also my IM screen name all through jr. high/ high school!

4. Link- wow this is embarrassing. Tiffany and I were obsessed with the movie, "Encino Man" in jr. high so we decided she would be Stoney, and I would be Link. We thought we were SO cool.

5. Kat von E- When I began working at Jos. A. Bank, and met Ryan-my BOSS (haha), our other boss always had nicknames for us- Ryan was "rhino", and I was "kat von E" for the Kat in the Edmond store...as opposed to Kat von D from LA Ink. When Ryan and I started dating I remained Kat von E, and Ryan was then called "katnip". HAHAHA! I thought that was pretty funny!

6. Beav, Little Beav, Beavy, or Beavus.
My sister has called me Beavus for some reason for as long as I can remember! I know what you're thinking I call her....well, you're wrong. She has always been "Cledus". Not sure why, but we even address each other this way in Christmas cards, e-mails, etc.
*Oh, and if you've read previous blog posts, you may have read where Kelly wanted to name me Elbow before I was born. So ya...I heard that one too!

7. KitKat- speaks for itself; random people call me this all the time.

8. Now for the nicknames of Mom and Dad:
a. Talula- Mom has called me this my whole life. I used to hate it, now I love it when she calls me this because I miss it!
b. Tootie- another one that still makes me laugh but is fun to hear from time to time (as long as it's not in public)
c. Sweetie- Dad has always referred to us this way!
d. KELTHLEEN- hahaha....this was what I was called when Mom started calling Kelly's name, then switched it to me.

9. And my Favorites- the one's that make my day and I couldn't live without...Ryan's nicknames for me:
a. Sugar Britches- make's me laugh everytime
b. Baby, Baby Doll, etc.
c. Beautiful- my favorite
d. Dear- when he knows I need/want something. More of a "yes dear". He's learning well! ;)
*In fact, I can probably count on one hand the amount of times Ryan has called me by my name. When he does, either IM in trouble, or HE'S in trouble! haha!

Ok so it wasn't Short, but it was sweet! :) See you tomorrow!

Blogging Challenge Day 6- "When your ipod is on shuffle, what are the first 10 songs it might play?"

Wow, this could be embarrassing! My Ipod is basically filled with "pump-up music" for workouts! So these songs are not typically what I choose to listen to while at home. At home it's definitely more mellow music.

Ryan informed me Sunday that it's time for his fall music to come out. I was confused- I'm thinking yay yay yay CHRISTMAS MUSIC time! Oh no- he meant more low key stuff such as: Coldplay, Sarah Mclachlan, Missy Higgins, Counting Crows, The Fray, and even possibly some Sinatra, Buble, Harry Conick, etc. Those last 3 will definitely be coming out after Thanksgiving while we enjoy 24/7 Christmas Music! :)

Morning music for us is ONLY Christian- I started doing this a few months ago, and it starts my day off so much better- Hillsong, Starfield, Phil Wickham, Matthew West, Charlie Hall, Shane & Shane, etc....very uplifting!

Okay so here's what you might here on my ipod....like I said, I use my ipod for working out only!

1. MAGIC by B.O.B. featuring Rivers Cuomo

2. IF WE EVER MEET AGAIN by Katy Perry and Timbaland

3. SEVEN by Dave Matthew Band

4. SPACEMAN by Dave Matthews Band

5. CLUB CANT HANDLE ME NOW by Flo Rida

6. DRIVING ME CRAZY by Sam Adams

7. DYNAMITE by Taio Cruz

8. FORGET YOU by Cee Lo

9. GIMME THAT GIRL by Joe Nichols- AKA the BEST running song ever for me personally, because it's the perfect beat for my stride. If you know this song, yes- I am a SLOW runner. :)

10. MISERY by Maroon 5

Kinda boring I know....Writing this made me realize I definitely need to update my ipod. TONIGHT. I think I will!

Since this is kind of a boring post, I decided to add some pictures- YES they are recent! Can you believe it? But....I'm NOT in them- still working hard on that insecurity thing...

This first pic I just HAD to put in here....Uncle Ryan with our precious niece, Madelyn in her ladybug costume! I want to frame this!

Then of course I had to show you what our baby, "Franklin" does when Daddy is YELLING at the TV when OU is losing! (Please ignore the laundry needing to be hung up- oh and my foot/his pillow)

And I saved the BEST for last...

Ryans team at work is almost ALL women. So for Halloween, they of course decided for everyone on what the team would dress as. The women chose Care Bears. ;) So this is Ryan with his fuzzy blue ears giving me the "Carebear stare". lol At this point the rest of his costume had been taken off. He was "bedtime carebear"!

