Timing...God's timing...

There really is a time for everything...in God's time...not ours. I have been constantly reminded of this in the past few months. It pertains to every area of my life...starting my new job, support raising, relationships, my future, getting to Kenya... Even this blog! I've been thinking about writing it for months, and I'm just now getting to it. When God reminds me about His timing, it takes so much stress away. He has placed these desires and passions in my heart...so they will happen. Maybe just not as soon as I'd like, and maybe not in the way I picture it. So that leads to the challenge of patience...a whole other topic! :) He has me where I am now for a reason...this time is for a reason. So...there it is...I guess now is the right time for this blog, also :)


There is a time for everthing,
and everything on earth has its special season.
There is a time to be born
and a time to die.
There is a time to plant
and a time to pull up plants
There is a time to kill
and a time to heal.
There is a time to destroy
and a time to build.
There is a time to cry
and a time to laugh.
There is a time to be sad
and a time to dance.
There is a time to throw away stones
and a time to gather them.
There is a time to hug
and a time not to hug.
There is a time to look for something
and a time to stop looking for it.
There is a time to keep things
and a time to throw things away.
There is a time to tear apart
and a time to sew together.
There is a time to be silent
and a time to speak.
There is a time to love
and a time to hate.
There is a time for war
and a time for peace.

- Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNopQq5lWqQ

Water...

Recently some friends of mine, and fellow NMSI missionaries, visited Kenya. They were able to witness my future teammates at AfricaHope help bring clean water to a Maasai village for the first time...ever. I am continually amazed at the work God is doing there, and can't wait to be a part of it.

In the News...

Ok...so I may not speak and you may not see my face, but...I was on the news! Check out the new unit at my new job:

http://www.wkrn.com/global/video/popup/pop_playerLaunch.asp?vt1=v&clipFormat=flv&clipId1=3561240&at1=Health&h1=Premature baby leaves hospital after 4 mos

Unexpected...

I started my new job this past Friday...something I have been waiting for since January. The day, overall, really was okay, but it was Friday the 13th and a little crazy. It started off on a really sad note...a baby coded and died, which is something that rarely happens. My preceptor and I were then busy the rest of the day seeing babies and going on transports. It really was so good to be back around those adorable little babies, though. And they really did seem little again! The past 5.5 months, I have been around normal-sized, healthy babies, so now my NICU babies seem small again! I do love those small ones :)

I have been working in the NICU for 5 years now, and have loved every minute of it. But, something was different on Friday. And it wasn't that my role had changed. I kept thinking of Kenya, and longing to be there. Before I left for COAT (the missionary training program), I could tell this was already starting to happen, but it is much more evident to me now. My heart is there. So...I know the next year in the NICU will bring some wonderful experiences, memories, knowledge, and excitement, but...it will also be hard. I wasn't expecting that.

I am so grateful for this job. It was most definitely a gift from God (I never even applied! And they offered me the job knowing my plans for Kenya!). And I will be working with wonderful people. I just pray that I can find the balance in being a good nurse practitioner that is busy spending time with friends & family and support raising.

My time here is for a purpose, and I pray I can be content in that. While also being reaffirmed in the unexpected...

Ice/Snow Storm of 2009...

I hadn't seen this much snow, or ice for that matter, in a long time!

Home...

What do you do when you have 1.5-2 inches of ice enclosing your car and you need to get inside? Enter...the hairdryer...

So many people lost electricity from this storm, and some are still without. The roads back to Nashville were really bad...ice, trees toppled over from the weight of the ice, cars stranded on the side of the road...
But Winston and I made it back safely! :)

25 random things about me...

Ok...25 random things about me...in no particular order:)

1. My full name is Katherine Elizabeth, but I have been called Katie Beth since the day I was born.

2. I picked up the nickname katebug or katiebug somewhere around jr. high/high school. Even people that have just met me have called me that...guess it was meant to be. Around the same time, I started accumulating ladybug stuff...I guess it was decided I must collect them because of the nickname.

3. I love stars, and just so happen to have one named after me. I love driving with my sunroof open to look at the stars...even if it's cold outside and I have to crank the heat up:)

4. I play piano...it relaxes me. I had 6 weeks of lessons when I was in the 1st grade, and then taught myself the rest. I also play flute. There are a set of bagpipes and a violin waiting for me to learn to play them, as well.

5. Favorite color...cobalt blue. It's all over my kitchen.

6. Favorite flower...daisy.

7. I haven't let a brush touch my hair since high school. Brush = bad news for curly hair!

8. I ran a 1/2 marathon in San Francisco in 2005 for Team In Training. It was a great experience, but didn't turn me into a runner. I would consider walking a full one some day.

9. I am a recycling fanatic. It kills me to throw away something that I know could be recycled. If I know I am going to be around a recycling bin later, I'll take it with me.

10. I love sailing, and at one point seriously looked into what it would take to buy a sailboat. That's as far as it got...looking into it:)

11. I am slightly bow-legged...a feature I inherited from my dad.

12. I love photography (especially black and white's), but I'm not always in the mood to take pictures. I once audited a class that did dark room work, which was sooooo much fun. It made me want a dark room of my own some day. One of my photographs from that class ended up on a Jones Soda bottle label!

13. My talents: a.) I can tie a cherry stem in my mouth into a knot, b.) I can say supercalifragilisticexpialidocious backwards...kind of...ask me some day.

14. I only had 2 wisdom teeth. Does that make me less wise? :(

15. I once road a mechanical bull...shocking, I know. Apparently I was pretty good!

16. I developed a habit in college of taking my showers by candlelight...it's more relaxing that way.

17. Somehow, I was once talked into bungee jumping. It was not an enjoyable experience. It either made me aware of or created my fear of falling. Heights are ok...falling is not!

18. My mom, sister, & I all have birthdays on the 20th...January, March, and April.

19. My nose was broken when I was 10 or 11. My sister and I had decided that we would have much more fun sledding down our slide with snow on it. It was going well until I tried to stop my sister and neighbor from running into a fence. I did such a good job that our neighbor's head slammed into my nose. I had 2 black eyes for a while.

20. I had my first asthma attack when I was about 5 years old...thankfully, too young to remember it. It bothered me a lot when I was young, but I seem to have mostly outgrown it. I still have to use an inhaler before I do active things when it's cold outside.

21. I knit and cross-stitch on occasion...when I'm in the mood:)

22. I am a creature of habit. I get into a habit of wearing certain accessories and don't change them very often...jewelry, shoes, purse, etc. It is cheaper that way:)

23. I can't really say I enjoy shopping. I usually know what I'm looking for, and leave as soon as I find it. I do love a good deal or sale, though, as well as thrift store shopping.

24. I have traveled to 4 of the 7 continents. I was blessed with parents and a family that loves to travel.

25. I love Jesus...I want to be able to love and forgive as much as he did. And I want the rest of the world to see that and know him.