2 years coming

So today is 11/11/11. I have been looking forward to this day for about 2 years now. And lets be honest I had big plans. But a few of those plans fell threw, but I am out to make this day wonderful, and memorable. So what I am not spending it with my handsome man, surprising him with a kiss on 11/11/11 at 11:11 on 11th street. Thinks change in 2 years, but this day will be a blast because I am going to spend it with my bestest of friends!

The sailor who gave up his son

this is kinda a long story, but well worth reading. A kid in my ward shared this in fast and testimony meeting today, and I love it. It's such great analogy and I encourage you all to read it.


AFTER THE USUAL SUNDAY HYMN, THE BISHOP SLOWLY STOOD UP, WALKED OVER TO THE PULPIT AND BRIEFLY INTRODUCED A GUEST SPEAKER WHO WAS IN THE SERVICE THAT EVENING. IN THE INTRODUCTION, THE BISHOP TOLD THE CONGREGATION THAT THE GUEST SPEAKER WAS ONE OF HIS DEAREST CHILDHOOD FRIENDS AND THAT HE WANTED HIM TO HAVE A FEW MOMENTS TO GREET THE CHURCH AND SHARE WHATEVER HE FELT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE FOR THE SERVICE.

WITH THAT, AN ELDERLY MAN STEPPED UP TO THE PULPIT AND BEGAN TO SPEAK.

"A FATHER, HIS SON, AND A FRIEND OF HIS SON WERE SAILING OFF THE PACIFIC COAST," HE BEGAN, "WHEN A FAST APPROACHING STORM BLOCKED ANY ATTEMPT TO GET BACK TO THE SHORE. THE WAVES WERE SO HIGH, THAT EVEN THOUGH THE FATHER WAS AN EXPERIENCED SAILOR, HE COULD NOT KEEP THE BOAT UPRIGHT AND THE THREE WERE SWEPT INTO THE OCEAN AS THE BOAT CAPSIZED."

THE OLD MAN HESITATED FOR A MOMENT, MAKING EYE CONTACT WITH TWO TEENAGERS WHO WERE, FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE THE MEETING BEGAN, LOOKING SOMEWHAT INTERESTED IN HIS STORY. THE OLD MAN CONTINUED WITH HIS STORY, "GRABBING A RESCUE LINE, THE FATHER HAD TO MAKE THE MOST EXCRUCIATING DECISION OF HIS LIFE: TO WHICH BOY HE WOULD THROW THE OTHER END OF THE LIFE LINE. HE ONLY HAD SECONDS TO MAKE THE DECISION. THE FATHER KNEW THAT HIS SON WAS MEMBER AND HAD A STRONG TESTIMONY, AND HE ALSO KNEW THAT HIS SON'S FRIEND WAS NOT. THE AGONY OF HIS DECISION COULD NOT BE MATCHED BY THE TORRENT OF WAVES. AS THE FATHER YELLED OUT, "I LOVE YOU, SON!" HE THREW OUT THE LIFE LINE TO HIS SON'S FRIEND. BY THE TIME THE FATHER HAD PULLED THE FRIEND BACK TO THE CAPSIZED BOAT, HIS SON HAD DISAPPEARED BENEATH THE RAGING SWELLS INTO THE BLACK OF NIGHT . . . HIS BODY WAS NEVER RECOVERED.

BY THIS TIME, THE TWO TEENAGERS WERE SITTING UP STRAIGHT IN THE PEW, ANXIOUSLY WAITING FOR THE NEXT WORDS TO COME OUT OF THE OLD MAN'S MOUTH.

"THE FATHER," HE CONTINUED, "KNEW HIS SON WOULD STEP INTO ETERNITY WITH JESUS AND HE COULD NOT BEAR THE THOUGHT OF HIS SON'S FRIEND STEPPING INTO AN ETERNITY WITHOUT JESUS. THEREFORE, HE SACRIFICED HIS SON TO SAVE THE SON'S FRIEND. HOW GREAT IS THE LOVE OF GOD THAT HE SHOULD DO THE SAME FOR US. OUR HEAVENLY FATHER SACRIFICED HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON THAT WE COULD BE SAVED. I URGE YOU TO ACCEPT HIS OFFER TO RESCUE YOU AND TAKE A HOLD OF THE LIFE LINE HE IS THROWING OUT TO YOU IN THIS SERVICE."

. . . WITH THAT, THE OLD MAN TURNED AND SAT BACK DOWN IN HIS CHAIR AS SILENCE FILLED THE ROOM.

