SHWAT?!

So on Saturday I had the most amazing Birthday-date-day ever!!

Let's see....

Saturday afternoon, Riley picked me up..

...and we went to Barnes and Noble! haha we got our AP study books and journals (me for my senior signing, and riley just cuz...) then we t to Mardel's and returned Riley's not red-letter Bible and got a book.

...then we got Pei Wei take out!!!! =) and took it to Matzke Park to have a PICNIC!! =D i've never been to a picnic before...(one with less than 50 people)...and it was really sweet =)
...
..
and THEN...


DUN DUN DUN DUUUNNNN!!!!

I HAVE A ZUNE!

and i love it ooberly mucho much much much!

yep yep yep!

makes me really happy!!

...
...
and thus...my bday wish is fulfilled!!

then afterwords =) we baked a really good good cake (marble cake with black icing and sprinkles!)

and we completed the day with a classic movie that is a must see for everyone...

LION KING!

haha

my birthday so far is AWESOME and it's not even my birthday yet!




DISCLAIMER:
The zune was not free. haha he ain't that rich =) nor would i ask for that much =) I have to pay him back for some of it (most of it really) but its very awesome that he made it happen =) SO donations to the pay-riley-back organization is well accepted (as bday money if thou so chooses of course!)


sigh.
i love my bday!

My Arm is Complete Again!

name that movie!!
haha

recently i've really needed some kind of motivation to keep on trying.
thus far, i've found nothing.
sigh.

MY BIRTHDAY IS COMING UP!!! =D
and I really want something...
i want an iPod.........touch.
dun dun dun!!!
well really that's what i want
and if erin's revealed plan fails, i'll take the money and combine it with what i'll earn this summer and buy myself one!

but at the same timee....maybe just a regular ole mp3 will be better for me, because i'm easily distracted. someone like me with a toy like the ipodtouch (i'm not gonna bother capitalizing it correctly) might not get much done.
BUT, though it's not as good as the iPhone, it's got some handy dandy...resources!
Riley's told me of things better than an iPod, so i should go check those out

here's a poll: what should I sing for my spring concert senior solo? for some reason, i've been singing At Last by Etta James over and over and i like it...
hmm...

on to a more serious note...i've gotten tired of being nice to people who aren't nice to me. I know it's a great thing to do...love and have patience...but i really just want to yell at the people who yell at me, backstab people who backstab me, ignore people who ignore me...but i wont...

part of the reason is that i hope that me being a good girl will come back and help me out in the future...

another part is that i know that i'm not perfect, so if i forgive a person for something, then i do something similar, hopefully they'll forgive me like i forgave them...

and a part is, of course, because God wants us to love everyone, not throw hot coals at their heads. Instead help them.

I don't understand how I can do this without some people i can handle, and who i don't really have to try to love...because it comes naturally.

I'm very thankful for those people. =)

well, i havent read my Bible yet today, so i shall go and do that.

night!

In answer to Riley's Update:

Only if you pay!




Haha, just kidding!

I would love to go to prom with you, Riley Sheehan.

=)

Busy busy

I'm quite angry with all of my teachers.
I don't like how they wait until the last week of the six weeks to give students all of the projects, quizzes, and tests.
e.g. Government. This week: 2 quizzes, 1 test, 1 major grade project.
aarrrggg

in other news I auditioned for the HBU FOCUS and refuge and I think I did well!
Even if I don't make it I wont regret it because I did my best =)

This weekend I'm spending a night in the dorms at HBU to experience the student life there! I'm excited! I hope that HBU is the place I'm supposed to be.

In more exciting news...I have a date for prom! Now, for all of you who just rolled your eyes at me, I'm just excited that I was asked! Of course, Riley, being the computer-savvy boy that he is, did it via computer.
teeheehee =)
if you consider it, it's really quite cute because...all the world can see! muahahaha
((it can be seen on his blog, btw. ))

for choir we're singing Twist and Shout (I dont know why, either) and chorale is doing a lion king medley (it's kinda cute) and Natalie Butcher and I are doing some duet i think as pre-area candidates!
as my senior solo song...I'm not sold. I could do The Call by Regina Spektor, but I've sang At Last by Etta James for half of my life.
Sigh. Decisions decisions.

The world was in mourning today as Riley's pet fish Ping Pong died last night of unknown natural causes. Rumor has it he is seeking a new gilled companion soon in Petsmart with his non-gilled companion(me). The ceremony and funeral will be held tomorrow at 1 by the toilet.

This was the random wednesday update by katie!
Brought to you by: Chocolate Bunnies...the Sweet Side of Easter!
What is the secret to a better chocolate cake? Next time, on Random Update with Katie!

Oh, Responsibilities.

I had one of those days where suddenly everything clicks, and I yell "CRAP."

Yeah. I've been having alot of those lately.

This thing will be like a schedule of me complaining/mentioning about all the things that I have to do.

And these are NOT in priority order.

Now, please note, that I'm not complaining about the things... just the fact that I have to do them all at the same time...