The Great Blogging Challenge Day 5- Short Term Goals for this month and Dreams for your Life Ahead

Okay! I suppose I've already messed up a bit on completing "THE GREAT BLOGGING CHALLENGE" by taking 3 days off, but oh well.....here we go! I never blog on the weekends, and Friday was just a bad day all around. But...God is good and the weekend gave me time to clear my head, pray through some things, give them to God and get back on track! We hardly ever even turn the computer on during the weekend unless it's for music, or to check football stats/scores, etc. :)

SHORT TERM GOALS FOR THIS MONTH:

1. To lose a total of 15 lbs- already lost 8! woohoo! Oh and side note: Anna Light, my trainer, let us have a "cheat night" Friday night- we went to RePUBlic and had classen burgers, shoestring fries, and mac n cheese....as good as it tasted- SO not worth it! I felt aweful all evening and my workout with Anna on Saturday was TORTURE....I think she was wise in letting us learn this lesson the hard way ;) Ryan's first comment Saturday morning: "Anna did NOT make that up, i feel terrible!"

2. To finish a book; preferrably "So Long Insecurity" by Beth Moore. I am a TERRIBLE reader- always have been. But really want to become a reader. I just dont ever seem to have time!

3. Make dinner for Ryan at least once a week- this may sound sad, but when your married to a man who can cook as well as him, and who LOVES to do it, it's VERY hard to find the motivation to!

4. Take pictures with all my SWITCH girls- leaders and small group girls; I don't take NEARLY enough pictures.

5. Write at least 5 notes of encouragement and MAIL them. Yes, I said mail; not e-mail, tweet, facebook, text, or heytell. If I ask for your address...YOU'RE NEXT. ;)

6. Run my first 5k EVER THIS weekend....YIKES! Ryan and I are running it together. I know it's only 3.1 miles, but for us- this is HUGE. 6 months ago I couldn't run 1 mile for a million dollars! I'm excited to FINISH!

7. Rent ALMOST all movies that RYAN WANTS via Netflix. He's been SO wonderful for the past month to give me my "Scary movie month"; it was fun, but it's HIS turn!

8. To call my friends in AR at least twice! This, as they all know is HUGE. I think I'm such a face-time person, that phonecalls just dont even cross my mind. I count down the days til I can see these girls again and catch up, but picking up the phone is usually not even a thought! It's sad, I know.

9. To have TWO WHOLE NIGHTS at home- just Ryan and I. This is SO rare with our schedule these days!

10. (Praying Anna Light doesn't see this) To be able to do 25 "guy push-ups" in a row without stopping

11. Putting Christmas up in ONE weekend!!! Hopefully this weekend- this could be difficult being married to someone who cant stand hearing Christmas music before Thanksgiving! haha! Now...to get him to be okay with our home being transformed into a winter wonderland the weekend before! ;)

*okay that's enough short-term goals I think. I'm going to stress myself out if I keep going!

DREAMS FOR OUR LIFE AHEAD:

1. To ALWAYS have Ryan be my #2, and to make sure he always KNOWS he is this to me! God, then Ryan....never letting ANYONE or ANYTHING come before him.

2. To be debt free in 5 years- school loans, credit cards, everything!

3. To raise a family who loves God and loves people! To daily read the Word as a family, and pray together often, but NEVER forgetting to Laugh LOTS! With Ryan and I that last part shouldn't be hard! :)

4. To use what we have been through together in our past for ministry- to be able to help other couples/individuals who are struggling with what we have, through God's power, overcome!

5. To one day- run a full marathon. Okay, let's start with a half! ha...my legs are still preparing for their first 5k Saturday!

6. Be the kind of mom to my children that my mom has been for us- always pouring wisdom from God's Word into our lives, teaching us truth, and not afraid to call us out when we weren't living according to it! Always there for us to talk to about ANYTHING, and willing to drop everything at the drop of a hat to help us. I can't BEGIN to tell you how many nights she stayed up with me til 4am working on projects in High School, or how many times she drove to Conway, AR to be with me after a (at that time) traumatic breakup! I'm eternally grateful for her.

7. Make any sacrifices necessary to send our children to a Christian school. (of Course I prefer CHA) :)

8. Travel Europe for a month with Ryan!

9. Yes, this is seriously a dream- to fold the laundry right when it's out of the dryer EVERY TIME and not let it become a massive pile on our loveseat! haha.

There you have it! I'm sure there are more, but that's all for now!
See you tomorrow!

Thankful Thursday

2 posts in one day you say? Crazy, I know! I PROMISED myself when I started this blog that I would do "thankful Thursday" along with many others whose blogs I follow.

Soooo, here we go!

1. Robes. Ryan went a bought a warm robe so that, even thought it gets down into the 30's at night, I can STILL sleep with a fan on, the window unit on, and not turn the heat on yet! This way when he gets up in the morning, he doesn't freeze. I'm WAY too hot natured! :)

2. Ready-to-make Egg Whites- since all I can eat are these, chicken, fish, fruits, and veggies- it makes my mornings so easy to just pour the egg whites in the pan and have them ready to eat in 5 min!

3. Pandora. I wouldnt get through the day without my music

4. Lifegroup- I love our lifegroup. What more can I say...

5. Tivo (is that spelled right?)- since we are hardly home now it seems, we can record our favorite shows and enjoy them during downtime!

