ShoesDay #2

Another day of shoes...Yayy!!! For those who are new, every Tuesday I am writing about a pair of my shoes and a story about them. Hope you enjoy!

Shoes #3

Chacos. These are my outdoor/hiking shoes. However, I will admit, I don't think I have EVER actually going hiking in them. Unless you consider walking the streets of Charleston on a Saturday, then yes, I have gone hiking. If you live in downtown Charleston, you know what I am talking about.

Let's see, what is there to know about these shoes? I got these shoes on my 19th birthday. It was my ONLY birthday present. Chacos are a little pricey, but a great investment because there is a lifetime warranty on them.  I first want a pair in high school after going to Look Up Lodge, and all the staffers had a pair. I didn't like them at first, but then they grew on me.

I like them because they do remind me of Look Up Lodge. A LOT of great times, great fellowship, and great information that was brought back with me after spending a week there.

I first went to Look Up Lodge in 2005, the summer after my freshman year of high school.  It was the first time any of the students from my church had gone to this particular camp. Not only was the first trip amazing, but the three to follow were just the same.  I bonded with so many of the other people in my youth group as well as people from other areas.  The night before I would go up there for a week, I couldn't sleep because I knew that God was going to do some amazing things in the week to come and I couldn't be anymore excited.  I learned so much about God and His amazing love. I always left there being so grateful for all that had come from the week.

From the four summers I had went, I left with some stories:

1. Sex Camp. The first time I went the theme of the week was Love, Sex, and Dating, but our youth group thought it would be more appropriate to call it Sex Camp. I received interesting looks from my friends when I told them I would be away at Sex Camp for a week! Most people assume the worst when you tell them such things.
2. Cooter. That's all I can about that subject. If you were there, then you know what I am talking about and understand the humor behind it. Haha. Good times.
3. Giant Swing. There is this huge swing that is extremely fun to ride, but a little scary at the same time. Totally worth the nerviousness of the first drop.
4. Thursday Nights. The camp would have an end-of-the-week celebration. One time there was an ice cream social.  Another time, there was a country dance. The last time I was there, I spent the Thursday night in the ER. One of the kids in my youth group hurt his hand so I went with him and the youth leader. That was an interesting night for sure. A word to all: If you get mad at someone, DON"T punch a piece of wood. The piece of wood will win.
5. Fellowship. Worship. Chapel. So many good lessons. So many good talks. Greg, the owner/director, really challenged my faith. He asked a lot of questions that would frustrate me because I didn't understand, but would require me to figure things out on my own. The music was great. It was peaceful. It got me ready for the talks each morning and evening.
6. Main Lodge. Locust. Dogwood. Poplar. These were all the different cabins I stayed in. It amazes me that 10 to 12 girls can share a bathroom. It is possible!!! Surprisingly, the girls' room was always cleaner than the boys.

I could probably write a book with all my experiences from the summers I was there. So much more happened than what I just noted I can't count the number of amazing, godly people I met and developed friendships with. I experienced so much of God's love there. When you experience God, you have a connection to that place where it happened. So whenever I wear these shoes, I always think back to what God did in those weeks that affected who I am today.

A few pictures from the summers:

Summer is here...

First off, I just want to ask, where did this past semester go?!?! It has been a whirlwind of excitement, challenges, and great times. I continue to be thankful for everything that I am faced with because I know it is another opportunity for God to do some amazing things in my life and another opportunity for Him to show His Glory.

This semester was great! I finished off with a 3.95 for the semester and now stand at a 3.77 GPA overall. I couldn't be any more happier. I plan to be a RA again in the same place and I look forward to the start of that in August.

A few things I learned this semester:

1. I can handle taking 18 hours along with being a RA and still having a good time with my friends and family.
2. Sometimes I think I am ready for a new situation, but it might not be in God's timing.
3. I want to be a middle school teacher.
4. I can't plan my life to the exact details, because it is not going to go that way.

I am glad it is summer. It's a fresh start to the year.

