The church we’ve been attending has a wonderful worship program, with a complete band and mostly contemporary music. However, this morning we sang this familiar hymn and it was so beautiful and touching to me. For the first time I really listened to the words and they were very powerful to me today; perhaps because I’ve been spending so much time in nature lately. When I went home and looked up the lyrics to post here, I found out that it is based on a poem written by a Swedish man name Carl Gustav Boberg in 1885, and the melody is a Swedish folk song. I guess it was my Swedish roots coming to surface.
At any rate, I’m so, so blessed. We all are.
O Lord my God,
When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds
Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars,
I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout
The universe displayed.
Then sings my soul,
My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art,
How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul,
My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art,
How great Thou art!
When through the woods,
And forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds
Sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down,
From lofty mountain grandeur
And see the brook,
And feel the gentle breeze.
Then sings my soul,
My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art,
How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul,
My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art,
How great Thou art!
And when I think, that God,
His Son not sparing;
Sent him to die,
I scarce can take it in;
That on the Cross,
My burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died
To take away my sin.
Then sings my soul,
My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art,
How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul,
My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art,
How great Thou art!
When Christ shall come,
With shout of acclamation,
And take me home,
What joy shall fill my heart.
Then I shall bow,
In humble adoration,
And then proclaim:
"My God, how great Thou art!"
-Katy
7.11.2010
6.30.2010
Officially Thirty-Something
This month I turned the big 3-1. The best thing about getting older (besides the alternative) is that I share this birthday month with four other June babies; wonderful, special people who have been very influential in my life: Elaine, Crystal, Rusty, and Kim.
I met Elaine the summer I turned 22, a naive and impressionable new Auburn grad starting my first job. Elaine was a nurse in the child and adolescent psychiatric unit that became my first bullet point on my resume. But because of Elaine, and other wise and caring co-workers, I got so much more from the three years I worked as a mental health associate. The job itself taught me so much about myself; Elaine taught me about the kind of person I want to be. Always calm under stress (and believe me, in a locked psychiatric unit, there was stress) she was an example of how to handle life’s changes, and the struggles of parenthood and marriage, with grace and patience. She was there to guide me and cheer me on through the biggest milestones of my life, including planning a wedding and embarking on a marriage as a clueless 24 year old. All the while offering her support and wisdom. Thank you, Elaine, for staying up all night making silk roses for my wedding, listening to me agonize over whether he was going to ever pop the question, and hosting me for American Idol when I didn’t have cable. And thank you for showing me what it means to be steadfast; a woman who fulfills many roles, and gives so much to those around her.
Crystal and I shared a boyfriend in the fifth grade. Perhaps that’s why we didn’t really hit it off until junior high, when our parents decided to enroll us in a Taekwondo class along with my best friend Michelle and Crystal’s BFF, Kristi. Before long we were skipping class to eat Dairy Queen in our karate uniforms and by high school were passing constant notes about boys and weekend plans. (I don’t know how I have a high school diploma, much less doctorate, btw.) Crystal and I dated the same boys, but what really bonded us for life was the loss of Kristi in a tragic car accident at the end of our freshman year. We had never known loss before; and at the tender age of 15 we only had each other and mutual friends to make sense out of it. I know neither of us can have a big life experience without thinking about what if Kristi hadn’t taken her mother’s car out that night. It is amazing to see someone you knew as a shy kid become a successful career person, a wife, and a mother. Without a doubt she will be a success at whatever she does. Thank you so much for letting me be a part of your life, Crystal, despite the distance between us. I can’t wait to see you soon!
Oh, Rusty, what can I say about him! For his last birthday, I sent him a list of all the things I love about him. I can’t imagine anyone NOT loving this man, and I have had the joy of knowing him since kindergarten! Rusty and I grew up a block away from each other, and many pre-driver’s license nights were spend carousing the neighborhood by moonlight, toilet-papering houses, smoking cigarettes (okay, Mom, I admit it) or just feeling rebellious. Like another big brother, I looked to Rusty for approval on the boys I dated, the clothes I wore (so maybe on SOME level I knew he was gay), and of course my soccer skills As hopeless as I was on the soccer field, he was the first to cheer me on. Along with Tommy and Eliza, our little neighborhood clan took on the world as we knew it. What would I give to go back to the creek and revisit one of those careless summer days. Rusty and I celebrated our high school and college graduations together; he spoke at my wedding and I hope to speak at his (or maybe just stand beside him in a badass couture gown, courtesy of Celestino). I love you Rusty, and love how our friendship never feels worn out or outgrown, but worn-in like a favorite t-shirt I’ll never throw out.