THE BISHOP AGAIN WALKED SLOWLY TO THE PULPIT AND DELIVERED A FEW BRIEF WORDS WITH AN INVITATION AT THE END. HOWEVER, NO ONE RESPONDED TO THE APPEAL. WITHIN MINUTES AFTER THE MEETING ENDED, THE TWO TEENAGERS WERE AT THE OLD MAN'S SIDE. "THAT WAS A NICE STORY," POLITELY STATED ONE OF THE BOYS, "BUT I DON'T THINK IT WAS VERY REALISTIC FOR A FATHER TO GIVE UP HIS ONLY SON'S LIFE IN HOPES THAT THE OTHER BOY WOULD BECOME A MEMBER."

"WELL, YOU'VE GOT A POINT THERE," THE OLD MAN REPLIED, GLANCING DOWN AT HIS WORN SCRIPTURES. A BIG SMILE BROADENED HIS NARROW FACE, HE ONCE AGAIN LOOKED UP AT THE BOYS AND SAID, "IT SURE ISN'T VERY REALISTIC, IS IT? BUT, I'M STANDING HERE TODAY TO TELL YOU THAT STORY GIVES ME A GLIMPSE OF WHAT IT MUST HAVE BEEN LIKE FOR GOD TO GIVE UP HIS SON FOR ME. YOU SEE --- I WAS THAT FATHER AND YOUR BISHOP IS MY SON'S FRIEND."

Dear heart,
Please stop getting involved in everything,
your job is to pump blood, that's it!

The Road to Life

At first, I saw God as my observer,
my Judge,
keeping track of the things I did wrong,
so as to know weather I merited Heaven
or Hell when I die.
He was out there sort of like a president.
I recognized His picture when I when I saw it,
but I really didn't know Him.

But later on, when I met Christ,
it seemed as though life was rather like a bike ride,
but it was a tandem bike,
and I noticed that Christ
was in the back helping me pedal.

I don't know just when it was,
that he suggested we change places
but life has not been the same since.

When I had control,
I knew the way,
it was rather boring
but predictable...
it was the shortest distance between two points.

But when He took the lead,
He knew delightful long cuts,
up mountains,
at breakneck speeds,
it was all I could do to hold on!
Even though it looked like madness,
He said, "Pedal!"

I worried and was anxious
and asked,
"Where are you taking me?"
He laughed and didn't answer,
and I started to learn to trust.

I forgot my boring life,
and entered into the adventure.
And when I'd say, "I'm scared,"
He'd lean back and touch my hand.

He took me to places with gifts that I needed,
gifts of waiting,
acceptance,
and joy.
They gave me gifts to take on my journey,
my Lord's and mine.

And we were off again,
He said, "Give the gifts away,
they're extra baggage, too much weight."
So I did,
to the people we met,
and I found that in giving I received,
and Still our burden was light.

I did not trust Him,
at first,
in control of my life.
I though He'd wreck it,
but He knows bike secrets,
knows how to make it bend to take sharp corners,
knows how to jump to clear high rocks,
knows how to fly to shorted scary passages.

And I am learning to shut up and pedal.
In the strangest places,
and I am beginning to enjoy the view
and the cool breeze on my face.
With my delightful constant companion, Jesus Christ.

And when I'm sure I just cant do anymore
He just smiles and says...'Pedal!"

Coming to an end

Well summer is over and I am off to school tomorrow.  And I must say it has been a very good summer.  I have some very good memories to take with me.  It may not have been my most adventurous summer, but it has been the most happiest for me yet.  It was very blissful for me.  Now off to new adventures and into the unknown (I love the unknown).  It will be great.  Cant wait for the new memories!

A garden party don't mind if I do!

I knew it was real!

For my Harry Potter loving friends!

Will she soar...

At time's if you look very closely you might have seen me wearing this beautiful pin.  Well there is a story behind this and I think its about time I share it.


For my birthday my friend gave me this pin.  She told me when she saw it it reminded her of me, and that I would be the prefect person for it (and its something I would totally wear).  But it was not just a pin to wear, it was a gift with a meaning.  She told me I needed to let my heart soar, and well she might be right about that one.  I am not the type of person that wears my heart on my sleeve, in face I try and hide it as much as I can.  I like to keep everything to myself, and not let anyone in, I hate showing I'm in pain or sad.  Its just not me, (its kinda my weakness).  I am just happy go lucky Kaitlyn.  You see my heart is locked up in a safe surrounded by a steel door with gun men surrounding it, and they key is down in the deepest, darkest hole in the bottom of the ocean.  I have been very stubborn about keeping it that way.  But truth is, I cant dream, hope, love, feel, or reach with my heart locked up.  So its about time I let some guards down, let my gun men go home,  unlock that door and retrieve my long lost key and set my heart free.  Tell people what I have to say, dream how I want to dream, and reach for what I want to accomplish.  After all, my heart is no good locked up.