I like to have a plan for the summer. Of course life never goes according to plan, but it is always an adventure and it is nice to have an idea of what I would like to get accomplished.

So here is what I am thinking:

1. READING!!! It is hard to enjoy reading at school when there is already so much to do. Summer is my time to read whatever I want. I borrowed a few books from people so I will be reading through those. The books are: This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen (already completed), Eat, Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus, Clara's War by Clara Kramer, Second Chance by Jane Green, Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer, and Twilight series (I admit to having not read any of them ever). It is quite a lot of books and I hope to get through all of them in the next three monthss. I will make sure to write my thoughts on each book once I am done. I am also planning to read through a few devotional books. Right now I am going through Traveling Light by Max Lucado. It is about letting go of the baggage and burdens that we have a tendency to carry around and not let go.

2. Sewing. I have a few projects that I for sure need to work on like birthday presents and baby presents. I will post pictures of each project once they are completed!!! This past Saturday, I got a new sewing machine. Its a Janome AQS2009 for all those who sew! I can already tell the difference between this one and my old one.  This machine can handle more types of material and has more different stitch settings.
3. Summer School. Yes, I will be taking two summer classes. Last year, I took one summer class but it was extremely easy, and I have a feeling these two classes will be a little harder. I am looking forward to the challenge though and it will give me something to do to keep me busy.
4. Other. I am helping out with the Middle School Youth Group at my church with Vacation Bible School and the Sunday School Classes. I love these kids and am excited for it. I also plan to take a few trips over the summer. Hopefully at least one back to Charleston, one to visit my favorite cousin, Candace, and $lade ;). I like traveling, but I especially like seeing people I haven't seen in awhile and hanging out with them.

I feel like it has already been awhile since I have been home, but I know that the rest of the summer will fly by. Check back tomorrow for the ShoesDay post! Love you all!!!!

Shoesday #1 - Every Shoe Has a Story

It wasn't until last semester when someone asked me about my shoe collection that I realized I had a lot of shoes. I mean ALOT! Now when I talk about my collection of shoes, I am talking about everything....flip-flops, tennis shoes, bedroom slippers. After going through my collection, it made me look back on the times when I bought a particular pair and reminisce about the times when I wore them. So, my goal is to write about a few of my shoes each Tuesday. This idea was thought about back in February or March, but I am just now getting around to working on it. I won't talk about all my shoes because some of them are just not that interesting.

 Shoes #1

These have become an essential for me. Black flats. I had a pair for at least five years and it was time to throw them out and get a new pair. Black is one of my favorite colors to wear. It is so simple, yet classy. However, they do not have good tread on the bottom, which is a warning sign for lots of slipping! I was in the cafeteria and was completely unaware of the food I was about to step in. I almost wipped out completely, but was able to catch myself and part of the salad (half of it ended up on the floor). Thankful it was early in the afternoon and there were not a lot of people in the cafeteria. I just got up a laughed it off. I mean, that's all I could really do. :)

Shoes #2

I purchased these shoes in late September, and I pretty much lived in them from late October until February. This winter seemed to be much colder than the previous year, so these shoes kept my feet extra warm. In early February, we had snow in Charleston. The first time in awhile. I decided to wear these because they kept my feet warm all winter so of course they would keep my feet warm in the snow. However, I ignored the fact that these shoes were NOT made out of material that didn't soak up water. But the snow. The snow was so much fun. I am not a big fan of cold weather and snow, but because it doesn't snow very often in Charleston, I had to enjoy it while I could. It was fun to be out with other college students enjoying the same thing I did...acting like a kid by making snowmen and throwing snowballs. The adventure lasted for about thirty minutes when I realized my feet were completely soaked. The snow melted a few hours later.  That same night, I found myself standing outside at two in the morning because someone had pulled the fire alarm. That night was quite the adventure.

There will be more to come so check back every Tuesday. Have a great day!!

And in the words of Forrest Gump, "My momma always said you can tell a lot about a person by their shoes, where the go, where they've been." :)

Look Mama! I can sew!!

