Kaitlin vs. The Ants

We have all had to deal with pests of some sort. Sometimes the pests are little brothers, and sometimes they are ANTS. I actually googled the purpose of the life of an ant, because I know God did everything for a reason. I seriously asked Him why he made those terrible little creatures. Apparently they help with pollination, so I drew the whole flowers/carbon-dioxide/carbon-monoxide/us being able to breathe oxygen conclusion. So, thank you God for ants, but now let me go on my rant.

So I live in a residence hall (dorm) and it's really nice and cozy and big and great, but about a week ago I kept finding random ants in my drawers or on my pillow. After finally getting a clue and being intelligent, I went to take out my garbage and the entire black garbage can came alive with ants. I shrieked like a little girl for a few minutes and took the garbage can outside my door. I threw the lid in the sink and proceeded to vacuum up the little devils crawling on the carpet. I thought my ant war had been won. But no.

I kept finding ants crawling on my desk, so I used my Clorox cleaner to kill them. It became a game to watch the stupid things die. I would find them, spray them, then wipe them up. Every day was an ant battle-- K Chap vs. The Devils. I requested an exterminator, which I later called a terminator to this boy I had just met, so that was fun. (Dumb blonde much?)

About three days before the extermination of the ant army, I was talking to my mother on the phone while laying on the couch and I had a chocolate craving like I do every five minutes of every day, so I went to my desk to grab a mini Snicker's out of my vintage Hershey's jar. The events that proceeded might be to much for you to handle. If you are under the age 13, please stop reading.

I screamed at the top of my lungs eight times while my mother panicked on the other line. I finally regained the ability to speak and explained to her that I had not been attacked by a human, but I had been attacked. When I went to open the Snicker's the entire wrapper came to life with ants that proceeded to crawl down my hand and arm. After I slapped them/myself for a solid two minutes, I took the jar and the remaining Snicker's and put them in the sink to drown the creatures. I, of course, Clorox-killed the left behind soldiers. I threw away the Snicker's that had been opened, but I managed to salvage the unopened minis. I was not about to throw away a whole jar of chocolate.

I battled with the ants for a few more days before a little old man woke me up to come spray the magic stuff that kills my enemies. With no contacts in to see and my hair looking like that of Leo the UNA lion mascot, I welcomed the little old man into Room 213 to end the war.

Kaitlin won the battle and the ants died, but some of their offspring stayed behind and one comes out to fight every once in a while. I hate ants.

Teens and Tiaras

We have all seen, or at least heard about, the TV hit "Toddlers and Tiaras," but are pageants really like that? Yes and no. I recently competed in a Miss Alabama preliminary pageant at UNA and was immersed in the "pageant world." Now don't get me wrong, I made some lovely friendships and I had a lot of fun during this experience. I learned so much about myself. Pageants are not all about fake tans and makeup, these girls have to have courage and talent. The courage it takes to walk across the stage in a swimsuit in front of over 1,000 people is unimaginable, but it is an invigorating feeling. I performed to the best of my ability in every portion of the pageant and left everything I had out on the stage. The roar of the crowd after each of my performances was something I wish I could experience often. Having people cheer my name gives me such a rush. All of the girls that compete in pageants have to have the courage to face their fears. Pageants are about growing as a person, promoting a platform that is close to your heart, and furthering your education by earning scholarship money. Plus, who doesn't want to get treated like a princess for a day and wear a pretty dress?! Pageant girls are smart, and they work hard to stay fit mentally and physically. Now for the "toddlers and tiaras" side of it, there is a lot of makeup, spray glue for the swimsuit to stay in place, spray tans, manicures, hairspray, taping and sucking in. In most pageants, girls can be very "catty" and play mind games to psyche each other out. With university pageants, the girls are usually friends, but not all pageant girls play nice. There are girls that devote their lives to winning pageants and making it to the top, and they will do whatever it takes to get there. Friends can be made at pageants and fun can be had, but hey, you gotta do what you gotta do to get that crown.

