so i got this idea from other people: write 10 statements about your 10 closest friends. dont state their names, just memories that you have with these people.

1. you have been my best friend since the 7th grade. we have been through literally everything together. i love you so much. i wouldnt be the person i am today without you, that sounds so cleche, but its the truth. from the starburst sugar rushes at 4 in the morning to the long conversations that last all night to the thousands of hours in the summer laying out and being crazy!! you are amazing.

2. i have known you since the 2nd grade and we have been kind of close but havent gotten super close until this year. you absolutely BLOW MY MIND!! i love you so much more than you will ever know. i love our conversations while we are driving around murfreesboro.. red trucks?!

3. my red-headed best friend (that gave it away..) words cant even describe how much i love you.. gosh-we have had some fun times.. starbucks, coming home with the deer .. ahh!, fun sleepovers.. you are the greatest =)

4. oh baby.. we have had some good laughs and crys.. you are so sweet!! when you moved here, honestly, i didnt think i was going to like you (HA!), but now-you are one of my very best friends. you crack me up! i love how we are so open and "freeee" with each other--haha.. i love riding around, shopping, eating rolos, and not listening to music =) ahhah.. but now that you are 17.. we will have some MUSIC PARTIES in your car!

5. i have known you since the 5th grade. you are amazing. and thats all that i can say. i love you like my sister. we have had so much fun together. i am so glad that we have kept a strong relationship, even though we NEVER see each other during the day.. you are the best!

6. i definately met you this year, and feel like i have know you since i was in kindergarten! you crack me up. you are the only one that i can send texts too, and know that you will get the joke and laugh at them.. haha-everyone else would think i was crazy! but you, my love-you are right there with me laughing!! .. i think we laugh to much.. the grapes!! PLOP!!!

7. you are my "favorite junior".. see i cant really say that, because there are 1000 juniors. you can call me your favorite freshman because you only have like, 3 to pick from (haha).. but i do want you to know that you are one of my best guy friends.. thanks for always being there to encourage me. your words are so wise and mean so much!

8. you my friend.. you, you, you.. words cant describe how much you bless my life. every single picture that i make you every single day is true.. my heeeeero =) i love you very much!

9. well, we "met" each other a while back, became "friends" the summer before my 7th grade year.. we didnt get to know each other until january, though.. look where we are today.. i love every minuite of getting to know you more and more.. you are the greatest.

10. ahhhh.. you make me laugh! a little 5 year old in the candy shop.. i swear, i could be having the absolute WORST day, look at you, and bust out laughing. you are always smiling and making me laugh. i have loved getting to know you! you are great!!

this is a bitter-sweet thing. you get to tell all of the people you love, how much you love them. and its fun for them to guess which one they are.. but at the same time-its SO hard to narrow it down to 10 people. i had to sit and think about this. i love everyone.. mm-who knows? its a fun thing to do though!
john 15:13
greater love has no man than this, that he may lay down his life for his friends.
proverbs 18:24
there are "friends" who will destroy, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother.

worry:
philippians 4:6-7a
dont worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. if you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand

inner peace:
jeremiah 29:11
"for i know the plans i have for you," declares the Lord. "plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and hope"
psalm 121:5
"the Lord HIMSELF watches over you!"

soo.. today we had elections. i was all stressed out, but i have come to realize that i have no control over the situation. whatever happens, happens. God has much greater plans in store for me, i dont know them, but i know that HE knows what they are. thats all that matters. its hard to let go and be at peace with everything, but thats all that we can do. i have been caught up in my plans and what i am going to do, on my agenda.. how can i go through life consumed in myself? i would be living in vain. God so knows much more than all humans combine. why do i think i can take on such large tasks by myself? i love how Christ reveals Himself, over and over. in every single situation. my Jesus is in control, and thats all that i have to know. =)

edit...
everything happens for a reason. i did not win, but its ok. being president of the sophomore class does not define who i am as a person--i am fearfully and wonderfully made.. and thats the way the cookie crumbles.

i am in love with the rain..

ben moser took this...

mexico was absolutely amazing!! its awesome to think that there are going to be 4,383 more people that we get to dance on the golden streets with.. this picture reminds me that it will be...

all races from all places, around the cross we sing...

