long time gone.

It has been absolutely forever since I last posted on this blog... in fact, I had actually completely forgotten that it existed for a little while. But now I'm back, at least momentarily. You see, the reason I haven't posted is that life has been crazy and hectic and breathless for the last year and this week is just a slight break before I jump into the tail-end of this semester and head straight for summer.

Now I will detail the events of the past year as concisely as possible:
left ACU.
transferred to UTSA.
moved back to San Antonio.
moved into an apartment.
worked 3 jobs at once.
lost a roommate and a best friend.
got a cat.
best friend got engaged.
started working at Target.
started school at UTSA.
changed my major to psychology.
moved out of the apartment and
lost another roommate and friend.
got a new job.
got a new apartment.
got a second cat.
started second semester at UTSA.
making new friends.
got wisdom teeth removed.

Well, there you go. That is actually a fairly complete list of all the major life events I have tackled in the past year. Wow.

Sometimes it still surprises me just how much my life has changed -- how I am about to turn 20 in a couple of months and I have gone through so many of these major life events. Like living on my own, owning my own pet(s), and working full time while going to school. It's crazy.

Now for a couple of pictures of my two little sweethearts:

Lucy Goose
my first pet
---

Leah Bea
(my 2nd kitty)

Soon, I'll be posting some pictures of my current apartment. Over this past week, with my recovering from having my wisdom teeth removed, I have been redoing everything. I'm really starting to like my apartment and would love to share some pictures.

Until then... Love, Katie

the library.

I have just now discovered the bottom floor of the ACU library. As pathetic as that sounds, I hadn't even explored any part of the library except for the commons area (aka where the Starbucks is) until this semester. And I must say, I love it down here! I get so much work done and I've found so many books to read and discovered that ACU has a wealth of books about Africa. I'm so excited! For some reason, writing this blog about the library has made me feel like I'm becoming my sister... but whatever, I'm cool with becoming Lauren 2.0. :)

So basically, the moral of the story is: I love the library.

and flash cards.

skype dates

words

letters

telegrams

telephones

e-mail

video chat.

what a wonderful invention...

talking from states away,

making llama faces at each other,

basically, I love skype.

and all the glorious things that

come of it :)

going back.

highs and lows.
ups and downs.

always twisting,
always moving.

Driving down the winding roads to San Antonio, to go home, was wonderful. I had had a horrible week, and was really looking forward to being somewhere comfortable and familiar, with people I love and who love me in return.

And I wasn't disappointed.

Just spending time with my people -- my people -- was refreshing, renewing.
I saw my best friends,
I hugged my best friends,
I rejoiced in the having of my best friends.
I appreciated them even more
than I ever had before.

and now? now, I'm back in Abilene.
and I'm way happier than I have been.
after a wonderful weekend at home,
a weekend of rest and renewal,
I am able to be myself. I'm able
to cope with my problems and
be confident and friendly.
and it's wonderful.

so up and down.
high and low.
whatever.
I'll live.

getting married? having kids? whoa.

I am growing up.
I am growing up.
I am growing up.

whoa.

I'm actually able to
start thinking about
getting married.
about having kids.
and it's not completely
ridiculous.

I could be married within
like 5 years and it wouldn't
be freakishly weird.

this clip from scrubs
makes me think
and kind of makes me
want to start that part
of my life sooner rather
than later.

an appalling little tidbit

I discovered, realized recently, that what I pay to go to this lovely university, or what I would be paying without scholarships, is above and beyond (sometimes almost double) the poverty line in America. All I can think is: wow, why do I deserve this?

my new dandelion

I'm a dreamer,

a thinker,

and a doer.

But mostly,

I'm a wisher.

I wish for a better world.

I wish for safety.

I wish for love.

I wish for success.

I wish to make friends.

I wish to be a change.

Wishing is just something

I've always done.

blowing on the dandelion

& wishing for rain.

blowing out my birthday candles,

wishing for the perfect gift.

&now, I see a clock and it

says 11:11 and I wish that

you're looking at a clock too

and wishing for me,

thinking of me.