Last but not least, Kim was introduced into our circle of friends when she was one of my BFF’s potluck suitemate their freshmen year at Auburn. At first Kim was the quiet one, the laid-back almost pushover of the group. And then she blossomed into anything but. We lived together for two years in college and despite being exactly one year and a day apart, Kim and I couldn’t be more opposite. Despite fistfights from pushing each other buttons, we always had each other’s backs. Kim has lots of qualities I wish I had (first of all, she has the most awesome hair); her lack of inhibition, her athleticism, her generosity to a fault. Even though we don’t talk much, I know she still has my back. I certainly have hers. Happy birthday, my friend!
I met Elaine the summer I turned 22, a naive and impressionable new Auburn grad starting my first job. Elaine was a nurse in the child and adolescent psychiatric unit that became my first bullet point on my resume. But because of Elaine, and other wise and caring co-workers, I got so much more from the three years I worked as a mental health associate. The job itself taught me so much about myself; Elaine taught me about the kind of person I want to be. Always calm under stress (and believe me, in a locked psychiatric unit, there was stress) she was an example of how to handle life’s changes, and the struggles of parenthood and marriage, with grace and patience. She was there to guide me and cheer me on through the biggest milestones of my life, including planning a wedding and embarking on a marriage as a clueless 24 year old. All the while offering her support and wisdom. Thank you, Elaine, for staying up all night making silk roses for my wedding, listening to me agonize over whether he was going to ever pop the question, and hosting me for American Idol when I didn’t have cable. And thank you for showing me what it means to be steadfast; a woman who fulfills many roles, and gives so much to those around her.
Crystal and I shared a boyfriend in the fifth grade. Perhaps that’s why we didn’t really hit it off until junior high, when our parents decided to enroll us in a Taekwondo class along with my best friend Michelle and Crystal’s BFF, Kristi. Before long we were skipping class to eat Dairy Queen in our karate uniforms and by high school were passing constant notes about boys and weekend plans. (I don’t know how I have a high school diploma, much less doctorate, btw.) Crystal and I dated the same boys, but what really bonded us for life was the loss of Kristi in a tragic car accident at the end of our freshman year. We had never known loss before; and at the tender age of 15 we only had each other and mutual friends to make sense out of it. I know neither of us can have a big life experience without thinking about what if Kristi hadn’t taken her mother’s car out that night. It is amazing to see someone you knew as a shy kid become a successful career person, a wife, and a mother. Without a doubt she will be a success at whatever she does. Thank you so much for letting me be a part of your life, Crystal, despite the distance between us. I can’t wait to see you soon!
Oh, Rusty, what can I say about him! For his last birthday, I sent him a list of all the things I love about him. I can’t imagine anyone NOT loving this man, and I have had the joy of knowing him since kindergarten! Rusty and I grew up a block away from each other, and many pre-driver’s license nights were spend carousing the neighborhood by moonlight, toilet-papering houses, smoking cigarettes (okay, Mom, I admit it) or just feeling rebellious. Like another big brother, I looked to Rusty for approval on the boys I dated, the clothes I wore (so maybe on SOME level I knew he was gay), and of course my soccer skills As hopeless as I was on the soccer field, he was the first to cheer me on. Along with Tommy and Eliza, our little neighborhood clan took on the world as we knew it. What would I give to go back to the creek and revisit one of those careless summer days. Rusty and I celebrated our high school and college graduations together; he spoke at my wedding and I hope to speak at his (or maybe just stand beside him in a badass couture gown, courtesy of Celestino). I love you Rusty, and love how our friendship never feels worn out or outgrown, but worn-in like a favorite t-shirt I’ll never throw out.
