Thoughts on my LAST DAY IN FORT COLINS

SOME of my stuff!! 

 That's right! Tomorrow is my LAST FULL DAY IN FORT COLLINS!!!!!!!!!!!! OH MY GOODNESS!!!!!!!!!!!That is SOOOO WEIRD!!!!!!!!!!!!

Old Town Fort Collins!!!!

Really - really weird! :O 


Yeah! 


I dropped a TON of books off at the Summitview Library and I gave Kate the Great a GIANT HUG! :) I wanted to cry when I left Summitview because 'tear' Katie will miss all the people that are part of Summitview. 


I will miss my friends too. Because they make me smile and I like hanging out with them. I'm happy though, because there's always the world of FACEBOOK! But Facebook is not the same as hugs. Nope. Not the same at all. And not the same as sitting across from them over lunch or hanging out, or over a dish of ice-cream and seeing them giggle. 


I had my last D-Team last night too. I will miss everyone there. They all have such cool perspectives on God and the Bible, and I learn so much from them :) They've taught me a lot, and I hope I have taught them stuff too. They say I have :) That makes me smile. But, not being able to see them every week will make me sad. 


I'll miss my friends. Yup. I said that already. 
But I'm excited to meet new friends in my Paralegal courses and also at the Denver Firehouse Church :) That makes me happy! I'll see some girls I knew from Summitview and that makes me feel better - more comforted and know my transition will be easier to see them :) and I know the pastor Rich Thatcher already! I'm excited to hear him teach again. 


aaaaaand..... I'LL BE RIDING THE RTD BUS SYSTEM with my DISCOUNT BUS PASS! 

DISCOUNT BUS PASS!!

 That's right! I get BUS SERVICE on: EVENINGS (past 6pm), and SUNDAYS and HOLIDAYS! And I'll be able to ride the Light Rail and the bus stops are on Google Maps, and RTD has a mobile website :D Basically, for this girl who's transit-dependent, moving to a city that has a much much much much better transit system is exciting. Why??? Because more freedom for me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't have to depend on others for rides, and I can get around more like a normal person in Denver, and yeah!!!!!! Oh, and I don't have to worry about parking downtown either heheee heee heee!!!! :) 

AAAAAAAAND: 


I'll be able to help my grandma out more :) When I came for Memorial Day weekend, I was at her house for a few hours helping her get ready. It was fun just talking to her as we made deviled eggs. And I got to do stuff for her like get out a platter for the eggs that was under a TON of other heavy dishes, and I washed the pots and pans on the counter. She has less of a range of motion, so she can't lift things or reach for things as well. That's why washing pots and pans was nice. Because some of them are heavy. I also was able to talk to my aunt who has a developmental disability. It was fun to catch up with her. To be able to help them more will be nice, and I pray that they would see Christ through my helping them and my just being there for them :) :) Same with my mom :) :) 


So all in all, I'm going to REALLY MISS FORT COLLINS A LOT!!!!!!!!!!! Mainly because my people from Summitview that have helped me grow up and mature as Christian will be there and I will be in Denver, and I have fun memories of all the years I've lived here too. But I'm excited to begin my life in Denver because I'll be able to help my family more, and embark on learning how to become a paralegal, and be involved in a new church in Denver :) 

Singleness Beautiful in its Time

THE GIRLY SIDE OF LITTLE ME IS TAKING OVER THIS BLOG AGAIN!!!! BAAAHHAAAHAHAHAHAHAAAAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA :) Just kidding ;) But no really, I'm glad I can write about more than just nerdy observations on here :) 


Anyway, I was reading Ecclesiasties again and chapter 3 has the "Everything in it's time" section. A few weeks ago, I realized that God makes EVERYTHING beautiful in His time - the pains in life and the joys in life. For me as a Christian single lady, He has made my college years beautiful (and undergrad was one big Small Group party) and is making my working years beautiful in their time. I also realized that He made my years of having complete guy-crushes and borderline fixations on guys beautiful in their time. No, I'm not saying that God was pleased that I made guys idols. Nope. That was definitely a bad mistake. But He has used that time when I really really really really really really wanted to get married (to whatever specific guy I liked) to teach me stuff. 


He taught me how to trust and wait on Him even when I wanted something reeeeallllly badly. When I was getting googly-eyed over a guy because of a specific attribute (good with kids, nice, always willing to be helpful, etc.), God would show me how He had that same attribute multiplied by infinity. That was really cool because I got to know God a whole lot better that way :) 


Last Sunday we sang the song "Our God will Come" and I suddenly had this realization: Us single ladies waiting for marriage is a PERFECT REFLECTION OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH AS A WHOLE WAITING FOR OUR NUCLEAR HOT EPIC GROOM NAMED JESUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) :) :) :) :) :) :) 

Yet another cool image off of Google Images :)

Um.... ok, for those of you that sorta giggled when you read "Nuclear hot epic groom named Jesus..." - well... Daniel and Revelation both talk about all that epicness and bright and shininess when Jesus comes riding in on a white horse so..... THAT'S BIBLICAL! :) 


Anyway, sometimes I've felt like I've done a TERRIBLE job at waiting. Because I'd go to women's conferences and get the sense that the proper way to wait is to be all prim and proper serenely putting together a hope chest and helping your mom or older ladies in the church bake cookies and then pray these sweet nice prayers to Jesus for a husband and write in a nice little flowery journal after reading something from Elizabeth Elliot during your two hour daily quiet times. Then Jesus gives the prim and proper little Christian lady her man and she's all happy and then goes on to speak at women's conferences. 


