J

Jelly Bellies. 'Nough said.

Also, I have to said J is for Jesus too. Of course, Jesus is the reason I'm here at all but I just have to give a shout out because He has watched over my family during the past few weeks and walked before us in everything. His protection has been amazing and his grace and mercy and peace has been even better. Thank you God for holding the whole world in your hands and for controlling everything so I don't have to.

I is for IDOL!

American Idol! So I just finished watching the girls' competition and I thought that I would just weigh in on what my opinion is on the contestants so far this season.

My fav girls so far are...

Carly Smithson - Her talent is effortless. She has an amazing voice and doesn't try to be something she's not or doesn't try to go over the top to prove who she is. She's incredible! 'Nough said.

Brooke White - So cute! I love her! I have since her audition. Her talent is also effortless and there is just something about her that make you just love her. She's the good girl and doesn't mind letting people know that. I think she's humble and has her feet planted on firm ground. She reminds me alot of Sheryl Crow. I love Sheryl Crow -- minus the whole toilet paper thing.

I have several favorite guys and they are...

The Davids:

David Archuleta - He had talent and maturity beyond his years. His version of Imagine on Tuesday night was one of the best versions of that song I have ever heard. I love that song! He's only 17 and I think he will be in the finals, from what I've seen already.

David Cook - He's easy on the eyes. I have to admit that I didn't really take notice of him until this week. His performance Tuesday night rocked the house and it was one of the best of the night. Did I mention he's easy on the eyes?

David Hernandez - He's cute too and it's kind of the same story as David Cook. I didn't really take notice of him until this week. He has an amazing voice, very soulful. He rocked too!

Michael Johns - He's Australian. I just want him to stay so I can listen to him talk. He's got a good voice too. (His pic wouldn't upload...sad.)

Ok...now my not-so-favs:

Let's start with...

Danny Noriega - He's so annoying. I don't know what it is but he annoys me to know end. He can really sing but he's got too much attitude. He reminds me of someone who annoyed me the same way in high school.

Amanda Overmyer - Speaking of annoying...she's way over the top. I think she's got legit talent but tonight's performance was H-O-R-R-I-B-L-E. Bad. Bad. Bad. Really bad. It crossed the line with me and she's got to go. I'm officially annoyed.

Alaina Whitaker - I like her. I really do. But...she's too much of a Carrie Underwood look-a-like. Whenever she is on, I feel like I'm watching Season 4 again. She's legit though. She's got talent and she'll be making records after this. Country, no doubt. (Google didn't love her enough to have a decent picture.)

Back to Life

Well, hello blog readership of two. Katie is back in action. I've been away from my speedy internet and forced to use dial-up for the past six days due to my special trip to Jackson this weekend. The Walden family had a slight crisis to take care of that somewhat haulted life for a bit, but after many prayers, a lot of communication and some great professionals in the medical field, our world is spinning again and things seem to be calming down a bit.

So...I guess I need to pick the Alphabet Game back up. I hate that I broke the rules and didn't post for about six days but I think there's probably an exception in this case.

I think my next letter was "I", so I is for iPod (for lack of a better idea)....

I have an iPod Nano (1G I think, not nearly big enough for me) and I carry it everywhere I go. This was the greatest thing ever for me because of all the CDs I have, I only like to listen to certain ones. So, before the iPod, I would just make CDs of certain songs that I wanted to listen to so that on road trips I wouldn't have to keep changing CDs. It's been great for road trips as well because it drowns out yelling and snoring and crazy noises on buses. So here's to you Apple Computers, creator of the iPod, you've made my life complete. Except maybe I'd like an iPhone next...if I can manage not to drop it every 20 minutes.

G and H

Believe it or not, I had a hard time coming up with something for the letter "G". That's why I didn't post yesterday because I was at an absolute loss of what to post about. I mean I could've done the easy thing and posted about God but I've done that many times lately. What am I saying? You can never post enough about God.

Anyway, as I was sitting at my desk this morning it hit me. Gummi Bears. Haribo Gummi Bears to be exact. These are the best GB's ever made. Trust me. I have a friend who research it and did a project on it in college. It's a proven facts. I love GB's to start with but they are even better in TCBY yogart. Yummy! They get cold and then when they hit your tongue they start to melt and get chewy. Yum! Yum! So today, G is for gummi bears!

