25 Things

From College Station...

Today I was thinking about when the big thing was to write those Facebook notes called "25 things" and then tag everyone you think would care to read it. The purpose of the exercise, as the title implies, is to make a list of 25 random facts about you that people may not know. I am always entertained to go back and read notes from a few years ago, so that's what I did today. That being said, I thought it would be fun to write a new list. Let's see how this goes...

1. I absolutely hate descriptive food words. These include (but are not limited to) tender, succulent, moist, etc.

2. Ironically, I probably watch Food Network more than any other channel. Despite my hatred for the words listed above, I could sit there for hours watching people cook food and then proceed to describe in detail how it looks/tastes/smells/feels. It drives me crazy, but at the same time it's so entertaining.

3. I am extremely sentimental. This has shown itself to be a blessing because it is very easy for me to be compassionate towards difficult people. This quality is also a curse because I tend to get my feelings hurt by silly things...I'm working on that one.

4. I love animals. I can't help but go to The Puppy Store every single time I go to the mall. The only thing keeping me from buying all of them is the fact that they each cost about $400. I have been to the animal shelter one time a few years ago...that was dangerous. I cried when I got home because I couldn't "rescue" any of them. I also cried when I ran over a squirrel. I sincerely pray I never become the crazy cat lady.

5. I spend more time than I should wishing I could go back to Alaska. It was probably the most beautiful place I've ever been.

6. I have recently been really into making crafts. I give all the credit to Pinterest. I catch myself buying canvases in bulk from Hobby Lobby so I can paint amateur works of "art" and proudly display them all around my house.

7. I find the 1960's extremely interesting. One time I sat and watched a 2 hour documentary on the Kennedy assassination because the whole thing was a compilation of news footage from the day it happened. I loved looking at all the outfits, cars, hair, everything.

8. I take partial credit for developing the Sonic dollar menu. When I worked there in high school, I would tell my manager all the time that it would be a good idea. His response? "Kristen, that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. We will never have a dollar menu because between that and happy hour we would never make any money!" Right.

9. When I was little, I was terrified of Ken dolls. I had so many Barbies but they were sentenced to a lonely fate thanks to my irrational fear of their male counterpart.

10. In first grade I sang "My Heart Will Go On" for the elementary talent show. I opted to sing it A Capella. Not my proudest performance, but I'm sure my mom thought it was adorable.

11. Growing up we had an RV that we would stay in when we went on vacations. My sister and I would run around the campground trying to find a little group of friends for the week. Ok..actually...since I was an unreasonably shy child, my sister would be the one going up to kids saying "Hey! Want to be friends with me and my sister?!" as I watched awkwardly from a distance. Usually they would say yes.

12. I had to wear headgear at night in 3rd grade. It closely resembled a catcher's helmet. I don't think I went to a single sleepover that whole year.

13. In 7th grade I thought it would be a good idea to dye my hair with this stuff called "Sun In". It was a lemon juice based liquid that you spray on your hair and then blowdry it and it was supposed to give you natural looking highlights. If by natural they meant orange and brassy, then it was definitely natural. That stuff went into the trash where it belonged.

14. I have never been in a car wreck in which I was driving. I've definitely cut it pretty close, but thanks to my puma-like reflexes, I have narrowly avoided a few collisions.

15. I had my adenoids removed when I was 5. I used to be one of those mouth breathers who always sounded congested no matter what. Basically I was the girl version of that kid on "Hey Arnold" who always got punched in the face by Helga Patacki.

16. In 10th grade I called into the radio station to win Kelly Clarkson tickets but instead won tickets to see Mariah Carrey. I was really upset and didn't even want them so I gave them away to a random girl at the bowling alley. Now that I think about it I could have made some serious cash.

17. I played flute in the middle school band. I actually used the same flute that my mom played in high school.

18. In 1st grade I watched a movie called "The Indian and the Cupboard" in which there is a scene where the little boy has just recovered from a cold and his mom asks him how he is feeling, to which he responds "I feel pretty damn good!" Fast forward a week or so...we had an assignment where we had to read a story about this kid who adopted a dog and answer some questions about it. One question asked "How would you feel if you adopted a dog?" Of course I wrote "I would feel pretty damn good!" I had a long talk with the principal that day.