Never thought you could get all that out of a pin right...      


So now when every you see me wearing my pin,  know that I am living free, and my hear it out there soaring and I am happy! I like it this way so much more!




p.s. thank you Hannah!

Once upon a time...

I just hope no matter what my next move is, weather it be a mission, marriage, or even just more school I will be able to endure it well.  The adversity's in my life will be tough and a challenge.  I just need to come unto Christ and offer up my soul and my whole heart.  In the end I want to finally turn the last page and say those all too famous words... "and they lived happily every after!"

Omni 1:26- "And now, my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption.  Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and enduring to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved."

Some tunes for you

I love when boys sing in harmony! Please enjoy and check out there other stuff here!

A picture is worth a thousand words

I wont say much here because pictures say a lot more then I ever could.  But this weekend was a blast.  Making sand castles in a sand volleyball court, filling a gallon bucket with slurpee, hiking Stewart Falls, enjoying a beautiful sunset, and a fire and star gazing up the canyon.  I just love my girls!

 

I solemnly swear I am up to no good

I am not ashamed to say I did cry in the last Harry Potter movie.  And yes the main reason may be because it was the last movie.  It has been a part of my life since I was a young one.  Reading all the book and watching all the movies.  I feel like I can finally grow up.  Me and 11 of my crazy Harry Potter friends had midnight tickets to the final showing, with much anticipation, we spend a week and a half  previous watching all the movie to amp up for the excitement.  Jamie and I headed over to wait in line at 12:00 in the afternoon.  And yes it was bloody hot.  I have a painful sunburn to prove it (that's way I only put one picture up you cant see my burnt face in this one).  The movie was amazing, I think it is the best Harry Potter movie made.  You will all just have to see it for yourself, but give me a call and I will join you! 

Mischief managed

How I Taught The Big Guy A Lesson

I didn't provoke the fight,

 therefor I feel no remorse for what I was forced to do. 

 We were arguing and seeing I was right and he was wrong,

 he divided to fight to cover his stupidity.  

He threw the first punch but, 

being in the top of my condition,

 I was able to carefully block the punch with my head.

  Upon which I jumped to the ground throwing him on top of me.  

Then I placed my ear in his mouth and poked his finger several times with my eye. 

 His teeth hurt so from the strength of my ear that he became furious and tried to kick me. 

 But I cleverly blocked the onslaught with my ribs and face.

  I quickly arose to my feet and ran to my car

 in hope that I could escape and save this man from my death grip.  

But before I could start the car he pulled me from the still open car door.

 I proceeded to swing but only managed to hit myself in the head.

  To this I said, "What's this?  Two against one?" 

 I lost all control.  

There will be no mercy. 

 Taking him with my deadly hands

 I hit him in the knee with my stomach 

and hit him two or three times hard in the fist with my teeth. 

 He had had enough I could tell. 

 Afterwards, he didn't even try to pick me up off the ground. 

 He was too chicken.  

Rock slide

I just love hanging out with these girls! They make everything so much fun! Here are a few pictures of the fun time we had at the rock slide!

I don't know which one I like more

Our True Identity

I wont say anything here because Elder Uchtdorf says it all and much better then I ever could.  But this Mormon Message went along with my lesson I had today in church and I loved it.  

A shirt for me and a shirt for you

Just picture these all in t-shirt form, because they all do in fact come as a t-shirt. They come from a sweet web sight called threadless, just check it out here, (click on the word threadless and it will sent you to the page)

Wild Wild Wind

Piano Skyline (FYI: looks like a piano from far away)

A Book Lover (This one is my favorite)

To The Sky

Lonely Traveller

Something cold to help beat the heat

I am not going to go into much detail, that will be for a later post, but I just wanted to give you all a taste of things to come and a little fun I have been up too. Truth is I love Lemon-aid stands. So when ever I see one I pull over and enjoy a glass. I came across these young kids on my way home from a boutique with my friend Hannah and pulled over to find them selling smoothies. I asked what they were selling for and they are trying to fund for a trip to Oklahoma for the summer. They did the same thing last year for their last summer trip. So I wish them the best of luck with the smoothing selling business. Plus the mango peach smoothing was very good. The perfect thing to help beat the heat!

You always make me smile.

Thanks to my brother for posting this link in an email. I have always wanted to do this run, and this makes me want to do it even more!

Check it out here!

P.S. I love the song on the video and the music video is just as fun

Watch it here!

word time

Gaggle: gag.gle [gag-uh]

Verb

-to cackle

Noun

-a flock of geese when now flying.

-on often noisy or disorderly group or gathering.

-an assortment of related things.

