raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens

The first week of the semester has come and gone, and, overall, it went well. I like all of my classes, although I'm going to have to be very, very self-motivated these next couple of months. To top off the first week back, this weekend has been absolutely great and has included all kinds of my favorite things. Here are a few of them...

dinner party Friday night
Bottletree Saturday morning
Grove time
UK win over Georgia
(mostly) understanding my Spanish book
seeing all kinds of friends, old and new
The Orchard's 4th anniversary and amazing morning service
an unexpected home-cooked meal
Shaun White winning his 4th consecutive Winter X Games gold
free time to read a book of my choosing

The last two items of my list are making me particularly happy at the moment. Free time to read my own book is a miracle, and Shaun White...well...let's just say I'm slightly obsessed. Check out this run - no one in the world can do the things he does!


I mean, can you get much cooler than that? I continue to be amazed.

Good things happening all over campus this week! I'll update more soon.

"For this God is our God for ever and ever; He will be our guide even to the end." [Psalm 48:14]

my old (new) kentucky home.

weep no more, my lady,
oh weep no more today
we will sing one song
for my old kentucky home
for my old kentucky home far away...

ron merrrcerrr.........for threeeeee

I hate it when they lose. Most of these boys are younger than I am (a scary thought...) They have such pressure on them - the pressure of an entire state that thrives off of 3 things: bourbon, horse-racing, and basketball. 23,000+ in Rupp, with thousands and thousands more watching, expect these guys to be capable of seemingly impossible things. Not to mention, everyone in the nation is out to get them on the road. Basketball is everything; they must win. And almost always, they do. But when they don't?... Then I stay up at night worrying about them; I just want them to be ok, to not be too upset. I just want them to win next time.

Luckily, alongside all of the pressure comes lots and lots of love. No other place in the country is this obsessed with basketball. No other fans could possibly love their players this much.

My lucky number is 33; it has been since I was in elementary school. Most people just accept that and don't ask questions; why would anyone care about my favorite number, anyway? But I'm about to let you in on a little known secret. I made that my lucky number because it was Ron Mercer's number, and Ron Mercer was awesome. So a year and a half ago when it came time to choose a Twitter name (yes, I have a Twitter), I made it katsmith33. Because 33 was Ron Mercer's number. Obviously.

At the time, I knew next to nothing about Ron Mercer except that he was good. It didn't necessarily have to be him; it could have been any of them. It, essentially, could be any of them now. What is it that makes a seven year old girl, of all people, become so infatuated with a college basketball player that she would make his jersey number her lucky number? That's a bit scary. But let's get real. They were canceling class in SECOND GRADE so we could go to the cafeteria and watch the March Madness games. So what do you expect?

The picture at the top was taken at this year's Penn game, but it's the same as when I went in 1996. I can still hear the announcer. "Ron Merrrcerrr..... FOR THREEEEEEE." Once you hear that, there's no turning back.

book a trip to the stars

When I was in elementary school, Mom took Laura and I to the public library for a kids' day. The program was space-themed, and we came home with lots of free space-themed stuff - most notably, dozens of black pencils that say "Book a Trip to the Stars." FOURTEEN YEARS later and we continue to find these pencils popping up in obscure places around the house...strange and a bit scary. "Book a Trip to the Stars" will not die!! Luckily, they're very good pencils with very nice erasers. I found one during the move and am actually using it right now.

In honor of "Book a Trip to the Stars" I will share a few of my favorite books and why I think you should read them. (Take note - these are in no order of importance whatsoever. One of these days I will make a list of the books I think are the best/most important for you to read.)

1. The Great Divorce, C.S. Lewis. Of course there will be a C.S. Lewis book on any list of good books I make. Thought-provoking and provides the coolest perspectives. Some friends are reading it over this break, and I can't wait to discuss it with them.

2. A Midsummer Night's Dream, William Shakespeare. I love Shakespeare, the story line of this, and how quickly you can read it. One disclaimer: Naturally, Shakespeare's sense of humor is inappropriate at times. So just be prepared, especially if you prefer the "No Fear" edition.

3. The Dante Club, Matthew Pearl. Absolutely brilliant mystery set in 19th century Boston. Also a New York Times bestseller a couple of years ago. Think the Da Vinci Code without all of the controversy. Or, at least, less controversy. If you like it, Pearl has other similar novels that are also nicely done.

4. The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas. This book is just plain good. Pay attention because the plot is extremely intricate; it may be confusing at times, but it's worth it in the end. It may help to draw out a family tree/character chart to keep handy while you're trying to help solve the mystery.

5. Johnny Tremain, Esther Forbes. This will be one of my all-time favorites until the day that I die. This is the source of much of my Revolution-era obsession, which fueled my obsession with the Constitution, which means, in part, I can blame this book for why I'm currently stressed about the LSAT. And, oh yes, it's for 5th graders.


I really shouldn't get started making lists of books. I could do this all day.

with everything

So there’s this thing called BreakThru that happens at this place called Timber Creek every year right after Christmas. And this thing at this place is consistently amazing.

Now, we know that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and God can make Himself known to us everywhere and anywhere. But we also know that God ordains specific times and specific places to accomplish His work. BreakThru is one of those times and places. For years now I have been completely blown away by how consistently present God is for these 4 days (or 8 days, counting both sessions) a year. Praise Him for choosing to make Himself so known to us during this time over and over again.

We don’t need to experience God in this way in order to follow Him, love Him, or surrender to Him. We certainly don’t deserve anything this good. But there are times that God, in His infinite love and goodness, pulls back the curtain between Heaven and Earth to give us just a taste of eternity. And these times are so, so beautiful.


with everything, with everything, we will shout for your glory; with everything, with everything, we will shout forth your praise.

"Whoever drinks of the water I give him will never be thirsty again..." [John 4:14]