the latest

alright - so it has been a while since ive actually posted what has been going on in my life.

i got a new job, i cook at a local diner. and i am pretty good at cooking.

i must say, i love running. its very nice to go out and clear my head for a few hours. especially when i get to go out running with a friend. its a lovely way to get some insight on some stuff.

yesterday we ran a little over 7 miles together then i went back out because she got 7 miles before we even met up and then ended up going 7 - feeling good - and doing 3 more. so i went out for 17 miles!?!?!? the long run was supposed to be around 14-16 miles but what can i say, im stubborn and wanted to know how far i could run with only about 2 miles to go before the big day!

oh yeah, fyi - im now officially registered for my first marathon. anyone want to go out to AZ to cheer me on???

My daddy

My dad's birthday is today.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

I love you!

Grand Rapids

i run the grand rapids half marathon sunday. 13.1 miles of pure fun and enjoyment right?

Uh oh...

so we all know how much of a "morning person" i am typically. but that might all be changing very soon. basically i applied for a job at a diner which ive wanted to do for a while now and they agreed to interview me a little later this week! i hope that i will be cross trained! it would be awesome if i could both cook and serve! woot woot! go team, heres hoping it all goes well!

Catch 22

yes the rumors are true, last week i turned 22. ushering into a year that i hope will be unlike all years past. so much to come, so much to learn. party!

Well...

things have been crazy lately. that pretty much sums it all up.

in other news it will be my birthday soon! whoopwhoop! i get to go out and party, party like no one is watching but people will be watching because it will be more than likely rather amusing. what can i say, thats how i roll.

things ive learned recently:
- i love people. my friends, wow, amazing! love them, love them, love them. did i mention they rock and i love them??

- im freaking good at things. examples: have you had my cinnamon rolls???

- i have potential: yoga, im good at it and getting better/running same boat. im moving up baby!

- i will do great things, i have a lot to offer

so this is kind of a weird post but thats what has been on my mind lately.

so much uncertainty yet but i am slowly learning to accept that, some days better than others...but im trying eh

long time no see

so i figured it has indeed been quite a while so i am posting.

it is now july - i ran another 5k with my family on the 5th and it was a nice little run, nothing above average for me and i felt pretty solid through the run. i have also been running more over all and seem to be moving up in the running world. for example - ran 4.25 miles with my friend sarah this week and i didnt pass out or die which was quite lovely and even with soccer i have still been running and tuesday i ran 2 miles with an 8:15 on the first mile - the 2nd mile wasnt all that it could have been but hey, i ate a ton of pizza before i left and had to literally stop 3 times to keep the pizza down. not something i would suggest eating before a run.

anyways in other news -
boys: not to much new there, was dating someone, wasnt working, called it off. nothing else to report on there

job: i have none consistently but honestly it is probably the best thing for me at the moment, i am still making money but God is so amazing - the last few jobs i have had and am continuing to get they have pursued me to work there. example: a now good friend, i think its safe to call her that, called me up to paint a room in her house while her daughter was out. granted it didnt go as either one of us probably thought it would but i think it turned out lovely and i got to meet some amazingly cool people! in other news with job'age former people i have painted with are asking for some help and it typically falls perfectly into place with things i already have planned and scheduled.

also some stuff with former employers might actually pay me out what i am owed. i have a current record of working for some less than integrous employers but due to some other great people stepping in for all of the employees we might actually get our money!

family: i love my family, people know that. they were almost all here (except rich) this past week and there were some definite good times. running the 5k, eating donuts on the 4th, watching julies really weird random movies, watching the girls and just hearing them do uber cute and funny things: like the littlest neice - what kind of ice cream are you going to get?? orange and blue and orange and blue and black! like very excited about the choices too. so funny to watch, or her older sister randomly singing high school musical and getting it stuck in your head for days...together together together everyone...ha now you have it in your head too! but i miss them already and dont want to really see julie leave for that long. its getting harder and harder to go visit her when she goes on these crazy excursions and im used to being able to see her every few months or at least having the option of calling her without doing massive amounts of math in my head to figure out what time it is for her.

well this is getting really long, just wanted to let you know that i am still around. as hard as the last few weeks have been i am learning a lot and slowly learning that it is ok to ask to my community for help. i know i know, ever since i was young ive had the im ok i can do it myself mentality...look at how well i have done with that one, oh well i am still young and not fully set in my ways. thank goodness!