5 days...
"Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified, do not be discouraged. For the Lord, your God, is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9
even in a complete different country

Genesis 1:14-15
"And God said, 'Let bright lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. They will be signs to make off the seasons, the days, and the years. Let their light shine down upon the earth." And so it was.

Psalm 147:4
"He counts the stars and calls them all by name"

Romans 11:33a
"Oh, what a wonderful God we have! How great are his riches and wisdom and knowledge!.."

so my sister, caroline, and i sat on our roof tonight and looked up at the sky. we talked about everything. she kept saying "ah! it looks like the clouds are moving, but we are the ones really moving" .. it just reminded me again how BIG God is and how small i am.. and-how incredible He is! He made everything so unique.. here are some pictures that we took.. pretty amazing =)

me and caroline..

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
"Two people can accomplish more than twice as much as one; they get a better return for their labor. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But people who are alone when they fall are in real trouble. And on a cold night, two under the same blanket can gain warmth from each other. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer..."

Proverbs 18:24
"There are 'friends' who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother."

John 15:13
"And here is how to measure it-the greatest love is shown when people lay down their lives for their friends"

so friends are amazing. i am once again reminded how blessed i am to have friends that i can talk about anything and everything with. kate drewry came and "kidnapped" me tonight, and we went to starbucks. there we talked about how incredible God is.
THOUGHT...God is so big, He can take all of the oceans and fit them into the palm of His hand.

yall, thats alot of water! and He is so big that it all fits! ive tried seeing how much i can hold in the shower.. and its basically none! but He fits every single sea and ocean into His PALM! ..amazing..

i love having people that can uphold me, and encourage me through every circumstance! so truely blessed.. just something to think about..

life is absolutely wonderful right now =)

tonight i went running.
i cant tell you how many times ive gone running before, but tonight was different. it was a good different, though =)

i enjoyed it! i felt so relaxed while i was running. i went at 7ish so it was cool and dark outside. as i ran, i did lots of thinking..

the thing i thought about the most though, was how we perservere.
1st Corinthians 9:24-27
"Remember that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize. You also must run in such a way that you will win. All athletes practice strict self-control. They do it to win a prze that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run not like a boxer who misses his punches. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified."

so this is how i put it all together... i am running to get in shape and reach my finish line-making volleyball and being fit the way that i should to be prepared for conditioning this summer. even though i get tired and physically drained, i keep going.

life is the same way, we are running in the "Life Race" and the finish line is heaven! we keep running after Christ to strive to be more like Him and to know Him more. we run to try and reach non-believers to share our CREATOR with them, and the amazing things that He has done. the prize is when we get to heaven and God says "well done, My good and faithful servant".. how much more of an incredible and rewarding prize could we recieve? keep pressing towards the goal!!

alright, to start off this blog-this weekend was incredible. all of the freshman girls, i felt, bonded. my prayer has been for unity, and this weekend was definately one step closer in that direction.

on friday night, our quiet time was awesome. we wrote down something that we wanted to get out of the weekend, and something that was holding us back from Christ, then tied the index card to a balloon and let it go outside... my prayer was for my worship and my everything to be focused on Him. no distractions. i sometimes get caught up in the world and how my worship looks, but this weekend (and from now on..) i wanted it to be pure and totally Him.

so before each time that we went into a rally, worship, or a bible study-i asked God to take away everything of this world and let it be a true experience, just me and Him. and boy did He work!! its so amazing how if we do ask, we recieve!--Luke 11:10... i felt like when we went into worship-it was just me and God-no one else. it was an overwhelming feeling!! i felt like God was right next to me, so i poured out my heart to Him.

when we we sing song of the redeemed and repeat.. "we are yours" .. it gives me chills! im HIS! He is my daddy, and im His daughter.
Psalm 11:3B "He made us, and we are His. We are his people, the sheep of His pasture."

so, my prayer for all of yall is to dig deep in the word. ive also found this weekend that i can not KNOW Christ, if i dont know the word. i am to saturate myself in the word, so when tough situations come-i can fight the devil with scripture. i hope that all of yall that went to one weekend, got some good stuff out of it. i hope that Christ spoke in big ways!! i know that He did for me. have an amazing week!

"cause i know my Gods saved the day,
and i know His word never fails.
and i know my Gods made a way for me
its gunna be alright."

