My DIY Disaster.

So I saw a cool idea for a homemade chalkboard on a blog and thought it looked easy. A simple transformation of an old, ugly picture and frame! Well, I should’ve remembered the tedious Dresser Makeover that my parents and I did before I moved down to Birmingham (#spraypaintproblems). Anyway, I did not remember this and decided I wanted to make a big chalkboard for my huge white wall.

So my friend Anna and I went out thrifting this past Saturday. First stop was Good Will where I found just what I was looking for! A huge square picture with a decent frame and ugly picture! Perfect for only 15 bucks.

Next, we needed to go to Lowe’s to get magnetic AND chalkboard paint. I was told there was a paint that could do both of these things in one. But when I got to Lowe’s, they told me they are separate paints. The magnetic one was $20! (uhh no thank you!) and the chalkboard spray paint was $6. (do-able).

So we googled in the store if it really works to paint the magnetic paint THEN a coat of chalkboard paint, and the results were mixed. We came across a lady online who said she had just painted a piece of sheet metal with chalkboard paint to achieve both. So we checked out the sheet metal. There was one that was the PERFECT size for my frame (Yes, I lugged my frame into the store from the car just to check) and it was only $11!

Disaster #1: At the checkout, turns out the sheet metal was in the wrong spot in the store and it was actually $26!!! I bought it in the heat of the moment, but as I was walking to the car, I started getting angry I was going to spend $45 on a DIY project when I have turned down BUYING things for that price that could fill my wall. So with Anna’s patience and encouragement, I went back inside and returned the sheet metal. Making the board magnetic was NOT worth $26. I can just tape pictures to it if I want.

Disaster #2: So I get home, all excited and ready to start my big project. Shake my spray paint can and IT NEVER RATTLES. Called my mom to complain and she tells me it must be broken and I need to return it. “NOOOOOOOO!” I was all hot and sweaty and the Lowe’s was a 15 minute drive and I had been running around all dayyyy! I did not want to go back to the store. But it kept hanging over my head and I was set on doing my project that night so I went.

After I got home with my new paint, I spray painted indoors over a tarp. 

Disaster #3: Apparently that paint goes everywhere and although I thought I was stepping on clean parts of the tarp….THE BOTTOMS OF MY FEET WERE BLACK AND STICKING TO MY CARPET! Thank God I didn’t have black footprints on my carpet or I would’ve cried. (I should note I made it through this project without any tears. Came close once though.)

So after I was done with like 4 coats of spray paint, I spent 2 HOURS using nail polish remover and cotton balls getting paint off the bottom of my feet. And it STILL didn’t even all come off.

Disaster #4: As I was cleaning my feet, I knocked over the bottle of nail polish remover onto my LAPTOP! I picked it up immediately to drip the liquid off of it into the sink and then wiped it down with a Kleenex. It seemed fine, thank God, but I have NEVER spilled anything on my laptop before. Must’ve been the stress boiling beneath the surface from this frustrating hellish night.

The spray paint looked all streaky, but at this point, I did not care. I hated this project. I did another spray paint coat in the morning then spent the afternoon painting the frame. It turned out great and the streaks sort of went away when it dried. All I have left to do is set the paint with chalk and hope to God it works!!

All in all, I learned that I am not made to do crafts. It is not my personality to enjoy making things. Writing? Yes. Making music and singing with my uke? Yes. Anything with paint and/or patience? Nope. This is also why I hate cooking. I hate making something that takes time and energy to MAYBE turn out cool/delicious when I could just go buy something I already love. I am not good at following directions and I am not good at having the patience to make sure all the details are right.

So through this project, I made a vow: I will not do another craft for 5 years. I also vowed to never use spray paint again in my life. (This is the common demon in the dresser and the chalkboard.)

I am jealous of those who are crafty, but I will never be crafty. I was not designed to be crafty. I was designed to pay my crafty friends for their wonderful work!

Xoxo Katie

Maddie.