WOOHOO!!

So this past Saturday against better judgement I woke up close to freakishly early at 7:15 on a saturday mind you and ran the brian diemer 5k...and i ran a new personal record! last year and to date until saturday i only ran a 29:22 which i think was at the reeds lake run last year and saturday i ran 28:19! a full minute down in time is actually quite amazing. I went from running a 10 minute mile to basically running a 9 minute mile. you try that if you think you can! its really not as easy as i would think!

Sisters

Hey sisters,

I'm assuming you read this.

Do you guys have any plans/thoughts for Father's Day?

the future is here

so, the past few weeks have been crazy! i went through this great and amazing training called breakthrough. you can read up about it through www.accd.org or ask me more about it. it was just great. gives you a new perspective on things. nothing radical, just offers another way of being. and it was great!

after that literally not even 12 hours later ran a 5k not so great. it was fun in its own special way but my time was nothing to be proud of but i am feeling stronger in my runs, for example, ran 5.64 miles in under an hour last night. i ran for 58 minutes, just running. i could have gone a little longer but i had a work meeting to attend.

if you could all pray for my job that would be nice. so much is just up in the air surrounding that and as we all probably know by now prayer is a powerful thing and it would be really nice because i absolutely love my job. i love the people i work with and for. last night after the meeting i was able to just kinda hang out watch the red wings game ( i only watched the first 3 periods there) and just kick back and hang out with one of our bartenders. she rocks, pretty much thats the story.

so yeah, there is a little into the happenings of my life. soccer, running, working, cooking, making cinnamon rolls to pay for breakthrough cost so if you want a pan call me up!

Ok, so.

If you haven't already figured it out from last post my sisters and I ran a 5K the other weekend. But my question is now to my family. Have you run since? If so how far and how did you feel? If not, why not? Or is it because your already afraid of how badly my time is going to beat yours at the Door race? By the way after talking to a few people they say the Buck Creek run is litterally funner to say then it is to run. So with that in mind I'm almost veto'ing that idea and going for the one in Door. Unless you want to come to the Reeds lake race with me the 28th of June...

Riverbank!

so this past weekend i "convinced" aka slightly tricked my sisters into running the 5k river bank run around downtown grand rapids a little. it was lovely! other than waking up at 6:30 am and going out in 43 degree weather...it was something fun to do with my sisters. i was able to run the entire thing and i didnt beat my best time from last year 29:22 and this time i only got a 29:44. so i was slightly bummed but i figured its a great place to start from for this year. but ive been doing really well with running lately. im proud of myself. i plan on doing more and more and eventually doing something crazy like a marathon. we all have to have goals right. what are yours?

ps my other goals is to get people to read my blogg!

Ohio

so, i went with my friends to the flying pig marathon (pictures most likely to come!) and it was great. if only to get out and get in to the sun and get a mini vacation for the weekend was wonderful! she got her marathon in and she amazes me so many ways! serious getting up that early in the morning and running 26.2 miles is crazy rocking!

the drive on the other hand was long and it was kinda nice to not have to drive this time. i love to drive but with everything that has gone on as of late it was nice to have to pay attention and just kinda kick back and relax. on the way home to my house was kind interesting. i feel the same as i did a few weeks ago with the concept of home. i feel more at home when i travel and even when i got home i felt like i had just left home. maybe it was the people. maybe its just having the connecting with home of not having to worry about things. it still seems so odd to me. so we shall see where this takes us to next in light of things that have been going on in the past few days/weeks/all my life lol jk. but who knows what is to come next. im rather kinda excited about it all. go team

Same old song and dance

That song came on - no one i work with knew it. and then i went to call my buddy to see if she knew it and i couldnt even remember the lyrics. not a good story now per say but it still makes me laugh so there ya go.

not to much has gone on this week. lots of working, soccer playing, and being awake. last night when i got home from work i fell asleep in work attire with the lights on. i dont remember the last time i did that.

other than that not to much has gone on that is all that eventful. other than i decided i have not been keeping up and staying in shape like i was last year. and its not fun. so im running again and hopefully will be going back to the gym double time till i feel better about myself. i dont think its major and that big of a problem but its something i want to change in a health manner.

shout out and happy birthday to my little squeakies. even though they are no longer squeakers. they are now 2 and 4...but if you ask them they are what...13 and 4? they are such a blessing. their innocence and ability to make me smile and laugh, i hope they never outgrow that!

enjoy your week my friends!