H is for Honduras. I've been back from my week trip to Honduras since mid-June but not a day goes by when I don't think about going back. I still keep in touch with one of the young girls that helped us everyday and translated for us. We keep in touch through Facebook, no less. Funny, huh? She is 12 years old and a stud Christian already. Her name is Ariana and she is awesome.

I had to post a picture of the Bandera de Hondura (Honduras Flag), though, because I can't see it or talk about it without thinking of my buddy, Julio, who taught me what the flag looked like, and with the help of Archie (our videographer), what the colors and stars meant. Julio was such a precious soul and I wish I could've brought him back with me. He was so patient with the language barrier and wanted to teach me a new Spanish word and learn a new English word everytime I turned around. He was such a picture of Jesus to me and I will never forget his sweet face.

F is for family...

Of course! And oh how much I miss them! I'm so excited about getting to go home this weekend and spend some quality time with the whole fam. I miss my sweet nephew like crazy and as always I miss hanging out with dad and talking my mom into buying things, talking sports with bro-in-law Ross and making my sister laugh.

E is for eating and exercising...

Something I need to a little less of and another thing I need to do a little more of -- in that order.

I eat way too much and I don't eat very healthy. With my job, by the time I get home, most of the time, it's late and I'm hungry but I don't feel like cooking so I just go by and get something -- most of the time from Sonic or Krystal's or Milo's, all three not so healthy.

I also have free access to a great gym and indoor pool at work but I often say that I've been at work all day and all I want to do is go home and rest. However, the inner tube around my belly isn't getting any smaller so I better suck it up and go to the gym if I want to look presentable in a swimsuit this year.

D is for DOG

My sweet Randi! I miss him so. At least I get to see him this weekend.

Poor pup! The holidays just took everything out of him.

C is for....

COOKIE CAKE!
I L-O-V-E cookie cake. Ask anyone. This is what I want for any celebration of anything in my life - birthday, anniversary, holiday, good week, bad week. It doesn't matter. Cookie cake always seals the deal. If you want to win points with me, go by me a cookie cake with just the right amount of icing and I will love you forever.

I don't really know why I like it so much but ever since I was little and my grandmother could no longer bake my birthday cakes, I've asked for cookie cake and sour worms for every single one of my birthdays. I could can for nothing else more. It makes me smile, just like the picture shows. I'm in heaven when I have cookie cake in my hands. So....

C is for COOKIE CAKE!

Happy Balumtine'th Day from Dave Barnes and me....

Happy Balumtine'th Day from Dave Barnes and me....

"B" is for ball...

Football, basketball, baseball, volleyball...I guess you get the point. Today's letter is about sports. I know I kind of cheated and didn't really use a picture of something but I should get some points for using a picture of the actual letter, right? I love sports and have decided to pretty much dedicate my life to it. I work in sports and plan to keep it that way for the rest of life, in whatever aspect God decides to take me.

I work in sports information right now so my whole day is consumed with anything to do with sports - from publishing stories on a website to conducting interviews to conversing with coaches about certain things to writing and laying out programs and media guides.

I don't know if this is exactly what I want to do with the rest of my life but it's a good start for now. I've recently felt God tugging me in a different direction towards sports ministry. I would love to eventually run my own sports ministry either independently or through a church. I just feel like I have way more to give than I'm giving now. However, a girl's got to get her feet on the ground before I can start running with it. I'm pretty excited about the direction God is taking me and the people and the opportunities that he has placed before me. I can't wait to see what God will do through me and with his plans for me. I just have to stay focused and determined.

Global Warming and ABCs

It's snowing in Birmingham...again. It was 70 degrees yesterday, it rained like the dickens at my house all last night and I wake up to snow this morning. Chalk another one up to crazy weather in the south. I'm sure this has something to do with global warming which seems to be the excuse for everything these days. 70 degrees one day, 20 the next. Global warming. The polar bears are going extinct. Global warming. I have a headache. Global warming. Jamie Lynn Spears is pregnant. Global war -- sorry, I was on a roll.