My sweet little Maddie girl passed away Monday morning, April 22. I have never understood the grief of losing a pet until now. It is the hardest and saddest thing to see your sweet little dog who used to pounce around like a bunny, turn into a bony, lifeless, helpless little victim huffing and puffing her last breaths trying to hold onto life. I wanted to write down all of my favorite memories with her to keep her in my heart forever. I also looked up some pet loss quotes online and they helped me a lot. Just to know that every dog owner has gone through or will have to go through the same thing makes me feel not so alone.

My Favorite Memories with Maddie:

- Getting the letter in the mail at Girl Scout camp that my parents had gotten Fargo (her name before we renamed her) and asked me if I liked the name Madison (Maddie for short). I remember I wasn't crazy about the name Madison but once I read "Maddie" I loved it!

-The picture of me meeting Maddie when I came home from Girl Scout camp (4th grade). My parents brought her with to pick me up. I'm wearing a Girl Scout t-shirt in the picture. I looked for the picture, but couldn't find it.

-Taking Maddie to doggy training lessons at Graham Arena with my mom. There was an elderly lady next to us training her teacup poodle named Muffin:)

-Playing tug-of-war with her with a tiny shirt with knots in the sleeves. I would run around the backyard dangling the shirt and Maddie would bite the knot and hold on for dear life. I could even lift her off the ground!

-Giving her baths in the laundry sink downstairs. She got soo skinny when she got wet and her ears got ginormous. We have video of mom and I giving her a bath when I was 13 years old. (We watched the video of it the night before Maddie died.)

-Skyping with my parents when I was away at college and they would bring Maddie into the computer room so I could say hi to her.

-Getting to come home to her everytime I came home from college--she was the best part! (no offense mom and dad ;))

-Giving her "tummy rubbies" and scratching behind her ears so that her back legs would twitch like crazy.

-Recently (in the last year) taking her to the cabin we rented up north and trying to get her to swim in the lake. It was so funny and cute to watch her try. She hates water and she hated us for that.

-Having her at every birthday and Christmas since I was 10.

-Watching her chase squirrels and pounce around like a bunny on walks. Even though she was 13, she had the energy of a puppy her whole life.

-Watching her lay in the sun spots on the sun porch panting because she was so hot, but she liked it! She was my little hot dog :):):)

-Laughing/squealing at her haircuts. Some of them were SO funny. Especially the one in the last year where they cut off her beard so she didn't even look like a Schnauzer (or a dog at all) anymore. She's been compared to:
      -Doby the Elf (from harry potter)
      -A deer
      -A bunny
      -A fox
      -A cat
....and more that I can't think of right now.

-Having her come to Mizzou for my graduation and getting to have her stay in my college house and meet some of my college roommates. We got to take family pictures holding her in front of the columns. It was just really cool that she got to run around Mizzou's campus and be a part of that weekend because she is FAMILY!:)

-Getting to take cute pictures of her and share them on social media.

-I loved how protective she was. She was a great watch dog on the sun porch. She knew the difference between danger and her family coming home and I kind of liked how she would growl a little when strangers tried to pet her, but knew I was her family.

-How she would go into my parents' bedroom in the middle of the night when it was thunderstorming because she was scared. My mom would say she'd hear little footprints on their wood floor in the middle of the night. SO CUTE!

-One time we came home and she was sitting on top of a pile of pillows on the floor. Like they were her little throne. She's not allowed to sit on pillows! haha

-Sometimes when I would sleep in, my parents would bring Maddie upstairs to try and wake me up. Either by placing her on top of me while i'm trying to sleep or I'd hear my mom go "Maddie!" trying to get her to come in the direction of my bed. She was so cute and confused when she was in a part of the house she wasn't normally allowed to go.

-She was a great dog and so well trained that it was fun to be able to take her on walks without a leash and see her explore and run ahead or stay behind knowing she wouldn't go in the street or run away. Such a smart dog:)

-Flipping her ears inside out.

-Getting to call her mine.

Favorite Quotes:

-A person who has never owned a dog has missed a wonderful part of life. -Bob Barker

-I have sometimes thought of the final cause of dogs having such short lives and I am quite satisfied it is in compassion to the human race; for if we suffer so much in losing a dog after an acquaintance of ten or twelve years, what would it be if they were to double that time?