Real life for me is so not like that!! I'm like the girl who is on a date with Jesus like "Hey, I know we're supposed to be going steady because You purchased my life with Your blood, but OH MY - YOU - This guy on my D-Team.... .let me tell You.... he's SOO HOTT and sweet!! And - I know this is our time - but I just wanna gush to You about him, and because You're unconditionally loving, I know You won't mind hee hee hee!" and later when said brother doesn't reciprocate, I'm having a hissy fit and Jesus is like Hosea who welcomes Gomer back into their home after she does her 'business' and is like, "I still love you, my Gomer-poo, come here!" and she's like, "I'm soo - oo - sorry - I'll never - run - off - again - not - for like - two weeks?" Yeah, my waiting for the most part has NOT been the prim and proper kind. 


Then I realize that the Church doesn't necessarily wait in a quiet way. Romans 8 says that we groan for Jesus to come back. And we don't always stick to Jesus all the time. Paul's epistles are filled with: and confess your sin to others, and exhort one another, etc. Why? Because we have a habit of FAILING!!! But we all strive for one thing: To get closer to Christ as we wait in anticipation for Him to come back / for us to go to Heaven to be with Him :) 


Suddenly with all that realization, I realized that my own struggles in waiting for a husband sort of mirror the Church as a whole (all Christians united together) to wait for Jesus and how we struggle to satisfy ourselves without Him. So, God is making the easy times of being single and the hard times of being single beautiful in His time with this major lesson and of course many others :) :) :) 

Moving is a Loss Event

I'M MOVING TO DENVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Right. I think I said that on this blog already, but yeah.
I had my last day of work today. GAAH! No more MOOLAH!!!! Well... that's not entirely true. I still have 2 paychecks pending :D But still....


More than the lack of moolah, it was hard to say goodbye to the friends I made there, especially my 'little bro' (see my post on that). We exchanged emails though. :) So that's good!


But that's another place in Fort Collins I have to say goodbye to.
Here's a list of places Katie will miss in Fort Collins:


1. Summitview's building (implied of course that I will miss my SUMMITVIEW PEEPS - will get to that later in this post).
2. Campus
3. Campus Transit Center
4. Downtown Transit Center
5. Old Town
5a. Starry Night Cafe
5b. Unique Thrift Store
5c. Old-Town Old C's.
5d. The little fountains right by the little art museum.
5e. The Cupboard
5f. The "plaza" area by Coopersmiths / Ben and Jerry's.
6. Whole Foods on Drake and College (because Lesley and I have had many girl dates there).
7. Council Tree Library and shopping area
8. Rolland Moore Park
9. Inspiration Playground
9a. "Shout to Creation" spot just west of Inspiration Playground (taking the dirt path up there).
10. THE QUAD
11. ARC and Once Again Thrift because a) my clients went to ARC a few times and b) Kristina and I have had adventures at both places.
12. Cinemark Movie Theatre (because I had many Abra dates there and other girl dates there).
13. Lamar's Doughnuts (yummy doughnuts!)
14. Cups (coffee shop)
15. Mugs (coffee shop)
16. King Soopers on Taft and Elizabeth - shopped there since - dang. 2009!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :O


I'm sure I'll think of more places, but that's a good start.


I'll miss these places because of the memories attached to them. When I walk around CSU or when I walk around Old Town, I have memories there. It's cliche, but those places really do become a part of me. I remember sharing in Old Town with The Rock and passing out hot chocolate. I also remember hanging out at Starry Night with girls from Summitview and I remember the Symbio Valentine's Day singles get-together at Coopersmiths among other things. And CSU has - well 6 years of memories there... Especially Newsom Hall! Oooooooooooh, Newsom Hall.... And Narnia - the gardens south of Newsom Hall where CSU will at some point build a STADIUM.... erm - but that's for another post :P


I'll miss my Summitview peeps and my Quad ladies and my CSU friends because - well - yeah. THEY'RE MY PEOPLE and I've gotten close to them and we've laughed and cried and stuff together, and well - it's hard to say goodbye to people I've gotten close to. That's why moving is a loss event. Because I won't be as physically close to my people as I am now.


It's nice to let myself cry, even though I feel sad. Why is it nice to feel sad? Because if I keep my sad emotions bottled up and don't release them and let my brain process why I am feeling the way I am, it just explodes. And if I feel sad in increments, I say goodbye little by little instead of all at once.


I also am planning on taking pictures of Fort Collins :) That way I'll have ait with me in tangible reminders in those pictures :) :)


Moving is a loss event, but it doesn't have to be crushing. I have ways to cope, and above all, I have God to go to when I am sad, and I know it is His will that I move to Denver, so that makes me feel better :)

A Legit Career Path

One thing about being in Symbio, is almost everyone is asking, "Ok, what do I want to do when I grow up?" Yes, many of us have bachelor degrees and several years of work experience under our belts. But the question we are asking is this: What do we want our resume to look like long term given our education, experience, and things we're passionate about? 