Live and Learn

I soooo love my new job! It is crazy. Today we got totally slammed at work but i think that it went amazingly well. one of the owners was working with us today and it was the first time i have worked as the same time. i am glad to say i think he was impressed.

my week was all out crazy - i should be having a near break down right now due to what happened this week. major stuff went down monday night - i went for a run at like midnight because i was that stressed. tuesday there was a big fight where someone pretty showed me how important i am in their eyes to some degree. wednesday worked i think i cant really remember and i think we were busy but we were well staffed so it wasnt that bad. thursday soccer night! and i completely great on the aspect that i loved playing but also got my ankle demolished and made walking today really fun. and the game tonight - i just feel like i didnt play that well. but the week - who cares. im doing great! so much has opened up for me today alone!

verse that got me through this week:

Psalm 27:2 (New International Version)

2 When evil men advance against me
to devour my flesh, ^[a]
when my enemies and my foes attack me,
they will stumble and fall.

Footnotes:

1. Psalm 27:2 Or to slander me

Sing with me, sing for the years

I know - throw back for me but I've been listening to a lot of the rock of years past. I like it.

Crazy how much has gone on this week. Of all the week I haven't been sleeping well - I know shocker. NOT. It's ironic because someone I work with loves to take pills to help her sleep because she loves the dreams she has. I wish I could take a pill not to dream. Still seems like over half of my dreams are nightmares. Strange to say that. I'm an adult - should I even be dreaming at all?

Its also funny how I've noticed other things that when I was younger I was terrified of. Like last night - it stormed something fierce over here - like not to far from here F1 or something like that tornado. But anyways it was storming and I laid in bed for probably a good hour until about 2am just listening to the rain and the thunder in the distance. It was great to relax even if it was really freakishly late. I hated storms when I was younger, was completely terrified. Julie and Jenny can attest to that...

I also hated staying home alone. Now a night home alone to kick back - have a glass of wine...

Dream on, dream on

Yay!

So - even though I am employed "full-time" I did not get a single hour of work all of March. the first week i was on vacation but even before that as well as since that we have been incredibly slow. and here i was contemplative of where i am in life and everything that is involved in that i went out and applied to a few different places where i think i would enjoy my work more.

place number one - starbucks. i know they are slowly taking over the world but im ok with that. i like coffee. but they never called me back. sad day

place number dos - kansas city dip n grill! i interviewed today and i start training thursday! so after i get all settled and less overwhelmed by the newness and changes that comes with. i hope to be cross trained to be both a server and bartender.

in other news. thank you to brad and kath who as of now are the ONLY people to leave a comment. and ive heard and loved that song by michael buble. and i still think of you guys. esp. when we get on the topic of naming our cars. mine is still bradly...still going strong too!

Home again home again jiggity jig

i have no idea why that is in my head or where it is from. does anyone else remember that?

anyways i have been thinking more and more how disconnected i have become from the feeling of home. because of the constant moving and changing of buildings and people i live with there is no longer a place that i connect that warm feeling concept of home. the place where you feel safe, welcomed, wanted, and needed amongst other things. dont get me wrong there are places i feel that but its not tied to any specific place. i get some of that when im in chicago (just because nashville is too far away) that i dont want to wear that out.
i guess its associated with the concept that i can really shake off all the dirt and heaviness of the day and just kick back and be accepted straight up the way i am.
such an interesting concept isnt it? i remember feeling all those things when i was younger and dont really know what has changed that has left me without that feeling. maybe its the empy house versus jenny, julie, and nate running around throwing me off of tree house ;)
i remember i talked to julie about this at one point a while ago while she was still in school. it is something that is tied to being in school? being single? being in a different city? who knows. maybe im just overly tired and have been listening to too many songs like "home by michael buble" and things of that nature.

Life should come with a helmet...