-Dogs have a way of finding the people who need them, filling an emptiness we don't even know we have.

-What we have enjoyed, we can never lose...all that we love deeply becomes a part of us. -Helen Keller

-The dog of your boyhood teaches you a great deal about friendship, and love, and death. Old Skip was my brother. They had buried him under our elm tree, they said--yet this wasn't totally true. For he really lay buried in my heart.  -My Dog Skip

I remember seeing My Dog Skip when I was younger and bawling when Skip died at the end. He died while the boy was away at college. I always worried Maddie would die while I was away at college, but she never did. She waited for me to be back home living with her to pass away. I'm so grateful she lived 13 1/2 years and got to be a part of my life from ages 10-23. She had a long, healthy and happy life and she didn't leave without a goodbye. I couldn't have asked for a better dog.

xoxo Katie

Epiphany

Why am I so concerned with failing?

I have been stressing out about this interview to the EXTREME. Putting pressure on myself that because I'm driving 7 hours away and this is the only interview for me in sight...that I will fail if I don't get the job. But I just had the epiphany that I am not failing if I don't get the job, I am failing right now by having anxiety, low self esteem and overall not trusting God. We put so much importance in the material things like cars and clothes and jobs. That if we don't have nice things, our lives aren't successful. But what is success? I think it is living God's will. Loving God and others and being patient, calm, and humble as He hands you opportunities like the interview I've been given. Showing others that you keep your head held high because God is on your side during what may seem like scary or rough times when everything is uncertain. The only way that I have been failing is by not trusting Him and His plan. If I don't get the job, God promises that His plan is always better than mine. So I know something better is around the corner. I can trust in that because God always works for the good of those who love Him. I am thankful that God reminds me of these things through an epiphany blog post when I am all caught up in "me me me" and trying to do everything myself. Well I know how that ends up: stressed, frustrated, crying and confused. Thank you Jesus for loving me with this ugly anxious heart of mine and turning my eyes toward you.

Happy little Things.

I've been in a rough "transition" siiiince about August 24th. The day I moved home from St. Louis. That's probably why I haven't been wanting to write, but this is a happy post, I promise:)

I just wanted to write down all the little things that make me happy. (Am I turning into Abby Thomason? Possibly.)

1. Lighting a candle. I never used to like candles. I thought they were pointless. Probably because I never lit them and got a zillion during my 3rd-7th grade birthday parties. But now i like to light them because they just set a relaxing mood and make me happy:)

2. Writing. I think writing is the most beautiful art form, but the dumb thing about writing is you gotta be in the mood to do it. I have thought about attempting to write a book. A book that nobody would ever read that I could just work on for a hobby. I'm sure that hobby will last an hour and be done but hey i can dream. The point is writing makes me happy and I always feel better after I write.

3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Finally the last book is actually really good so I'm really into reading it. It has taken me a year and a half to read the series. I'm almost done with the 7th. It makes me happy that I picked up reading again and the next book on my list is Tim Keller's "The Reason For God". I will bring that one to read in Hawaii.

4. Hawaii. I get to escape horrible Rochester for 15 days and relax in paradise in about a month. I'm going to try and journal and read a lot while i'm there and try and view is as a time to clear my mind and figure out my life a little bit.

5. Pepperjack Grilled Cheese. I just discovered this a few weeks ago when I read Joy The Baker's blog (shout out to abby for having that link on HER blog!). They are delicious and spicy and a change from the normal so I got super excited about them.

 6. The Voice. I am obsessed and sadly and pathetically it is a highlight of my week to watch it wit my mom. I want Amanda Brown to win and I'm happy that Christina Aguilera has put her boobs away this season. I think that makes us ALL happy.

7. My ukulele. I have never been an instrument person even though I've always loved to sing (privately). My ukulele though is something that i not only love learning, but that i am learning to prove to myself it's never too late to learn or do something you want to do and there is no time line for learning it or competition for how good I am at it, but what's important is that I enjoy it and don't quit.