On another note, I decided to take part in the Alphabet that many of my fellow bloggers have been doing lately. Like LT, most of my pictures will probably be googled but I think that's what makes it more fun because you can blog about randomness.

So, let's start from the very beginning (A), because it's a very good place to start (that's a little The Sound of Music tribute, if you didn't catch it the first time):

"A" is for.....A-Team
I watched this show religiously when I was little. Yes, my parents let me watch this show. It wasn't all Sesame Street and Sunshine Factory for this kid. This show along with ALF and Miami Vice were some of my favs when I was little. I loved watching this show with my dad and we often practiced our Mr. T faces and voices around the house. Mr. T was the coolest (shout out to Laurette).

The theme song was probably the best part. I can remember dancing around the living room striking poses as the song played. This often happened when Miami Vice started as my dad, sister and I had a special move we would do when the flamingoes flashed across the screen.

So, today's letter is a tribute to the A-Team, one of the best shows ever made.

Welcome, Welcome, Welcome....

I haven't gotten to do this yet since I joined the blogging world after everyone else did, so now may I introduce you to the newest member of the blogging world...Mandi Alexander. I met Mandi during my stint in Rick's Rowdies and she's pretty much responsible for me getting to be president my last year. Plus, I met a whole bunch of cool people as a result of being her friendship. She now lives on the beach and I'm very jealous. So welcome aboard Mandi...don't become a slacker blogger.

Mandi after a major haircut...12 inches, I think. (Sorry Mandi, I jacked this from your blog. Hope you don't mind.

How Randi works out...and how we entertain ourselves

Things, Things, Things

I got this little listing thing from my friend Anne's blog. She has three children and watches Seasame Street all the time. Somehow she got this idea from SS and decided to share it with others. So now I'm participating and you should too!

5 Things I Like

1. Family - I don't know what I would do without my family. I'm an extremely family-oriented person and I cherish every minute I get to spend with my family. I have the most amazing parents in the world who support me in anything and everything I've ever done and will ever do, no matter what. They are responsible for who I am today and I have to thank them for showing Jesus and leading me to him as He has protected me over there years for things that I may not have been able to resist without him. My sister is my best friend...now. I would have never said that when I was 12, but it's amazing what happens when siblings move out of the house. She's is my role model and I would wish when I was little that I could be like her. My brother-in-law is THE COOLEST bro-in-law ever. He's the big brother I always wanted and never had (I would pray when I was little that I wished I had a brother that was six years older than me and I got him when my sister got married.) He treats me like a real sister and a friend and I love him for that. He would also do anything he could to help me and protect me. Not only does my future husband have to pass the "Dad Test", he also has to get the "Brother-In-Law Stamp of Approval". Oh and who can forget sweet William, my nephew. He is the cutest and smartest baby ever. He's growing more and more everyday and I'm jealous of those who get to have contact with him every single day. We are kindred spirits.

2. Food - I don't care what it is. I love it. I especially love junk food as I can make my way through a box of Krispy Kremes, a sackful of Krystals, a bag of chips, and a crockpot of rotel in one sitting anyday. It's even better when the food is free. If you want to get me to something, just say there will be free food and I'm there.

3. My church - See the various post about christianity and church for my thoughts about my church. It's amazing and I've learned so much these past two years because of it.

4. Napping when it rains. There's just something about the rhythm of the rain that gets me sleepy.

5. Music and painting - Both are cathartic for me. I'm not very good as expressing my feelings but give me a good song with the right lyrics and I'm good. That's why I think that I would have been a great songwriter in another life (maybe even this life, with some help) because I express my feelings so much better through written word and song, that I could ever try to with spoken words. Painting is just relaxing to me. There were many times in college that I would get upset or frustrated and just sit down and paint because it took my mind off of the situation and made me feel better.

5 Things I Don't Like

1. Smoking - I've had to deal with smoking grandparents all my life and I hate the smell of smoke, the way it makes you look, the way it makes you smell, the way it kills you. It's just gross. The best thing this country, or at least some cities in this country have done, is to ban smoking from public restaurant and bars. It's great! Now I can go somewhere and not worry about leaving smelling like an ashtray. There are some places in Jackson that should take on this philosophy.