So I have been doing a lot of thinking and realizing a lot of things in the past few days. Its just so interesting because it is one of those things that keeps pursuing me. My friends have brought it up in conversation - it was even the base for our discussion last night in house group. It has been stated over the weekend at a graduation I went to. It is one of those things that is more than just coincidence...

The thing that makes it hard is that I am trying to act on it but my actions keep getting shot down. I am going out and striving for this but it seems too far off for me to get to - which is also ironic as it was another thing that was addressed in house church.

As many of you know I feel as though my current job is something I am settling for. I am not using my all to go out and work a job that is best for me. I don't think the lack of work in the last 2 weeks is all for not...I think it is purposeful to get me directed more towards where I am being led to. The dilemma is that even though I have been applying for jobs I have yet to get a call back in regard to these applications. I know there is purpose in all of that too but it makes it that much harder because the money I have saved up for something like this is diminishing. My knee has yet to produce a way for it to pay fully for itself and my car in all its glory is not giving me extra change for all the gas it requires.

So I ask you for input - I am my own person and will make the final choice the way I see best but I would love for some input as to what you think I should do next. We all know living at home forever would not be in everyone's best interest.

Also please do not take this as a loss of faith or direction. This is just a stage of life where I do not know what exactly comes next and I just find myself reflecting on where I am...peace and love to all!

now...later is for losers

so - the fun has begun. here is a view into the last 2 days of my life

part of the days have been spent:
being a pure genius that is going to someday take over the world...im saving the universe for something to do in my spare time when i retire. so what does this mean? i have been brainstorming plans to best help my business grow. outlines of action to take to rise above the man and get some money! i like money - i have a little - i keep it in a jar above my fridge. ok that was a quote but i am trying to find a way to incorporate me getting paid to travel

another part of the days:
me trying to find jobage. currently painting - has not been paying the bills as many of you know. it has been almost 2 weeks since i have picked up a brush. kt has bills. bills require money. therefore kt is looking for a job that pays money! i know genius again!

the last few parts have been:
working out! its amazing how taking 30 minutes if not even that much to exercise and go out for a run changes my attitude. it 1) gets me out of the house 2) allows me to clear all that is in my head 3)boost energy while i am awake 4) helps me sleep better due to pure exhaustion by the end of the day 5) is going to make me look good again soon i hope! cause face it - summer is coming - last year i looked ok but im off to the goals of a happier healthier me. and i am on track quite lovely i must say 6) running season is almost fully here! 5Ks and 10Ks here i come!

so there you have it folks.
Do you understand that the world does not revolve around you and your do whatever it takes, ruin as many people's lives, so long as you can make a name for yourself as an investigatory journalist, no matter how many friends you lose or people you leave dead and bloodied along the way, just so long so you can make a name for yourself as an investigatory journalist, no matter how many friends you lose or people you leave dead and bloodied and dying along the way?

that was for u julie and captin crunch!

crazy like a fox

so the last days have been intense to say the least. i dont know why but after a vacation i find myself taking on more and getting more done - maybe its from the mad chaos to the peace and serenity back into conquering the world...or maybe i just finally caught up on sleep. i have been doing some research into different business opportunities because i find myself once again not willing to settle for what i have currently in life. im going deeper and getting more out of life! go team. so in the next few days i will be doing lots of proposal writing - brainstorming - contemplating - and efforts to keep sanity such as running. painting has been extremely slow lately and who knows maybe i will have all week to focus into getting more out of my time and capabilities. so if you have any great ideas feel free to comment them!

in constant motion

so - here is the run down...yesterday - drove over 600 miles in only 9.5 hours. today - drove home from chicago roughly 190 miles in 4 hours. needless to say i love to move way more than that and my butt will probably still be numb for about oh 3 days sounds good! but it was great to get out and get away and spend some quality time with my sister even if some of our conversations stopped due to one of the little girls asking for a different dora dvdv. already looking to plan another trip - whos with me?

Ok ok

So it is true my fellow cyber-friends. I have become - a blogger. We shall see how this goes and where it might lead to next. Be prepared as I am in that point in my life where I strive for more and am looking at new ways to overcome the odds and take on lots of learning. AKA falling down a lot and telling you all about my victories and lessons learned along the way. So tell everyone you know so that I can go visit them and learn from them too!