8. Hot chocolate. Dad bought the jumbo box so I've been drinking them like crazy and they are kind of like candles where they bring their full happiness in this time of year:) nothing says warm and cozy like candles and hot chocolate. okay and maybe some slippers.

9. Showers. Normally I would view showers as a chore, but not in my freezing Rochester house where I have learned to appreciate a hot shower where I can thaw out my body. They have also become therapeutic for me--a place to get some real thinking done.

10. Ordering random things online for other people. Okay now I really AM Abby Thomason (that is 3 whole shoutouts by the way). I just signed up for amazon student even though i'm not a student anymore (luckily my email still worked! hehe) and so now i have free shipping on amazon prime items for the next 6 months or year or something! There was this guy I worked with this summer who had never seen Into The Wild but was talking about how he always wanted to like go live in the wilderness and he never saw it even though i told him he should the whoooole summer. So i'm like, I should just send it to him so that way he FOR SURE watches it! It is so cheap on amazon and now i have free shipping so WHY NOT?! It is so exciting to get something in the mail so I think I am going to order little presents off amazon for my nationwide friends this christmas :) just so they get something to open in the mail and can know i love them.

I didn't even mean to make this list 10 things long but it just turned out that way...another thing that makes me happy:)

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. -Philippians 4:8

xoxo Katie

Home

Home is that place you've always been
The place that houses all that sin
Where family starts and friendships begin.

Home is that place you can't escape
The place where your mistakes were made
When you can't move on because you're afraid.

Home is that place where memories are found
The place that digs them up from the ground
When you're buried neck deep and can't make a sound.

Home is that place that I will keep
The place that lets me fill with sleep
A restful place for me to weep
Home is the place that I will keep.


written 5/29/12  Katie

A Year In Review: Senior Year

Welcome to my first blog post written in the "Compose" section instead of the "HTML" section. This just means it's a lot less complicated for me to write and make posts which could potentially mean I will blog more often! I really have been having an awesome time in St. Louis so far and will eventually get to posts about that, but right now I want to do a list of the concerts I saw in the past year...I've been reflecting on my Senior year of college quite a bit and want to document all the cool things I got to do.

Concerts since last July:
-Waka Flocka Flame (Kansas City)
-Mat Kearney (St. Louis)
-Chris Brown (St. Louis)
-Ben Rector (Columbia)
-Dr. Dog (Columbia)

I think that is all the concerts I went to...Maybe it felt like more than it actually was...but it was an amazing range of music!

Places I went:
-Chicago for my birthday weekend, got to stay with my cousins Rima and Kira at their cool apartment. We went to Second City comedy (hilarious) and did lots of shopping! (my cousins surprised me with a wallet i said i loved from Urban!)
-L.A. and San Diego with my dad where I got to go on a bus tour of L.A., meet RYAN GOSLING, and relax in the beautiful San Diego.
-Honduras!! Rounding out college with the best experience of my LIFE was the best decision I ever made. I only decided to go about 2 months before the trip! Now when I look back on the trip, all I can say is "WAS THAT REAL?! did I really go there? Did I really meet all those people?" It just doesn't seem real. I hope I get to go back one day...
-Minnesota. Okay not exciting but it really was considering my best friend was pregnant throughout these months and every time I went home, I got to see her belly grow.  AND over New Year's, I experienced my first "going out in the cities"....it was pretty fun!!

In the next year I plan to go back to Austin to visit my sister and hopefully squeeze a trip in to Colorado! My parents and I have been meaning to go for awhile.

All in all, Senior year was a fabulous year--the best year yet in fact. I got to live in an amazing house with amazing roommates who taught me sooo much and became like sisters to me. I got to take only 12 hours each semester where 2nd semester I only had classes on Mondays and Wednesdays.

Oh yeah! and to update you on my "Senior year goal"...I challenged myself to read the Harry Potter series (7 books) during Senior year. I had to extend the deadline to an actual year (so i have this summer to finish the 6th and 7th)....but basically I am workin through it..still goin strong and proud of myself. My next goal is to learn the Ukelele. Having "goals" or hobbies to fall back on when you're bored is always a good thing.