All My Exes Live in.....Florence

It has been a while since I posted something funny that has happened in my life, so here it goes. I attended an event a few days ago where I knew my ex boyfriend would be. Of course that's an awkward situation because I'm an awkward human. It was a great event--free food and good music. That's all I could ever ask for. I had several friends there and it started off nicely. Within 10 minutes of being there, the Elvis impersonator kissed me on the cheek while making his way to the front, so that was rather embarrassing, but it was embarrassment that I could handle. It was actually very funny and I blushed and went on about my business. My ex boyfriend's ex girlfriend that doesn't know that I know she is his ex girlfriend also happened to be there, so that was fun. While talking to a group of people, my food plate with AN UNEATEN CUPCAKE got knocked out of my hand and food flew into the air. I quickly attempted to clean the food up along with a friend and my ex's ex. My former male companion saw the entire thing, of course. I nervously laughed and attempted to tell him what happened. (This is where my being awkward came into play, heavily). I think the worst part of the entire night was the destroyed cupcake. But, no worries, my ex's ex and I shared a cupcake later, so all was right with the world. I mean, why wouldn't I share a cupcake with her? Story of my life, right? As I left the event, the ex and his ex were talking and having a jolly ol' time. I left with Elvis's kiss lingering on my blushing cheek and the reminder that I should not be allowed in public.

12 Things I Learned in 2012

2012 was 365 days of laughter, love, excitement, heartbreak, sadness, and learning. Now, it's all over and a new year has begun (if you're into keeping up with like when a new year starts on the calendar rather than just living each day to the fullest). With that being said, 2012 taught me a lot of things to carry over into 2013. For the sake of attempting to be witty, I decided to come up with 12 things that I learned.

1. It's not this life that matters, it's the next:

We worry so much about the things we want, the things we need, and what we do every weekend, and,  in reality, NONE of it matters. The only thing that matters in this life is how we prepare for the next life by making relationships that glorify Jesus and spreading His Word and His love. If we worry more about our clothes and cars, there's a huge problem. I know that I am guilty of this and I am aiming to be less materialistic and more "heavenistic" in 2012.

2. People change:

Everyone changes, even you. You may have been best friends with someone for years, or in a relationship with someone for a very long time, and then one day everything changes. It could be that you are going separate ways in life or that you just aren't as compatible as you once were. It happens, and you have to learn from it and move on.

3. People aren't always who you think they are:

Sometimes, almost always, what you see on the outside isn't what is on the inside. We are all guilty of it. There are usually only a few people that know you inside and out. We all have our flaws and the goal of life is to hide those flaws, right? That's the common misconception, which then leads to people having a facade that appears put together and perfect while their internal battle is killing them. It's hard to like who you thought someone was and find out who they really are. It makes you miss that person you once loved. I learned to let go of those people and try to do my best to be as real as possible to every single person I meet so that they can come in contact with one less person that is faking it.

4.  Love is a verb:

John Mayer puts it well with his song "Love is a Verb." You have to show love, not just say it. You can say you love a lot of things and a lot of people, but they won't believe it unless they feel it. Don't settle for anyone that only says it. You'll know real love when you see it. Give love every day.

5. Attitude is powerful:

Your attitude in a situation can make or break you. Positivity really is contagious and God encourages us to "Be joyful always." 1 Thessalonians 5:16. Having a bad attitude pours over into our work and into our daily lives. It's easier said than done, but just be happy.

6. Forgive AND Forget:

When someone does a wrong to you, it is very easy to just hold a grudge and have hatred for them. However, the best thing for you to do and the thing that God has commanded of us is to forgive them. But, the old saying says, "Forgive, but never forget." Forgiving and forgetting go hand-in-hand. You have to completely erase their wrong doing just as God erases ALL of ours.

7. Cherish every person and every moment:

You never know when today could be your last day or the last day for someone you love dearly. Do not take anyone or anything for granted. Time is precious and passes so quickly. Our lives here are but a vapor and before we know it our time here is up. Have you made the most of every encounter you've had and every day you've spent alive?

8. Love yourself:

You have to love yourself if you ever expect anyone else to. God created every single one of us individually and we all have very beautiful qualities that make us special. Embrace those qualities and use them to fulfill God's purpose. Don't compare yourself to anyone else because you are you for a reason. Love yourself and make an attempt not to think negatively about yourself or anything you do. Encourage yourself; it will help you love and encourage others.

9. Pay it Forward:

Make the effort to help out those less fortunate, or anyone for that matter. By doing something kind, you could start a chain reaction. God calls us to give up our possessions for Him, and what we do to the least of the world, we do to Him. A little thing can make a huge difference. Remember that every day.