6. A husband who can cook- extremely well; and LOVES doing it too! This might be mentioned every Thursday! I CAN cook...he just loves it, so why bother!? ha!

7. James Lankford winning congress; along with MANY other conservative candidates

8. GORGEOUS fall weather. this one goes hand in hand with Claritin too however. This weather drives my allergies NUTS and Claritin comes to my rescue so I can enjoy it!

9. Franklin, our baby- sweetest beagle ever. He is a constant source of joy and laughter in our home.

10. A mom who loves Ross- she brought me 3 sweaters up to work yesterday because she found them at Ross and thought they looked like me. I think my entire wardrobe is from there!

11. Diet Dr. Pepper- shhhhh don't tell on me. I still have ONE a day even though I'm supposed to have ZERO pops, cokes, sodas....whatever you like to call it!

12. Fun office supplies- I got a free pen in the mail that has this bright LED light on the end...it made my day!

13. A saturday night with no plans- just a date night with my man....probably involving pajamas and good movies.

14. a Dishwasher. Enough said.

15. A job that allows me time for TWO blog entry's in one day! :)

Blogging Challenge Day 4- A picture of someone or something that has had a big impact on you

Wow...this could be really really long to say all of the people/places who have impacted my life. I think I'll try and make this one short and sweet though because I could ramble for days about all people Im thankful for!

To start: These 3 people....my amazing husband, Ryan- my spiritual leader and best friend; and my incredible parents- my prayer warriors, teachers, and the people who made me who I am today.I am eternally grateful for these 3.

Next would be this family- the Etheredges. Craig was our Senior pastor at Northwest Baptist through all of my "growing up" years. His wife, Liz mentored me through some of the toughest things I've ever gone through, and I babysat their two PRECIOUS girls- Leah Beth and Abbie Grace. Abbie had JUST been born when I started babysitting for them....she's a teenager now! I feel old!

Next I will go with the most recent people who have truly impacted my life forever:
The first is Robin Meadows- Robin and I meet weekly and I walk away every time with so much helpful advice, wisdom and encouragement. She is amazing at meeting me right where I am that day!

Next would be her daughter, Anna Light. We recently got involved in SWITCH (youth group) at our church, and Anna is the youth pastor. She has met with me multiple times and is helping me sort out and overcome many issues with insecurity in several areas. She is also now training me 3 days a week to finally get in better shape! :) She and her husband Cody are dear friends of ours and also lead our lifegroup!

I also cannot go without mentioning this amazing woman: Katherine Smith. Katherine and I are in the same "school group" and she is quickly becoming one of my closest friends. We meet Sunday's before church for breakfast, and she's that person I can seriously tell ANYTHING and EVERYTHING to! Love her and thankful for her!

Now for places or "things":

I could NOT write this blog entry and leave out the most meaningful place ever for me personally:
Falls Creek- where I accepted Christ at the age of 12 at Young Musicians Camp. Best decision I ever have or ever will make.

Now for THINGS.....
one thing that has always had a HUGE impact on my life would be the object below.
I started playing piano at a young age and FELL IN LOVE with it. I love music and everything about it. I could literally play (and sometimes sing) for hours and hours growing up. I also was able to use this to lead worship all through high school and college.

Last, but CERTAINLY not least would be this: God's Word. The one offensive weapon He has given us in the Armor we are to put on daily(Ephesians 5). My source of comfort, strength, hope, and my guide book.

See you tomorrow!

Blogging Challenge Day 3- A Picture of somewhere you've been...

Of Course I want to do PICTURES of PLACES I've been:) Unfortunately I have ZERO pictures saved to this computer of me AT these places, but you can still enjoy the scenery! I would say I'll go home tonight, climb in the attic, pull out my old abums, scan them, then show pictures of me in these places....but on Wednesday nights, I'm lucky to make it home from church in one peice i'm so exhausted!
Here's my top 3 favorites:

These are pictures of Taipei, Taiwan where I want the summer after my Junior year of High school for a mission trip. It was one of the most memorable and amazing experiences ever. We were able to share the Gospel with so many, and had an incredible time seeing the culture there.

These are pics of Victoria Island off the coast of Vancouver, British Columbia. I went here the summer after my sophomore year in High school to sing with the Oklahoma Baptist all state choir. The pic above is the parliament buildilng, and we sang on those exact steps!

Above are a few of my favorite pics from Boston. This was our senior trip. I know I know not your typical Senior trip to Panama City or Cancun...but probably the most incredible trip I've been on so far in my life! We toured so many historical sites, and got to physically SEE the history of our country, our founding fathers, and learn about so much that this country was founded upon. It was truly life-changing.

Now I HAD to throw this in.....these are some pics of where Ryan and I WILL BE going in May- for our HONEYMOON....finally! ;) Being engaged for only 6 days, and getting married on a Thursday doesn't really allow for a lot of honeymoon planning! We are SO excited to finally go!

Paradise....see you soon!