So that's my senior year in a nutshell. I'd say I'm pretty blessed.

xoxo Katie

THE TRANSLATORS!

I think God's "Cherry On Top" of the trip was that going into the trip I was completely misunderstanding that our translators would in fact be awesome and outgoing Honduran college students who would become part of our team and work alongside us in every way shape and form during the week. That I would fall in love with five crazy Catrachos and get to know their culture, lives, and hearts. That in ten days time I would gain 5 amazing friends! Who live in Honduras! Yes this was the best surprise of the whole trip. They are definitely the Cherry On Top.

Grace is very soft-spoken, but her warm personality went further than any other I'd seen when talking to the Hondurans. As a doctor, Grace has a natural ability to care for others and I could just see how some of the women she talked to were so captivated by her loving spirit. Talking to Grace is like talking to your mother. No judgement, just love. You can just see the care in her eyes--that she genuinely wants the best for whoever she is talking to.


Alejandra is this amazing extrovert who is super outgoing, gets everybody's attention, gains their affection immediately, and infects them with her fun spirit. On the other hand though, she is this extremely introspective thinker who so openly shares the lessons God is teaching her daily. She has a true passion for sharing God's love whether it be through her personal stories, lessons, or making people laugh--her personality is just infectious!


Paola is very beautiful. Duh. But what is so great about her is the way that she connects with people. She just exudes this confidence that you are just drawn to. She is so confident, yet so humble--exactly like Christ. She remains very true to herself and probably doesn't know it, but makes every girl around her feel beautiful. Just by giving them the slightest attention. She is just a very captivating person.


Juan is this laid back, hipster guy. You think he doesn't talk much, just takes pictures with his super nice camera. Nope. I had the awesome opportunity of getting to really talk to Juan and he has so much going on beneath the surface. He is extremely creative and talented. Through his photos, he gets to express and share with the world his appreciation for God's creation. He also just surprises you with what he says. You expect an 18 year old to say 18 year old guy things. Juan says C.S. Lewis-type things. Always looks for the deeper meaning or how he can be a better person. Truly inspiring.


Criz is this craaaazy character who I fell in love with as soon as I saw him wearing a hipster cardigan the first day at the airport ;). From day 1, talking to him, his honesty is just so refreshing! He's the type of person to ask how you're doing and really want to know! Every detail of how you're doing! And really truly care! Criz has overcome a lot in his life and yet still manages to be one of the most positive people I've ever met. His craziness, humor, energy is highly contagious. Beware. ;)


Anyway, I think I am so stuck on thinking about and missing these translators because they were so WONDERFULLY UNEXPECTED! I am just in awe that I went into the trip so blindly about this. Nobody told me I would leave saying I had FRIENDS in HONDURAS! Ahh I just love them and they have taught me soooooo much! It was so interesting to me to get to talk to them not only about their lives, but how their culture affects and influences their lives. Like looking into a mirror if I had been born in Honduras. So cool. Okay translators, love you. Other people reading, I hope you got a good glimpse of this part of my trip!:)

Adios
Katie

Here I go....

It is about 21 hours before I'll be at the St. Louis airport checking my bag, going through security, and kissing America goodbye as I leave for Honduras. Tonight, I decided to look up some C.S. Lewis quotes for inspiration and comfort because his quotes are the best. This one really spoke to me. It's just an awesome reminder of how far God takes you out of your comfort zone, molds you, and rebuilds you to be more like him. It's never what you expect it to be, but in the end it is always worth it.


“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”
― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity


Here I go!!!!!

What's new with me.

Hate to do the bullet points but I've got nothing to write about so I figure I'd do a quick update about what's goin on in my life.

-I am going to Honduras in exactly a week and am channeling all the positive thoughts I could possibly have into that....writing positive messages to myself and such to read while I'm there and want to quit during the first night when I can't flush my toilet paper, bugs are everywhere, and I feel like there's crime happening outside the door of the house I'll be staying at. BUT I CAN DO IT!

-I have joined a friday night volleyball league at my church for fun. Our team name is Some Spike It Hot. We are not very good. I feel like I'm personally getting a little better at the sport though! Hey it's not about winning right??