Last but not least, Kim was introduced into our circle of friends when she was one of my BFF’s potluck suitemate their freshmen year at Auburn. At first Kim was the quiet one, the laid-back almost pushover of the group. And then she blossomed into anything but. We lived together for two years in college and despite being exactly one year and a day apart, Kim and I couldn’t be more opposite. Despite fistfights from pushing each other buttons, we always had each other’s backs. Kim has lots of qualities I wish I had (first of all, she has the most awesome hair); her lack of inhibition, her athleticism, her generosity to a fault. Even though we don’t talk much, I know she still has my back. I certainly have hers. Happy birthday, my friend!
6.26.2010
Diagnosis: Too Many Chimichangas
Apologies to my faithful followers for not posting in over month. I’ve thought about doing it. Even put it on my to-do list. However, as my to-do list gets longer, my motivation decreases. It’s the nature of an inverse relationship. When I have more crap to do, my willpower wanes.
I’ve also come down with a horrible case of the blahs. It must have come on slow, because I didn’t realize I was sick until it was weeks since I grocery shopped, I forgot all about my recent obsession with “Dexter”, and my snooze button was getting more action than I was. I haven’t quilted in weeks, let the housework go (well…that’s not very abnormal, let’s be honest), barely read anything more than a People magazine, and sat on my behind every waking moment outside of work, staring at the television. Blah, blah, blah. If you haven’t gotten a phone call from me in the past month, obviously you haven’t missed anything.
I don’t think I’m depressed. I think that working really hard and not taking care of my body the way I should has just caught up with me. For one, I know that I walk the halls countless times, lift patients, and exercise my writing hand for 8+ hours a day. But as my husband points out, this is not real exercise. To which I reply, if only in my head, “Who is it, dear, that has a DOCTORATE in exercise?”
But doggonit, he’s right.
So, there’s that. And the fact that fast food has stealthily crept back in to my diet (Damn you, taco bell!), especially when I’m in a hurry on my lunch break. And if it’s not the drive thru, it’s meals straight out of the freezer or my new fave from a local Mexican restaurant, a carne-asada chimichanga with rice and beans. Obviously, I have to make some changes. No excuses! As of today, I’m making a change, to cure my blahs.
Right after I eat this Snickers ice cream bar.
-Katy
I’ve also come down with a horrible case of the blahs. It must have come on slow, because I didn’t realize I was sick until it was weeks since I grocery shopped, I forgot all about my recent obsession with “Dexter”, and my snooze button was getting more action than I was. I haven’t quilted in weeks, let the housework go (well…that’s not very abnormal, let’s be honest), barely read anything more than a People magazine, and sat on my behind every waking moment outside of work, staring at the television. Blah, blah, blah. If you haven’t gotten a phone call from me in the past month, obviously you haven’t missed anything.
I don’t think I’m depressed. I think that working really hard and not taking care of my body the way I should has just caught up with me. For one, I know that I walk the halls countless times, lift patients, and exercise my writing hand for 8+ hours a day. But as my husband points out, this is not real exercise. To which I reply, if only in my head, “Who is it, dear, that has a DOCTORATE in exercise?”
But doggonit, he’s right.
So, there’s that. And the fact that fast food has stealthily crept back in to my diet (Damn you, taco bell!), especially when I’m in a hurry on my lunch break. And if it’s not the drive thru, it’s meals straight out of the freezer or my new fave from a local Mexican restaurant, a carne-asada chimichanga with rice and beans. Obviously, I have to make some changes. No excuses! As of today, I’m making a change, to cure my blahs.
Right after I eat this Snickers ice cream bar.
-Katy
5.23.2010
Spring
I hate that I wait so long to update that I have to address several random topics in one post. I’ll just mention the cutest first:
Introducing my brand-new (and first) nephew, Liam! At ten pounds even, he already has fat rolls! I don’t know where my sis-in-law stands on the issue, but by the looks of him I think he probably had a couple of burritos in there. Maybe even some full-flavored cold ones. Congrats, Eric and Marian, on becoming a party of five!
Chris and I have been suffering through another one of his long stretches of twelve-hour shifts. It wouldn’t be that bad if we weren’t on totally different work schedules. I guess I should count my blessings; at least we aren’t on other end of the country from each other. We’ve been spoiled by all the time outdoors that we’ve had together recently. The weather is warming up (with the exception of this weekend) which means bike rides, grilling out, and more climbing. And we’ve been attending a church that we enjoy. Our lives have been blessed a hundred times over in the almost nine years we’ve been together. Sometimes I wonder how it could get better than this.