One of my friends asked the Facebook world what she should be when she grows up. The overwhelming response was missionary and/or mother. At first when I looked at her question, I thought, "What career path would suit my friend the most?" But then I thought, "I think she should be a mom because a) she's wanted to be one since she could stand independently, and b) caregiving and supporting parents is something she is very passionate about. So, why not just give her a bunch of kids to mother and lead to Jesus?" 


Her question made me see that I'm seeing motherhood as having the same validity as a vocation as something such as paralegal, occupational therapist, engineer, scientist, teacher, etc. No, it's not listed in the Occupational Outlook Handbook that the Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes, but when I think about it, one could write a very detailed job description for a full-time parent, specifically a stay-at-home mother. Note, fathers also provide care and guidance in their way, but  the vocation of a stay at home mother is examined here. 

Cute picture thanks to Google Images!! 

Job Title: Caregiver / Teacher / Minister to Children / Home Manager. Job title often consolidated to Wife and Mother. Stay At Home Mother (SAHM) is also an appropriate title. 

Essential Duties: 
*Provide developmentally appropriate care to children of various ages within a home and community setting. 
*Model and instruct children in knowing the Truth of the Bible and the Person of Jesus
*Provide developmentally appropriate instruction in living skills, social skills, and provide developmentally appropriate educational opportunities. This may include homeschooling. 
*Perform appropriate home management tasks such as maintaining a budget, purchasing groceries, and developing meal plans. 
*Perform household chores including cleaning and cooking and instruct children in performing chores appropriate to their developmental level
*Engage children emotionally and cognitively in creative activities in the home and community
*Discpline children using developmentally appropriate and Biblical principles 
*Assess and monitor children's health and respond to routine and/or emergency situations accordingly. 
*Support spouse in his working role and his role of spiritual leader of the household 


Minimum Education: Formal training in consumer/family sciences courses at high school or college level recommended, Informal training including prior caregiving experience with children and/or Bibically based parenting course offered within a faith community strongly encouraged and recommended


*Note: even if minimum educational requirements are met, continuing education in informal and formal settings  is mandatory for the success of this position. 


Minimum Qualifications:
*Possess a willingness to learn principles of caregiving and child-development from observation and/or traditional teaching methods. 
*Actively be pursuing a growing relationship and dependence on God to complete the duties of this position in His strength. 
*Must be willing to accept correction from peers and spouse for duration of position. 
*Maintaining and improving consistency in reading the Bible and applying Biblical practices to daily job duties


Right. This was written from the perspective of a Human Development and Family Studies graduate, hence the emphasis on child development throughout. 


But yeah. It looks nearly like a job description on job boards. And it is certainly as complex as many paying vocations. The position of Wife and Mother of course falls within the human services sector. It also has aspects of management, clerical, educational, health-care and service sector positions. That means there are a TON of transferable skills that someone could gain in paid work before transitioning into the role of full-time mother. 


So is it a legit vocation? TOTALLY!!!!!!!! 


What does that mean for those of us that are not parents (yet?) This means, we can support current parents in prayer and by babysitting children if families ask us. This also means, we should think about how to do this job description. Note, in all things, we should rely on God's strength, but developing these practical skills would be helpful too. And lastly, we can encourage the parents around us and thank them for being the example we can follow if God indeed does lead us into full-time parenting as a vocation :) 

Two hands

So we're wrapping up the upper limb in Gross Anatomy.  Today we discussed the hands and how the small intrinsic muscles move our fingers to allow for fine motor movement such as holding a pencil or picking up a coin.  

While we've been discussing the forearm and hand, I've become more aware of the slight numbness on the 4th and 5th digits on my left hand. I’m pretty sure it's due to a superficial cut slightly distal (below) my medial epicondyle of my humerus which is the inner part of my elbow.  That cut happened in the fall of 2007. Even if the faint scar wasn't there I could still place the cut because that fall of 2007, I made that cut among many on my upper and lower left limbs.   

Studying the hands made me think of the song "Two Hands" by Jars of Clay. I realized that for a good part of one year, I was using one hand to praise/ serve God, and another hand to literally destroy His creation - of my own limbs. Studying the hands also made me realize I am lucky to still have use of my left hand. The ulnar nerve is rather superficial and I could have easily damaged it during that time which would render my fingers useless. 


More importantly, studying the hands made me think of God's restoration and healing. The scars along some of the superficial vessels have faded greatly and I no longer self-injure. In fact, I realized that I have used my hands to help my clients at a group home avoid self-injury. This is really cool to think about - that I have come this far, and God has redeemed that experience so I can help others. 


The residual tingling in my fingers that I feel sometimes is a reminder of all that, but when I am able to use BOTH my hands to serve others and praise God, I have a much more powerful reminder of God's healing. 


I use one hand to pull You closer 
The other to push You away 
 
If I had two hands
Doing the same thing 
Lifted high 
Lifted high 

-  Jars of Clay