Let's start with getting my Calc grade up to a passing grade. Yes, I admit it, I am not doing so hot in Calculus. But I'm trying so hard! I'm doing all of my homework, asking all of my smart friends to help me, and even tomorrow I'm going in to ask help from the teach. Oy, why did I get myself into this?

Next is keeping all my other grades A's. Singularly, that's not very hard. But that combined with everything else makes it tougher.

Now there's choir. Not choir choir, but managing the choir. Yes we got sweepstakes! WOO! But, now i have to throw a banquet. boo. Well i dont mind doing it. I'm actually enjoying it quite a bit, but somehow it tends to go down on my priority list as my day goes on. Still, I need to find fabric, prices for stands, established photographer information, make a check list of all the things needed, get the tshirts printed, keep my notes together, check that the payments go to the right people, copy the shirt design for ms paul, and find bamboo door-hangers.

Now there's HBU. I got a call-back for the FOCUS and Refuge auditions, which is great! the bad thing is that it's next wednesday, meaning it's SOON and I dont feel like I have time to get completely ready!! I'm freaking out about that!!!

Private voice lesson recital is coming up, and Mrs. White is having me sing Il Bacio, which is a really long, slightly complicated song that I dont think I have time to learn!!

Graduation announcements need to be done soon. So do Banquet and Prom plans. So much planning!!! Oh, and birthday planning. That's a biggie, too.

Specifically this week, I'm a part of two worship bands. One has two practices and one show...the other has one practice and no shows until (technically) next week. I'm getting alot of band practice this week. I love it, but it's alot!!

And Lastly, sadly, but DEFINITELY not least...I'm having a hard time dedicating time AND focus to God. So much is in my mind (music, planning, ideas, equations...) that I don't feel like I'm spending raw time with God, which really depresses me, and I dont feel like I can control the chaos in my mind sometimes. Or, when I finally get my mind to calm down, I fall asleep when I'm praying, and then I feel guilty when I wake up, and then I fall asleep again while I'm praying for forgiveness and praising for patience, then I wake up feeling guilty...and it's just a bad cycle.

I don't know how conventional this is, but I wanted to ask that for those who have a spare thought...pray for me that I may be able to sit and focus and dedicate part of my day to God. I really need some silence in my life, and I want to give that silence as worship to God.

As for those smarties who notice the irony of this blog (i have no time...yet here i am writing a blog!) I'm taking time out of my 'me' time to write this. This is me splurging what's on my mind, which I have to do almost everyday, either verbally (to someone else or even to myself) or on paper.

Well, this is all that I have for today!!


Your Sister in Christ

say hello to fame

ladies and gents, this lowly girl is now a PUBLISHED AUTHOR!!

woo!

well, okay, i've been published twice before, but this time i got money for it!
according to the letter, i got top ten out of thousands of entries, for this poem I wrote about artists! haha, now i know what to write about.

note to self, when submitting something to someone, write about something those someones can relate to.

That is my advice. Now that I am oh so wise and published.
teehee =)

Along with my letter of good joy about being published, I recieved my acceptance and scholarship letter from HBU. That was pretty exciting!!
Now as for those who do not know, I am still officially undecided.
But that doesnt mean i really am.
No, I havent decided.
But i'm tilting.

moving on to the subject of deciding colleges, it's taken me alot of prayer, reading, and time alone to get me to where i am. To comfort those who care, I'm just trying to make the best decision according to what God wants for me. Since I've never been recieving flashing neon signs pointing out the answers, I'm waiting till I'm sure.

And i'm not announcing anything until i'm sure. =)

next, let's move on to what I'm reading.
The Bible.
Yep, that's pretty much it.
I just recently started reading Ecclesiastes.
Random? Yes.
But I realized that I've never actually read anything from there so I thought I'd give it a try.
Ironically, it's making me slightly depressed.
The first two chapters really are about how meaningless life is... why work so hard just so that when you die, you have to give it to someone who didnt work hard for it?
Why depend on material possessions anyway, if we're just going to die?
Really, it's quite depressing.
First emo book.
BUT it's all true, because what i get out of it is that wisdom cannot be achieved through things or experience, but through the pursuance of God and the passion to be god-like. Then our inheritance is the wisdom that wisdom doesn't make a person better, it just makes them know more things about the world. Being Christ-like re-creates a person. I guess it's making a 'better person' but it's taking that old person, crucifying them, and creating a whole new human who has a passion for Christ. True wisdom comes from that experience. The wise are those who have been reborn. There is no reward for working hard, for having several material possessions, or even for being wise, but there is the greatest reward for pursuing God's heart and living to be like Him and honor Him.

The hardest thing to do is to make the right decision to do what honors God the most.
What makes it harder is that somethings vary from person to person.

A well known example of this is dating. Many friends of mine think that it would be dishonoring to God if they started a relationship with someone. But I know that I am not dishonoring God by dating Riley. Note: what i mean by 'honoring' and 'dishonoring' is 'respecting.' e.g. i am honoring God's will by not dating/dating. But it also goes with the other definition, which means a reverence or respect. Through my relationship, i have learned what it means to honor God even more. Surely, my relationship is not dishonorable!

Well, I will end my spiel for now.
Have a good life!