A small tribulation: we have mice. Thus, no recipe tonight, people. My culinary skills haven’t surpassed jambalaya from the box in weeks. Just knowing what could have been scurrying around my cooking space….my heart’s just not in it. For a long time, I’d say since I started PT school, cooking was my only hobby. I didn’t have much time to devote to anything else but studying, but we had to eat, right? I tried dozens of new recipes in the three years of PT school. I don’t know if I got burned out or if the mice sealed the deal, but getting creative in the kitchen doesn’t light my fire like it used to. I’m hoping when this whole pest issue is resolved my desire to cook will be re-kindled. Meanwhile I’m channeling all my domestic urges into quilting. Here’s another sneak peak of the quilt top I’ve been working on:
(Aren't peonies the most flamboyant flowers ever? Love them!)
I’m halfway done machine-piecing the top. I can’t look at these fabrics without falling more in love with them. And I can’t wait to see the finished project, and even more see how it looks after it’s been washed a dozen times and worn in. I honestly don’t know where my recent obsession with quilts has come from. I didn’t grow up snoozing under passed-down quilts, though I wish I had. In fact, my grandmother is working on finishing her first quilt as we speak, at 88 years old. She taught me to hand sew when I was eight, and it’s always been an activity that is very calming to me. Just the thought that my finished project may be something that is loved and treasured makes the hours put into it so worth it. Even if it doesn’t turn out perfect.
Lastly, everyone who knows me knows I have some issues with our current habitat. I won’t get into that here. But one day last week as I was coming home from work a flash of yellow caught my eye:
And in the back, almost hiding was another silver lining to the storm cloud that has been the saga of our poorly maintained abode:
Maybe this old house ain't so bad, afterall.
-Katy
Introducing my brand-new (and first) nephew, Liam! At ten pounds even, he already has fat rolls! I don’t know where my sis-in-law stands on the issue, but by the looks of him I think he probably had a couple of burritos in there. Maybe even some full-flavored cold ones. Congrats, Eric and Marian, on becoming a party of five!
Chris and I have been suffering through another one of his long stretches of twelve-hour shifts. It wouldn’t be that bad if we weren’t on totally different work schedules. I guess I should count my blessings; at least we aren’t on other end of the country from each other. We’ve been spoiled by all the time outdoors that we’ve had together recently. The weather is warming up (with the exception of this weekend) which means bike rides, grilling out, and more climbing. And we’ve been attending a church that we enjoy. Our lives have been blessed a hundred times over in the almost nine years we’ve been together. Sometimes I wonder how it could get better than this.
A small tribulation: we have mice. Thus, no recipe tonight, people. My culinary skills haven’t surpassed jambalaya from the box in weeks. Just knowing what could have been scurrying around my cooking space….my heart’s just not in it. For a long time, I’d say since I started PT school, cooking was my only hobby. I didn’t have much time to devote to anything else but studying, but we had to eat, right? I tried dozens of new recipes in the three years of PT school. I don’t know if I got burned out or if the mice sealed the deal, but getting creative in the kitchen doesn’t light my fire like it used to. I’m hoping when this whole pest issue is resolved my desire to cook will be re-kindled. Meanwhile I’m channeling all my domestic urges into quilting. Here’s another sneak peak of the quilt top I’ve been working on:
(Aren't peonies the most flamboyant flowers ever? Love them!)
I’m halfway done machine-piecing the top. I can’t look at these fabrics without falling more in love with them. And I can’t wait to see the finished project, and even more see how it looks after it’s been washed a dozen times and worn in. I honestly don’t know where my recent obsession with quilts has come from. I didn’t grow up snoozing under passed-down quilts, though I wish I had. In fact, my grandmother is working on finishing her first quilt as we speak, at 88 years old. She taught me to hand sew when I was eight, and it’s always been an activity that is very calming to me. Just the thought that my finished project may be something that is loved and treasured makes the hours put into it so worth it. Even if it doesn’t turn out perfect.