-I have applied for like umm a few internships and a few jobs. Since getting a job is going to be much harder than I expected it to be, my old sights set high on Denver are now set high on Kansas City where I can get a cool apartment in a cool central location with my cool friend Abby and have a much cooler/more social experience with that city than I had last summer...

-It is warm out. Which means many porch parties are happening at my house and down the street at our friends' house and the guys down the street put up a basketball hoop on a telephone pole so that is fun. I played there tonight after our volleyball game.

-This past month I led two retreats for the student ministry at my church and geez did I learn a lot. I struggled big time at the first one which was 3 days for high schoolers. The middle school one was just one overnight and it felt a little more like babysitting than anything. It was exciting for me though to be able to really make connections with the students and the other leaders. I really love being a part of that ministry because everyone is just so welcoming and nice---and the best part is that I am actually getting the opportunity to find out what kind of leadership skills I have or don't have.

-I went to a Dr. Dog concert on Tuesday night with my best concert friend, Eden! Someone came up to us and gave us a ticket so we got into the show for half price! :) The opening band was called Givers and they were soooo good. Like I would even argue they were better than Dr. Dog. I've been listening to their music since! Here is their main single that I love:



Well I think that's all for now!
xoxo Katie

When it clicks.

I've had this feeling once before. I was thinking how Fall weather is so beautiful and I wanted to go to coffee shops downtown and enjoy them and listen to great music at them and write honest blog posts at them. Then it clicked.

I can be that person.

All too often we envision our lives to be something better than they currently are. I dream of mine to be inspiring, insanely creative, adventurous, and powerful.

A little over a week ago I watched this TED Talk and once again, it clicked.



It's about a guy named Dan Eldon who essentially was a humanitarian in Africa throughout his teenage years, became a photojournalist and was murdered while photographing a bombing in Somalia at the young age of 22. 22!!!!! That is how old I am. Man, it was just so crazy to see someone SO young who had done SOOO much with his life to help the world. It made me think "What in the world am I waiting for?!" When is the future ever going to be the present? When are my hopes and dreams for my life going to become reality?! It all clicked.

I can be that person.

It has always been a desire of mine to go on a mission trip, but I never thought it was something that me, katie hayes, would be able to handle. I mean, if anyone loves the comforts of America, it's me. I admired everyone who went on them, but never thought I'd have the strength. Well God doesn't put something on your heart for no reason. If it's on your heart, and it's good, then it's from Him and He will make a way.

I thought about what opportunities I had to help another country. I knew I had my spring break covered with a trip to Colorado with my parents to vacation and scope out different advertising agencies. I thought about doing something during the summer but the uncertainty of if I would have a job by then made it complicated. As I sat there feeling hopeless, I realized my spring break was not set in stone. No plane tickets were bought. I knew my friend Chuck Wagon (his real name is Kyle) and my other friend Joey along with 18 other students were going on a mission trip to Honduras for Spring Break. I was so excited about the prospect of going that I called Chuck Wagon at 2 in the morning just to get more information.

For the next 5 days I was up and down, definitely yes, definitely no, about going. I was unsure about bringing it up to my parents because I only wanted to bring it up to them if I was 100% sure I wanted to go. Looking back, it is funny how God would not let me be satisfied with turning down the trip. On the days that I had decided I definitely wasn't going, I found myself rationalizing. I found myself making excuses. I found myself unsatisfied. I still kept thinking about the trip because that "no" didn't sit right in my heart.

Ultimately, it took a conversation with Chuck Wagon for me to realize that the trip was going to be challenging, but that I would have trusting friends there with me to help me through it. I also started thinking less about the logistics of the trip and more about my personal reasons for wanting to go. It's not about anything other than showing God's love to the people of Honduras. Serving them and serving Him. Any struggle I face will last 10 days. 10 measly days. I am so grateful for that.

Bottom line is, anytime you find yourself admiring a good trait in someone or something, anytime you crave a change in your lifestyle, know that you CAN be that person. Once it clicks, it's powerful and exciting to see where the change will take you and what you'll learn along the way.