19. I have only won the crane game one time. I was 5 years old. I still have that little bear.

20. My grandma thought my name was pronounced "Kris-teen" until I was 2.

21. That same grandma lost her balance (and then regained it by grabbing my head) and pushed my face into our brick fireplace, knocking out my two front teeth.

22. I took piano lessons for 15 years. Every year we would have a recital and I hated it because I have the worst stagefright.

23. One time when my mom was cooking, she had a glass of chicken broth sitting out. I walked into the kitchen for some water, saw the glass, and thought "Oh how nice! My mom knew I was thirsty and poured me some water!" I am disgusted just thinking about it.

24. My sister and I each had a gerbil when we were little. We had to keep them in this closet type thing in our bathroom so our cat didn't eat them. Whenever mom would tell us to take a bath, we would lock ourselves in the bathroom with the water running and just sit there and play with the gerbils. She caught us one time and was pretty mad. It was hilarious.

25. I asked Jesus into my heart when I was about 6 or 7. It happened when I was in the shower. Best shower of my life.


That took awhile! I hope you learned something new about me. If not, sorry.

Have a good day!
Kristen

I'm so crafty

From College Station...


I'm sure by now everyone and their mom (literally) have hopped on the Pinterest train. I, like many others, have been guilty of pinning all these seemingly easy projects and never actually going through with them. This bothered me. The other day I decided to actually make something other than just gluing a few flowers to a canvas. I thought I would put my carpentry skills to work. Now this project I made was not an exact replica of something I pinned, but I had seen some other wooden crafts and thought it couldn't be that hard to make something similar. I started my quest at Hobby Lobby. Basically Pinterest Mecca. I found some stencils that I thought would be cute to use for painting designs since I'm not so great at freehand. Now the wood... I knew I had to venture to Home Depot. I have been in Home Depot a handful of times with my dad to pick up some things on the way to our farm, but it has always been me just following him as he knows that place like the back of his hand. I walked in and it immediately felt like everyone working there knew how uncomfortable I was. A few people asked me if they could help me find something, but I was determined to not be the typical clueless girl in the hardware store and figure it out on my own. I definitely assumed the wood would already be cut into small craft-size planks; however, they were all about 10 feet long. I thought, "I can either take this home and cut it with a steak knife, or I can ask someone to cut it for me..." I wandered around the wood section for a good 15 minutes trying to rationalize not asking for help. Finally a rather intimidating looking gentleman approached me and asked if I needing anything. I'm sure he could tell I was contemplating destroying my fine cutlery. I so bluntly answered, "Actually I have no idea what I'm doing." I proceeded to tell him that I needed some wood cut and when he asked me what I was making, I told him I was just making crafts. He replied by asking, "Let me guess...Pinterest?" Could it be?! A fellow pinner??? "YES!" I said. "How did you know?!" He replied quite frankly, "You don't understand. Girls come in here all the time asking us to cut wood for their "crafts". Pinterest is part of our everyday life, ma'am." At least I didn't feel so alone and stupid anymore. After he was done, I didn't dare ask where the wood stain was. I found that on my own after about 10 minutes of wandering around some more. Finally back at home I got to work on my long-awaited project. A few hours later, this is what I had made:







Fancy? I think yes. I even put it on Pinterest! Perhaps I'll share more crafty projects if I so desire to subject myself to Home Depot again.

Have a good week!
Kristen

Rambles and updates

From College Station

Updates:
It has been an incredibly busy month! Three Disciple Now's can really wear you out. All 3 were different yet awesome in their own ways. As tiring as it was, I can't think of a better way to spend 3 weekends of the month than watching teenagers serve and worship the Lord.

I have been back in College Station for about a month now, and I'm starting to get the hang of the whole grown-up thing. Upon my arrival, I was greeted by my first bill in the mailbox to which I quickly and proudly wrote a check and mailed it. Oddly enough, it was almost fun. I'm sure that giddiness of paying bills will wear off in time. To add to my adult-ness (if that's a word), I went to the bank yesterday and they told me I was approved for a credit card that is offered to recent college graduates. I had been talking to my parents over the break about getting one and using it for small things like gas and groceries, so I decided it was time. It is also very strange to have nothing but work now. No class, no tests to study for, no homework. While that is very nice, I am having a hard time finding productive ways to spend my free time. However, I am moving along quite nicely on my bucket list!

