once upon a time i went to tucson...

I apologize for taking so long to post about my trip to Tucson. Everyone has been asking me how it went so I think it's about time I blog about it! I think the simplest way to describe it is to say that it was a whole week of constant F-U-N! I apologize for my kindergarten vocabulary but that is just the word for it! It was a vacation for me. It was 65 degrees and sunny the whole time (KC was having a blizzard at the same time)! I was completely taken aback by the beautiful mountains, palm trees, and HUGE cactus! It is such a gorgeous city! I was absolutely SPOILED rotten the whole week! Louie took me to so many cool local restaurants (confession: I had an affair with this sandwich),

he showed me around the University of Arizona campus, he took me to the Arizona v Cal basketball game (we won 73-71 so stinkin intense), lots of date nights, we went hiking in a beautiful canyon where I saw a mountain lion... on a danger sign,

watched breathtaking Arizona sunsets, went golfing and.... ok let me pause on this golfing thing for a sec because I have an announcement to make.... I, KATE PHILLIPS, AM GOOD AT GOLF!!! And contrary to what everyone says, Louie was NOT just giving me false flattery thank you very much! haha! I don't know if I've ever mentioned this but Louie is an AMAZING golfer (like "watch out Tiger" good)! So he wanted to take me golfing once just for the fun of it... after my first time I loved it so much we went 3 more times! Apparently I was impressive (the farthest I hit it was about 175 yards... which, according to Louie is really good for a beginner)! haha I don't mean to boast but this is kind of a big deal for me because, if you know me at all, I am the farthest thing from "impressive" when it comes to athletics! PEOPLE, I HAVE FOUND MY SPORT!! haha! I'm sorry if this sounds cocky but I am honestly just shocked that "Kate", "golf", and "impressive" ever made it in the same sentence! So my next move is to start up an awesome collection of argile... just kidding... sorta!

But on the other side of the trip I got to spend an entire week with Louie's family and friends. This was my first trip to Tucson and it was such a blessing to be able to be in his world. I was immediately warmly welcomed into his family's home and just fell in love with them. I even got to spend time with his grandparents who prayed over us, which was so touching to me! Honestly, one of the sweetest, giving, Jesus-lovin' families I've ever met! I was blessed beyond words to be apart of their lives for a week! Getting to meet and hang out with all his friends was such a blast as well. It was so funny to realize that if we all would have gone to the same high school as me and my friends we would have all been really tight!

Louie and I joked about how this was the official full integration into each others lives haha.... but it really was! I hope you enjoyed the obnoxious amount of pictures I decided to include! I just think that showing my trip does more justice than telling it!

the end.

BOBS???

So today I'm in shoe carnival and as I walked in I saw a front display of TOMS and got excited that shoe carnival would sell them but as I got closer I noticed the huge sign that says "BOBS by Skechers, Every pair gives a pair to a child in need". My eyes got all bug eyed as I picked up one of the shoes on display. WHAT THE HECK?!?! It was the same EXACT shoe as TOMS. For some reason I this feeling of bewilderment and a little anger. I started thinking, "They completely copied them!! Thats so dumb! They just want to copy a successful business model and tac on philanthropy for the money!" I immediately called Louie to tell him how crazy I thought this was. I was freaking out telling him about it and his first response was, "Well thats awesome that more kids in need get shoes." SMACK! Wow thank you God for adding a little taste of perspective to my life. Who is supposed judge the motives of the heart??.... eh not me! My job is to give praise to The Provider that used a huge shoe company to provide children in need with shoes. It got me to thinking about how God is never limited to who He can use to accomplish his plan. We can't judge others and say that they could never be used by God in that way because they're not a believer or they are not "good enough". And on the other side you can't tell yourself that your inadequacies are too great to be used by God. What a valuable nugget of truth from God. So thankful for a boyfriend that loves the Lord so much and gives me loving correction when I need it :) 1 Peter 1:3! So yet again I am reminded that it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me; therefore I must be stripped of the flesh DAILY! Even when my flesh has a passionate loathing for Skechers for making those ridiculous Shape-up shoes (I apologize for my sassiness if you wear them- if they tighten your hiney, then more power to ya girlfriend)! Hope you have an awesome weekend!

worry warts

So I started up my first day of classes today but I felt the enemy hit me with a wave of anxiety. Only the enemy can create anxiety in your heart like this! I actually had a great first day of classes but I could feel my brain going a million miles an hour with worries of the world... syllabuses, homework, sorority life, projects in studio, taking 16 hrs, just trying to start the semester off right!! I had to stop myself and just pause to dive into God's Word to be reminded of what He says about anxiety. "And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?" Matthew 6:27. I love Jesus' sarcasm... BRILLIANT! haha! He's trying to give us a reality check. I encourage you to read Matthew 6:25-34 to just reflect on God's sovereignty over our lives and that there is NO REASON to be anxious about anything... ANYTHING! I just love being reminded of biblical truths like this because so many times my head knows it but my heart does not reflect it. This would be an awesome prayer request for the week. I would love to know any prayer requests of any other worry wart bloggees out there, so feel free to comment your little hearts away :) peace, love, and deep breaths!