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
'Till on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost it's grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Brought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
'Till He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand

mexico is in 37 days...

"Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit."
Matthew 28:19

"Love is patient, love is kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and keeps no record of when is has been wronged. It is never glad about injustice, but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Love will last forever..."

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

February 10, 2005
...surprise!!!


mmm, cake!

all of my wonderful friends..
look how much we've changed!

hopefully this year will be just as good!
i cant wait to wake up in the morning-
haha .. love yall!

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°
edit:
today was a great day
//i woke up to my mom and sister singing me happy birthday
//i went to school and people made me pictures and posters saying
"happy birthday"
//i came home to some wonderful presents sitting on the table!
//then some FABULOUS friends and i went out to a movie
((derrek, ami, ben, olivia, alex, christian, mere and garrett))
//afterwards, meredith, christian, ami, and me went to starbucks
**there i enjoyed my favorite--a mocah frapuccino!

even though my mom and sister weren't home, it was a wonderful day! we are celebrating on sunday when they get home...
 i definately can not complain--
i love all of yall. thanks for making my 15th birthday great!!!

who would have ever imagined that two pieces of wood, nailed together, would have held the most perfect, blameless, most amazing person to ever live? it completely blows my mind to think that someone could love me so much that they would give their life in order to save me from spending eternity in hell. i take for granted what Jesus did for me, sometimes i rationalize it to the point to where i deserve it, and then i stop, think about it, and im blown away (again)-i DONT deserve it. i am human, i have sinned like crazy, i dont honor my mom and dad like i should, i gossip, and so much more. but even though i am so unworthy, God sent his only son to save me from it. i can not fathom his love for me. its incredible, so when i do realize how im rationalizing the situation, i smile. then, i thank Jesus for everything that he's given me, and how he has blessed me. how awesome?

Philippians 2:5-11
"Your attitude should be the same that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not demand and cling to his right as God. He made himself nothing; he took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form. And in human form he obediently humbled himself even further by dying a criminal's death on a cross. Because of this, God raised him up to the heights of heaven and gave him a name that is above every other name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to glory of God the Father."

oh praise the one
who paid my debt
and raised this life
up from the dead...

well, life is wonderful and friends are amazing! 
i had a tournament this morning, and i will have it again tomorrow morning. i dont get to go to church and that makes me pretty frustrated. we didnt win any of our games today. it was a downer, BUT we did play together and we hung tough. we have one girl out for about a month with a stress fracture and another one is in the bahamas.. (dont you wish YOU were there?!) so i think all in all we did pretty well. it was our first tournament this year. i know tomorrow will be better, becuase now we know what to expect and what to fix.

i found a verse last night during my quiet time, though. it was really awesome, because i sort of have a "competitive" problem (nahhh.. not kaitlin! =] ). so when i found the verse, it reminded me that i have to be a leader. i cant get mad and blow my witness. i have to keep encouraging everyone, no matter if we ARE down 23-6... the verse was---
1st Corinthians 15:58
"So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and steady, always enthuasiastic about the Lord's work, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is useless." ... pretty cool!

&& i will leave you with a picture...

"The most wasted of all days, is one without laughter"
-E. E. Cummings

edit..
our record for the tournament:
1/17 games
0/8 matches
... but God is good!
we played absolutely amazing!! we lost ANOTHER girl today! i dont know whats going on. it was the last point in our game against the hardest team. we had been playing amazing! i set our middle hitter. when she came down, she landed on another girls ankle and fell down screaming, imediately. they took her to the e.r. and she is out for 2-3 weeks with a pretty bad sprian. seemingly though, we pushed through with 6 out of our 9 players and won our first game the whole tournament. it was bad, but no one had a sour attitude-we played together and accomplished more than we thought we would. we can only get better, right?!

this group is absolutely.. amazing

love yall-have a great week!

updated...

only 5 more months... ahhhhh =)

haha.. so i just figured out how to update =)
garrett haynes teached me! haha.. hope that yall are having a great break.. ahh-i cant believe that its almost over.. boooo

nothing is new.. volleyball has started up-we have our first tournament january 14th in nashville (hint hint-if you want to come) haha..

mm.. cant believe that school is flying by like this!
already second semester.. im surviving! haha

welp.. have an amazing day and i will talk to yall later!
love, kaitlin

highschool is amazing;; i love it!