-My friend Katy and I have started going to exercise classes at the Rec every day.
-I have begun my quest of reading through the entire Bible (in chronological order)
-As I stated before, I have been paying rent, bills, etc. myself and have not gone broke.

On a random note, a few weeks ago Justin surprised me with tickets to see Needtobreathe and Ben Rector next weekend. I am so stinkin' pumped. Just thought I'd throw that in there.

Have a great week!
Kristen

Speechless

From College Station

For my grandma's 98th birthday, we decided to take her to County Line. She loves BBQ, as every 98-year-old woman should. To spare you the long story, my grandma has just recently become close with my family again. There was some family drama that caused us to not be too close to her for the past 15 years or so. Nothing she did, just unnecessary drama. Anyway, today we took her to lunch. When our food came, we said our usual pre-meal prayer and went on with our regular conversation. Towards the end of lunch, she started talking about this astronomy class she has been going to at her retirement home every week. She said a few things that caught my attention, such as "If you don't believe in God, or gods, or whatever, after hearing about all the other planets, I don't know what will convince you!" Had she not included the "or gods" part, I would have agreed with her. Here is how the rest of the conversation played out...

Grandma: There are just so many planets, it's impossible to believe that just one God created all of them! Kristen, what do you think?
Me: Well, I believe that there is only one God, and that He created everything and has power over everything. That's what it says in the Bible.
Grandma: You can't really KNOW that. That's just what the people who wrote the Bible say.
Me: That's what faith is. Believing even though you can't see Him.
Grandma: Then if you believe in Him, what is He like?

Not gonna lie...I lost it. On the inside anyway. My heart broke for her. So many things I wanted to say were silenced by my inability to form words. I am also heartbroken that at the moment when I needed to be the most bold, I was at a loss for words. God burdened my heart for my grandma, and I am praying He will give me another opportunity to share Christ with her. Please keep her in your prayers as well.

-Kristen

I can't sleep

From Denton...

I have been quite tired all day but as soon as I finally went to bed all I could do was toss back in forth in bed with my mind racing through so many thoughts and my heart aching in my chest...causing me to be more awake than ever.

The Lord is gripping my heart, getting my full attention on Him to open my eyes completely. This past week I have been in Atlanta, Georgia at the Passion conference where the Lord opened my eyes to all of the yuck in this world. He gave me just a glimpse of all that is going around the world every moment of every day...God's children who are precious and loved in His sight are being used, abused, starved, malnourished, neglected, killed, and hurt every day. I lay awake convicted and broken as I begin to experience the urgency of the Lord's heart for His people.

I have spent so much of my time holding onto my own desires and my own plans that I am grieving the Holy Spirit-keeping Him from having His way in my life completely. I worry about silly things and hold onto perishable items and relationships which hurts the heart of my Father. This last month has been a wrestling match with my flesh. As I draw nearer to Jesus, His Holiness reveals the yuck of my flesh and the desires it longs to pursue. All the while, my Lord is gentle and patient, guiding me down His narrow path and lifting up my face with His hands. God's word is clear. You either follow the world and the passions in the world or you Follow Jesus and pursue the things of His heart, while hating the things of the world. Anytime I sense my flesh trying to take over a thought, word or action I break and I weep because I hate the things of my flesh and I just desire to please my Jesus...crying out "Lord Jesus, please strip me of my flesh-I don't want it, even if it makes me bare...I know your grace covers me" His mercy engulfs me...moment by moment.

As I lay awake, Isaiah 58 is running through my mind...non stop. The Lord tells me that He desires for my life to reflect this scripture in worship to Him. He tells me that He desires for me to let go of things I hold onto-and be an extension of His hands and feet every day. He desires for me to humble myself and serve His people-bringing them the truth and love of Jesus Christ...salvation and redemption to their souls.

Father, I am weak and selfish in my flesh and so often my eyes are on worthless things. Jesus, You require me to drop all things to follow you; You require of me a sincere and surrendered heart. Following You takes a strength, joy, boldness, faithfulness, love and lasting satisfaction that can only come from a fulfillment of Your Holy Spirit within me. Jesus, I desire You and delight in knowing Your heart. I thank you for your unconditional love and grace. Please strip me of my flesh daily to follow You. I am desperate for You-desperate to bring Glory to Your name. May my life and body be a living sacrifice for Your glory, Lord Jesus. I love you. Amen.

"For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Mark 10:45