Used in a sentence:

-They followed her everywhere, like a gaggle of children promised a treat out of a grandmother's pocket.

I came across this word in my reading and was very curious what it meant. It makes much more sense to me now considering what book I am reading too. Please enjoy this word as much as have.

Read Forever

*This is why I read. And I must say, these words are not mine, I only wish I wrote them. I stole them from a nook commercial, which you can watch here. I just like this commercial for some odd reason.*

Till all the books are read,

and all the pens are put down,

and everything there is to learn is learned.

Till the tears are no longer shed,

and the zingers have all zinged,

and the irony is all ironed out.

Till the heroes retire,

and the monsters return to their dens,

and all the plots are wrapped up.

Till there are no more twists or turns,

no more guns and draws,

no more shaggy dogs.

Till rhymes stops rhyming,

and pots stop boiling,

and everyone is happy,

and there is nothing more to say.

Till that day-I will read!

In my tree

I have always wanted to live in a tree. I even built a tree house with my friend Mauri, which she fell out of (but thats a story for another time).

its addicting I know

Right now
at this very moment
Mom is playing angry birds
on Dad's phone.
She has been playing for that last
half an hour
what have we started here?

Little Old Road

*ins*inspired by my favorite street light*

There is a light,

a very simple light.

He might not think he's worth much,

this light.

He stands alone on his little old road,

shinning down on a little path you can go.

His tall wood pole,

and little lamp head

hide himself in a beautiful pine tree bed.

There's a little hole in his pine tree home

and he peeks his head out as if saying,

"I'm here all alone."

But this little light here

he's not really simply at all.

His purpose might be a lot more deeper.

His little head is a rest stop for a bird on a journey,

or a shelter for a squirrel he'll keep company.

He can lead the way down his little old road,

or comfort a kid who is lost and alone.

I told you once and I'll tell you again,

this light is not simple,

he is a beautiful bright friend.

And he has made a difference,

on his little old road.

When did I grow up?

*watch this video here*

This video is brilliant, and I absolutely love it! Doesn't it bring back memories of countless hours playing pretend. The beautiful princess lost in a forest and saved by her handsome prince, or the brave astronaut making the dangerous trip to the moon, or the crazy pretend lands any child's imagination can create, or how just the face that when you close you eyes and open them again your blanket fort has transformed into the most spectacular tree house. Really the possibilities were endless. All you had to do was walk through that "door" and you were in the most amazing place your mind could imagine.....
...
...
...
ya I miss those days sometimes

Its true!

Mother, I love you to the moon and back, and maybe a few times around too. You are the best! Happy Mothers Day!

Let me riddle you a ditty, it's just an itty bitty, little thing on my mind.

What kind of candy gets the giggles?

-Laffy Taffy

How does a dinosaur come out of a pool?

-wet

What did the horse say when he fell over?

-help! I have fallen over and I cant giddyup

What do you call twin brothers?

-A sunset

How do you get a peanut to laugh?

-you crack it up

What did the tree say to the mountain?

-stop peaking at me

What did the finger say to the thumb?

-I'm in glove with you

There she goes, there she goes again

She laughed when there was no joke.

She danced when there was no music.

She had no friends, yet she was the friendliest person in the school.

In her answers in class, she often spoke of sea horses and stars, but she did not know what a football was.

She said there was no television in her house.

She was elusive.

She was today.

She was tomorrow.

She was the faintest scent of a cactus flower, the flitting shadow of an elf owl.

We did not know what to make of her.

In our minds we tried to pin her to a corkboard like a butterfly, but the pin merely went through and away she flew.

*Don't you just want to meet this girl*

How fickle my heart and how woozy my eyes

so I think my blog needs a little more loving. Its been a little abused and abandoned.

so here is the love my dear blog!

P.S for the few people who read my blog.....family..... I am still alive, but you already knew that, you see me everyday.

When you have brothers like this...

...it's never safe to keep your facebook page up and available for hijacking. The result of that is...

-I love being Jesse's sister

-My name is Kaitlyn and I'm in Jerusalem and I'm way cool! I love to listen and dance to the call to prayer.

-I named a camel Sammy and rode it across the deserts of the Middle East.

-I want to be a firetruck when I grow up.

-Fact: Tanner Winslow is by far cooler then me.

-I want to be like my brother Tanner when I grow up.

-Do I smell bad usually? Yes, love.

*past facebook status'*

Make yourself comfortable, stay a while!

-Perm-a-smile:

-The words permanent and smile squished together.

-A perm-a-smile is when you walk around with a stupid looking smile on you face at all times.

-Usually caused by a boy

-Everytime you think about this person the smile appears and makes it self comfortable and stays a while, hence the word permanent.

ok this post is becasue I have nothing better to do