So, it is official. Sewing has become one of my favorite hobbies! I just finished a project today. It was pretty easy.  The directions were a little confusing, and I made a few adjustments. I found the pattern from Made By Lex Blog . I love her stuff! She takes ideas from J.Crew and Anthropology and comes up with her own pattern for much much cheaper.

So, here is the before:

And, here is the after:

I am really pleased with how it turned out. Lesson learned from this project: read through the directions a couple of times before starting the project. I have a tendency to get ahead of myself, so I need to work on doing one thing at a time. The hardest part was sizing the shirt so it wouldn't be too big or too small.

Hope you all have a blessed week! Love ya <3

I am reminded...

I am reminded as the day approaches. The 4th of April that is. I can't believe it has almost be ONE year since I experienced such a low point in my life. For those who know me well, you know I am talking about Ms. Cindy and Mackie. For those who aren't familiar with this, they are two beautiful angels that went to spend eternity with Jesus last April.  It is still weird at times going back to church and them not being there, especially Ms. Cindy.  Time has dulled the pain to an extent. The broken pieces are still trying to be fixed. Life normally makes sense to me and I can accept it for what is handed to me, but I still haven't come to complete terms with all of this. Its hard to. I guess letting go of trying to make sense of it all is what I need to do. Because let's be honest, it will never make sense when a life (or lives) is cut short.

April 4th just happens to fall on Easter this year, so I have a mix of emotions. I want to celebrate and rejoice for Jesus, but a little bit of me wants to be sad because of Ms. Cindy and Mackie. I know she wouldn't want that, so I have been trying to stay focused on being positive.

Every so often I like to write a little poetry. I don't normally share my writing...like ever, so I am definitely stepping out of my comfort zone by sharing some of it.

As April 4th approaches, I am reminded of the pain,
When I heard the news, the tears came just like rain.

The weekend was nothing unordinary, just a little retreat with with Cru,
The sun was out. The sky was crystal blue.

Suddenly, Saturday changed by nightfall,
My life turned upside-down with a simple phone call.

I fell to the ground, cried out in disbelieft.
I had never been consumed by so much grief.

I wanted to be mad at God for what He did to me,
But then I was reminded of all He did to set me free.

The pain had been dulled with the passing of time,
I try to not be selfish and claim what is not mine.

This life is too short to fill it with sadness and confusion,
I must let go of a life of selfishness and delusion.

Thank You, God for letting my life be touched by an angel,
Through Your Love, I take my life and start to untangle.

Those two beautiful lives will continue to have a special place in my heart,
Even though the distance keeps us apart.

God bless. Love you all. <3 Kacey

SPRiNG BReaK ADVeNTuReS!

While I didn't take a big trip for Spring Break this year, the week off from school was beyond awesome! A few things I did:

On Saturday, my mom and I went shopping. It has become a regular thing for us to shop for fabric whenever I come home to visit. I bought a few yards of fabric for different sewing projects. Most of the fabric is for birthday presents, so once those birthdays come and go, I will post pictures of the finished worked. Garen's brithday was on Monday, and my dad asked me to sew him something. Garen got a shot-gun shell reloader (picture on the right) for Christmas and my dad wanted me to sew Garen a cover for it. I was little unsure about it, because I had never sewed anything without a pattern. :/ BUT it turned out great!!! I cut out two pieces (24 X 24) of a thick fabric and a circle for the top. Honestly, I just started sewing pieces together, hoping that it would work. I ended up cutting off about four inches that wasn't necessary. I think Garen liked it! :)

His sewing project was completed on Sunday. On top of that, I got to hang out with my amazing friend, Brittany! She invited me over and I ended up being able to shoot a 9mm gun with her and her family. It was a little scary to even be holding something that powerful and LOUD. I actually did pretty well for the first time. I think Brittany and I are going to make that our new hang out activity.

On Monday, I visited Suzanne. I miss her soo much! She was at CofC my freshman year and transferred to UNC this year. It is always enjoyable hanging out with her and we always cook up something delicious! She made us chicken parmesan and I baked us some apple crisp. I made an oops at the grocery store and got Ritz Crackers instead of Nilla waffers, but it still tasted delicious with the crackers.