2. Driving in the rain - I hate it. It freaks me out. I mean like sprinkles are okay, but when it really starts to pour, I get antsy. And I know it can't be good for the people around me. I don't lose control but I definitely head for the house in a more determined way.

3. Feeling out of place - I hate being the third wheel or going to a party or wedding or any kind of function and feeling out of place or ignored. It's not conducive to my social existance.

4. Rosie O'Donnell. That is all.

5. Collard greens. Yuck.

Three things I Care Nothing About

1. Politics - Sad but true. I really should. And I can't use the excuse that there are more important things to worry about anymore. Because there aren't. If your a frequent reader of my blog, which I'm sure I'm speaking to the hard drive right now, you have noticed that I've tried to care a little about the subject and I heavily back Mike Huckabee. But ask me what I think about the issues on the docket and I couldn't give a response. I'd just say, I agree with Huckabee.

2. Britney Spears.

3. Who's pregnant in Hollywood now?

Weekend Wrap-Up

Well, my Mstate Bulldogs failed once more, and again, the comeback is too little too late. We have got to start playing smart ball or we aren't going to accomplish the things that we want to accomplish. Playing "Jamont Gordon ball" doesn't work all the time. Don't get me wrong. I love the kid. I have ever since I met him on a recruiting visit. Sweet kid. But just because you're the star doesn't mean you have to have the ball the whole time and it doesn't mean we have to play 90-to-nothing streetball either. At least Ole Miss lost. Again. But somebody has GOT to shut Arkansas up. We are going to lose our top spot if we can't get them at home.

Anyway, my Samford Bulldogs did pretty well. Our beat the conference No. 1 in a double OT barn-burner. It was actually a little annoying. Ha! Our guys finally got another win at home despite some great players being out with injuries, but it gave some of our young guys a chance to step it up and shine.

Eli won the Super Bowl. Boo! But I do have to say, they deserved it. I'll give credit where credit is due and an Eli played an incredible game. He was on, his line was on, the defense was on, and Tom Terrific and the Pats were NOT. I was rooting for the Pats not because I'm a Boston fan (which I am) and root for every Boston team (because I don't, I'm not a Belichick fan at all) but because a) Tom Brady is one fine piece of man, 2) I think it would have been great to see a team make go undefeated and make history, and III) Eli Manning is not on my list of favorites. However, you gotta give to the Giants, they KILLED it. Plus, Mississippi State alum Kevin Dockery is a Super Bowl champ and who doesn't love the name Plaxico. I do. Talk about being named on the subway.

And can I mention again how much I love my church? I do. It's amazing. My pastor preaches THE WORD and he is not afraid to throw some things in your face and challenge your lifestyle by any means. I love that. Because who else is gonna do it if he doesn't. There is not one Sunday that I don't leave that place convicted, thinking what a retched person I am and it is only by the amazing grace of God that I breathe in and out everyday. How amazing is God's love for us that he sent his Son to die so that we can be free from the very things that we fear today. We don't have to be afraid of sin and think that we are so imprisoned by it because Christ has defeated it and only through him and is strength and salvation are we able to overcome that sin. God is good! Amen?

I'm in the choir at church and our choir is not a typical choir. We don't sing every Sunday. We sing probably once a month and I don't think that there is one person in that choir that could not get up and sing a solo. The sound is so good. But singing isn't the only reason I love being in the choir. I love being able to stand up there and watch the Holy Spirit move through the crowd of people. See, at my church, we rock out. We do. There's no getting around. But we aren't a church that people go to because the music is great. I mean we are, but that's not the only reason. It's just great to watch how people respond to God's presence in worship. It's so fun to watch people as they jump up and down and raise their hand and kneel down and clap and sway and dance. (And no I do go to a pentacostal church. We are nondenominational/baptist.) See, I used to think that people were crazy when they did all the afore mentioned things. But I wasn't really seeing it for what it was worth. I mean there are times when I can't help but to lift my hands in response to what God has done for me. There are times when I can help but clap and dance a little bit in my place because I'm so excited about what I'm singing about. That's what it's all about. Responding in worship to what is in your heart, whether it's joy or pain. That's what God wants, and we do it corporately to lift one another up, to encourage and support.

Ok, so this post is longer than I thought it would be. Oops. I guess I got on my soapbox a little. Well...until next time.