Finishing well...

(Before the last filming of chapel for this semester.)

(The last homework assignment of the semester.)

This week is the last week of classes at Southeastern. Students everywhere are rushing to their last classes, getting final homework assignments in, and are hunkering down in the library and coffee shop to get everything done.

Coming back to school for a week and half after being gone for Thanksgiving for over a week is tough. You're at home for just enough time to get comfortable and settled back in, then you have to pack up, come back to school, put your head down and keep moving. Motivation is lacking and eyes and hearts are set on being home for the holidays.

With these feelings welling up inside and distractions it can be difficult to do everything to the best of your ability. For example, I've spent the last two days attempting to write my last paper, which would conclude all homework assignments for this semester. My frustrations toward writing this paper were clearly displayed on Facebook and Twitter. And for goodness sake! The paper only had to be 1,000 words! I kept saying in my head, "I don't care. I'll be fine just as long as I finish this ridiculous paper."

It can be easy to throw in the towel at the very end of a long, busy, and stressful semester. For me, this semester is the most stressful one I've ever had. I've never taken so many credits in my college career, never had so many things going on at one time, and I certainly don't know how I'm still standing on the other side of it.

All of this brings me to the point of this post. Just two words...

"Finish well." 

Yes...That's what I want. That's what most of us want at the end of anything that we've put many hours into. Like I said, it can be easy to want to throw in the towel at the end, but remember: You've worked hard to get to where you are standing right now. Put your head down, keep working, and stand at the finish line, looking back, knowing with confidence that you did the best that you could.

Happy final-ing!

Why write?

As I mentioned in my first post, I've started completely fresh with this blog, and some of you might be wondering why I decided to start over from scratch instead of just picking up where I left off last time. So, I'm going to answer some questions you may be asking yourself. 

1. Why did you start over?
I had been thinking for a couple of months about what I wanted to do with my writing. Wondering if I wanted to write again, questioning if I had the time for it, thinking about what I would write about. As I was in the middle of the one of the busiest semesters of my entire life, my roommate asked me, "Kaitlyn, what do you do for yourself?" When she asked me that, I honestly didn't have an answer. I like to read to relax, but that doesn't necessarily provide me with a way to work things out. I just escape into a book and that's it, but I am still left rolling around the same questions and ideas in my head. I told her, "I used to write a blog, but I ran out of time so I don't do that anymore." The conversation just kind of dropped off there, but I came back to wondering whether I wanted to start doing this again.

After sharing a few writing assignments with a handful of people, there was a lot of encouragement from them for me to continue writing. After my friends and a couple of my professors told me that I should be doing something with my writing, it made me consider it more seriously. Not only that, but I know that when I write it helps me. It's healing, stress relieving, and it's a good way to come back at a later date and see where I was and what I was  doing on a specific day a few years prior. In a sense, it's like proof that I've grown, and that I'm not the same person I once was.

So, all of this brings us back to the original question. The reason for starting completely from scratch is due to the fact that I started my first blog when I was 18. I didn't know what I was doing (I still don't), and when I look back on my old blog I can see the development that was still taking shape in my writing and in my life. I want my new blog to be more professional and reflect who I am now. I've experienced a lot in the last five years of my life, and have grown up significantly, and I want my blog to convey that.

2. What will you write about? 
I want this to be a place that I can come to and just be me. I enjoy giving people a peek into my life, so much of my writing will be based off of what's going on throughout my days. But! Most importantly, I want to reflect Christ through my writing and through what He is doing in my life. He's holding everything I'm a part of in His hands, and I want to make sure that I bring glory and honor to Him.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm really excited to be on this writing journey again, and am ready to get the ball rolling. Thanks for coming along with me!

On Thanksgiving...

Hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving! I certainly did. This year was a special one for my family because all of my siblings were finally able to be together under one roof after years of not being together for various reasons. I come from a big family...two older twin brothers, and four younger step-siblings. With various different life things over the last few years, it just hasn't been possible for all of us to be together. So, this year was super special for us. My oldest brother, Clayton, is going off to the Navy soon and he hasn't been with us on Thanksgiving in FOREVER.

Thanksgiving morning was spent with my brothers and our Dad. He cooked up a great breakfast feast. It was a really great time. We worked our breakfast off by crowding around the TV and playing one another in Nintendo 64 games. Remember that thing? We played classics from our childhood like "Diddy Kong Racing," and my brothers beat me by a landslide. Some things never change...

The afternoon was spent at home with my step-siblings playing games and enjoying the company of one another. My step-sister, Sarah, and I are currently away at school, and don't get the opportunity to see one another that often these days. We took a walk and filled one another in on our lives, college frustrations, and the exciting things that are going in our lives. I sure do love that girl!

And, of course, there was the food. My mom cooked up a great feast, and we all ate and ate...and ate. Then we relaxed a bit, then we had pie. And let me tell you...you have not had pie until you've had my Mom's apple pie. It is so so SO good. The one thing that sets it apart from all other pies is the topping. It's all cinnamon and sugar, and it's perfect with the slight sour taste of the green apples in the pie. Yes, we feasted on that, too. My favorite quote from the entire day was "Dreidel dreidel dreidel I made it out of clay, dreidel dreidel dreidel no more pie for me today."

It was a really great day, and I'm so grateful. Grateful for an abundance of good food, family, good health, love, and the many blessings in my life.

How was your day spent? What are you thankful for?

Hello, there!

(Photo credit: My lovely friend, Jordan Ingram)

 Just tip-toeing my way back in...

After a year-and-a-half hiatus from blogging, all thanks to an extremely busy season of life, I've found my way back to the blogging world and am looking forward to writing again. 

I'm still making some changes here and there with design and those types of things so please bare with me. I have high hopes for my new home on the internet and am looking forward to starting this new journey with you all. Please stick around!