bend and SNAP (hehe i think im witty)

So two weeks ago I finally got my new camera and I am in LOVE!!! I've had so much fun snappin' away! It was so awesome to get it right before my trip to Tucson! Speaking of.... the trip was AMAZING and such a blessing to be able to spend a whole week with Louie and his family! I can't wait to visit again :) That is a whole other blog post though! But the day I got home I took some amateur senior pictures of my sweet friend Morgan! I was actually really pleased on how they turned out... so enough with the chit chat.... here's a small taste of my new obsession! Let your eyes feast!!!!!

a new year

2011 is just around the corner. 2010 was quite the eventful year..... lost a kidney, went to prom, graduated high school, worked at kamp, started college, pledged a sorority, made new friends, got a boyfriend, finished my first semester of college.... lots to be thankful for. I am blessed far beyond what I deserve. I am ready to start a fresh year (2010 is at full capacity)! I was thinking about everything I'm looking forward to in the new year. For christmas I got the Beth Moore bible study, Esther, that I've heard amazing things about. My mom, Meg, and I are doing it together! I love studies that dig deep into scripture. So excited to start it! Also for Christmas, my parents got me a plane ticket to Tucson! This is going to be my first time going and I am FREAKING OUT with excited!! I get to meet Louie's family and all his friends. It's supposed to be absolutely beautiful there AND.... here's the best part..... its supposed to be in the 60's while I'm there! EEEK! haha ok so the weather isn't even close to being the best part but a pretty big deal compared to the dreary weather in KC these days. I swear I havn't seen the sun in weeks! Im leaving Jan. 7 and come back the 12th (the countdown is at 10 days... yes more countdowns). Next, my friend, Tim Lindquist is selling me his Canon d50 for an amazing deal! Oh my word! I have been saving up for this camera for a VERY long time and finally have enough to have one of my own! AAAHH! Thank you thank you Tim :) I've always loved photography and now I finally have the equipment to get started! I aspire to have a blog like Jami Nato's someday! Oh my word its so stinkin darling... you need to check it out thenatos.blogspot.com! Also in the new year I'll be the new Arts Chair for KKG, which will be a lot of time and responsibility but so much fun! I'm already designing some of the banners for this semester. I've got a lot of excitement ahead of me this year! Bring it on 2011 :)

jingle jams

TOP 15 SONGS TO PUT YOU IN THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT:

1) Christmas Lights....... Coldplay

2) Christmas Tonight (with hillary scott)..... Dave Barnes

3) Carol of the Bells......... Emmy Rossum

4) All I Want for Christmas is You............*NSYNC

5) Oh Santa........ Mariah Carey

6) Winter Song...... Sara Bareilles & Ingrid Micaelson

7) This Christmas...... Chris Brown

8) Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel...... Dave Barnes

9) Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas....... Relient K

10) Baby Its Cold Outside........ Drew and Ellie Holcomb

11) Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow......... Michael Buble

12) Auld Lang Syne......... Ben Rector

13) The Christmas Song....... The Raveonettes

14) Silent Night........ T Swift

15) White Christmas....... Frank Sinatra

the countdown is officially at 13 days till christmas..... yes i'm one of those people with a running countdown..... don't judge me! haha

psh finals week shminals week

So this week is supposed to be high stress, lots of cramming, headaches, yadda yadda blah blah blah! I'm so stinkin blessed though ...lemme tell ya! I have one final I have to study for that's not even accumulative (aka just study the night before... sorry mom just being honest) and then a final in Comp 1 that is just gonna be an in-class essay or something easy like that. PHEW! Seriously, this is a moment when working my booty off all semester pays off! Im just honestly so thankful for a stress- free finals week after a kind of stressful semester.... an AMAZING semester.... but a stressful one. So excited for christmas break! Over a month off baby! whoop whoop! I loooove christmas in KC! Ok I just love christmas in general! The food, the christmas lights, the tree, christmas music, peppermint hot chocolate... mmm makes my heart smile! I love all the traditions and time to just spend with the fam jam! I feel like the christmas season really got started this week! We had our Kappa Kissmas semi-formal that Louie came up to Fayetteville for! Then last night we had a huge christmas feast at the Kappa House and wore tacky christmas sweaters! so... Dear finals week, please just get over with already so I can go home. Much appreciated. Sincerely, Kate.