On Tuesday




(Garen's birthday), I made him a birthday cake. I had a new recipe that called for mayo??? A little strange, but it turned out quite nicely. The best part...decorating the cake!!! I love love love cake decorating. The cake is slightly childish, but all the cookie cutters I have are either girlie or Christmas themed.

I found out that if you ice the cake once (thin layer), then put it in the fridge for awhile, the second layer will be smooth and less crumbs. There is some cake poking out of the side, but I just didn't put enough icing there. O well, better luck next time!

On Wednesday, I headed back to Charleston. I had to be back early to do RA stuff. The rest of the break was spent getting head on some school work, sewing, exercising, sleeping, and reading. I finally got around to watching The Time Traveler's Wife. I definitely like the book better, but the movie was enjoyable.

I am finished with my dress! It is my FIRST outfit that I have made. I am really proud on how it turned out. It was definitely a learning opportunity, and there were plenty of times I have to just walk away from it because I was struggle with some aspect of sewing it.

"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me" (Psalm 51:10).

The ABC's of Me

So I just finished sewing a present for the little brother (I will post pictures up later!) and I came across this and decided to fill out information about me! Enjoy :)

The ABC's of Me...

A- Age: 20.
B- Bed size: At school: Twin. At home: Full
C- Chore you hate: Some yard work. Like raking up gum-balls (the stupid seeds things)
D- Dog's name: Daisy. She is a Bassett hound and is soo sweet! I wish I could bring her to college with me.
E- Essential food/item: Fruit. Vegetables. Bread. Basically all the food groups.
F- Favorite color: RED. GREEN. BLACK.
G- Gold or silver: Probably silver
H- Height: 5’2-ish
I- I am: a C. I am a C-H. I am a C-H-R-I-S-T-I-A-N. (We just sang this song at church today, so I just had to throw it in there!). I am striving to become a middle-school teacher. I am thankful for all the many blessings and challenges in my life.
J- Job: I am a Resident Assistant (RA) in my residence hall, College Lodge. I love it! It has challenged me in so many ways, and I am thankful for the opportunity.
K- Kids: No kids! I would like to have some eventually, but that will be on the list AFTER I get married.
L- Living arrangements: School year: College Lodge Residence Hall. Summer: Back home with the family.
M-Mom's name: Cindy
N- Nickname: K-Griff, Ms. G, Kwacey the Quilter
O- Overnight hospital stay: Nope
P- Pet peeve: When it is obvious I am working on something, but someone comes up and continues to chat up a storm with me. (I am patient about it though!). When I let people borrow books/movies and they don’t give them back.
Q- Quote from a movie: "Has it ever occurred to you that maybe you're not too big? Maybe this place is just too small?" (Big Fish). “You want the moon? Just say the word, and I’ll throw a lasso around it and pull it down” (It’s a Wonderful Life). “Love is a many splendored thing. Love lifts us up where we belong. All you need is love!” (Moulin Rouge).
R- Right or left handed: Right
S- Siblings: Two brothers. One older. One younger. Love them both.
T- Time you wake up: It varies each day. The earliest I have to get up is 5:45 on Tuesday mornings. I don’t like sleeping past 9:30.
U- Unique thing about your car: There is a small scratch on the back of my car where I back into a mailbox. The clock doesn’t work and hasn’t worked very well since I got my car. The automatic door lock doesn’t work in the winter.
V- Vegetable you hate: Sprouts. Eggplant.
W- Ways you run late: Generally I'm not usually late. If I am late, its due to dancing for too long while getting ready or spending too much time on Facebook.
X- X-rays you've had: Numerous. They have all been on my feet.
Y- Yummy food you make: Oatmeal Cookies. Shrimp Alfredo. Chocolate cake with buttercream icing.
Z- Zoo favorite: Elephants. Giraffes. Farm animals (They are at the Columbia Zoo).