Lastly, everyone who knows me knows I have some issues with our current habitat. I won’t get into that here. But one day last week as I was coming home from work a flash of yellow caught my eye:
And in the back, almost hiding was another silver lining to the storm cloud that has been the saga of our poorly maintained abode:
Maybe this old house ain't so bad, afterall.
-Katy
5.10.2010
What I had for dinner tonight
I know in honor of Mother’s Day I should write a heartfelt tribute to the best mom ever, Susie. A good daughter would. But considering just perusing the card section for a card almost had me in tears, I don’t think I can muster it. So, I love you Mom, and I miss you. That’s all I got for now.
Sniff-sniff.
Ever since we tried it, Chris and I have had the climbing bug. Here are some more photos taken at the Happy’s, a boulder field just a couple miles away from where we live.
You probably can’t tell, but Chris is still sporting a “crust-ache” from the White Trash themed party we had thrown the night before for our friend Jeff’s 30th birthday. Here we are in all our trashy glory:
The photo doesn’t do my costume justice; I wore a terry cloth onesie, meant to be a swimsuit cover-up, paired with the Britney Spears staple: Ugg boots. (I do love my Uggs in the real world, especially since the winter here is a bit colder than my Alabama blood is used to.)
In the last few weeks I’ve also been devoting time to one of my safer hobbies, quilting. I made my first quilt almost 6 years ago when my first niece, Stella, was born. Now I have four nieces, and a nephew due to make his appearance later this week. Needless to say, I have some major catching up to do now that I have more time. I’m attempting a harder pattern this time, suggested to me by one of my elderly patients. I ordered all the fabrics online, but ended up cutting a whole fabric’s worth of strips too narrow, so had to get a new fabric at the local quilt store. And I think I found the perfect one. Here is my first row that I’ve finished piecing. Chris just loves the kitchen table being filled with sewing supplies!
And the sweet angel that will hopefully be cuddling up with her new quilt soon:
If any of my loyal followers has been disappointed at the lack of recipes recently, I apologize. As I adjust to working full-time, my kitchen has been all but closed. Here’s what I whipped up tonight, and it just satisfied my longing for some Waffle House:
One helping of Smart Potatoes hashbrowns, cooked according to directions
Topped with a slice of cheddar cheese
I melted the cheese by pouring some hot chili, homemade by my neighbor, over the top
One dollop of sour cream
Good thing my cholesterol levels came back okay!
-Katy
Sniff-sniff.
Ever since we tried it, Chris and I have had the climbing bug. Here are some more photos taken at the Happy’s, a boulder field just a couple miles away from where we live.
You probably can’t tell, but Chris is still sporting a “crust-ache” from the White Trash themed party we had thrown the night before for our friend Jeff’s 30th birthday. Here we are in all our trashy glory:
The photo doesn’t do my costume justice; I wore a terry cloth onesie, meant to be a swimsuit cover-up, paired with the Britney Spears staple: Ugg boots. (I do love my Uggs in the real world, especially since the winter here is a bit colder than my Alabama blood is used to.)
In the last few weeks I’ve also been devoting time to one of my safer hobbies, quilting. I made my first quilt almost 6 years ago when my first niece, Stella, was born. Now I have four nieces, and a nephew due to make his appearance later this week. Needless to say, I have some major catching up to do now that I have more time. I’m attempting a harder pattern this time, suggested to me by one of my elderly patients. I ordered all the fabrics online, but ended up cutting a whole fabric’s worth of strips too narrow, so had to get a new fabric at the local quilt store. And I think I found the perfect one. Here is my first row that I’ve finished piecing. Chris just loves the kitchen table being filled with sewing supplies!
And the sweet angel that will hopefully be cuddling up with her new quilt soon:
If any of my loyal followers has been disappointed at the lack of recipes recently, I apologize. As I adjust to working full-time, my kitchen has been all but closed. Here’s what I whipped up tonight, and it just satisfied my longing for some Waffle House:
One helping of Smart Potatoes hashbrowns, cooked according to directions
Topped with a slice of cheddar cheese
I melted the cheese by pouring some hot chili, homemade by my neighbor, over the top
One dollop of sour cream
Good thing my cholesterol levels came back okay!
-Katy
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