10. Practice What You Preach:

It's all fun and games to say you love Jesus and love doing things for Him and for others, but are you a fan of Jesus or a follower? Fans know about Him and tweet and post verses about Him, but anyone can say they love God. A follower gives up their life for Him and does everything for His glory. Saying one thing and doing another is confusing to those that do no believe. Don't be lukewarm. Say you love God and mean it by practicing it day by day. Actions really do speak much, much louder than words. I've learned this. There are times when I talk a good talk, but when I think about it, I haven't lived according to what I said our thought. I have learned to be more intentional in things I do, intentional to show God's love and serve Him in all things.

11. Do Something That Makes You Happy:

2012 taught me to stop pleasing everyone but me. While it is important to be concerned with the happiness of others, when you stop making yourself happy, you can't spread the happiness to others. Just because other people don't enjoy something you like doesn't mean you can't do it. If you love it, do it. Spend time with you. This is the time of your life to find out what you love to do. Explore and figure it out! Happiness is the best thing in the world, so reach out and grab it!!

12. There's No Such Thing as Cool:

Everyone always wants to be "cool," but what is "cool?" I for one do not consider myself to be very cool and I am finally ok with that. I've always felt the need to be "cool" and do the "cool" things that everyone else does, but The Bible tells us that we will be outsiders. (Needtobreathe tells us that too: "Outsiders").  The thing is, there's no such thing as cool! Everyone is a little weird and God gives us friends and family that accept our weirdness and love us for it. So, don't feel left out or "uncool." Chances are, the people trying to be cool aren't that cool. Pretending to be cool isn't cool, so just be weird and embrace it.

Overall, 2012 was pretty great. The last couple of months were a rough time for me and my family, but we got through it with God's strength. I learned more than I ever have throughout a year and for that, I am thankful. I appreciate the ones I love much more and I don't worry as much about trivial things. 2013 is looking promising and I hope to serve God more than ever and create memories, love, and laughter along the way. I now know what is important in life and that's what I'm focusing on. Taylor Swift's favorite number is 13, so this year has to be the best year of my life. So here's to learning 13 things in 2013!

Christmas. Just another day?

Christmas is celebrated in different ways and variations almost everywhere in the entire world. For some it is about giving gifts, some about getting gifts, some about the birth of a Savior. Families get together for huge celebrations filled with food and games. Children looked forward to Santa coming to deliver gifts. Families come up with their own traditions and practice traditions that have been around for years. Everyone loves to say, "Jesus is the reason for the season," but shouldn't he be the reason for life every single day? I have been reading "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan and although I'm a little behind in jumping on the bandwagon, it has absolutely changed my life and the way I see the world around me. We are commanded to love God more than ANYTHING else, even all of the nice watches and clothes we receive on Christmas morning. We say that Christmas Day is a day to celebrate the birth of a savior, but that's what he gave us life for. Our ONLY job here on Earth is to spread love and the knowledge of the savior. Our jobs don't matter, what we wear doesn't matter, what we eat doesn't matter. All that matters is how we serve our God day in and day out. While Christmas is one of my favorite days of the year, this year it has meant something different. None of the gifts excited me as much as being with my family or seeing my paralyzed grandpa move his shoulder. I owed all of the things that happened today to the Lord and I hope to treat every day like it's Christmas day and I encourage you to do the same. We should wish Jesus a Happy Birthday every morning that we wake up to a new day and a clean slate.

Thank God

"Thank God" is a phrase tossed around a million times a day by a million different people. Most people probably don't even think about what it means when they say it. It might be sincere thankfulness in some cases while it might not mean anything in others. You find out you made an A on your final-- "Thank God." A shirt comes in your size-- "Thank God." The girl you don't like won't be at the gathering you are going to-- "Thank God." See, we toss the phrase around like it's nothing. Don't you think that offends God just a little that you're using his name for a silly phrase instead of true worship and thankfulness? On the other hand, a woman in an intensive care unit finding out her husband will make it through the night cries, "Thank God!" and absolutely means it. Next time you find yourself in a situation that requires you to thank God, even if it is minor, be sure to say it and mean it. When addressing the Father of the Universe, we all could be a little more respectful. Think about who you're talking to when you start to pray, He's a pretty big deal.

Time

Time is such a simple thing that has more complexity than anything else in the world. The same amount of time can move quickly or slowly. It seems that it never does what we want it to--time has the ultimate control and can act as it wishes. There are moments when we want time to stand still and moments that we wish time would fly. Something I recently experienced that is so odd to me is an instance where time stops for you while everyone else's time is going on as usual. When my grandpa was being taken by the ambulance after his stroke, my time stopped. The family walking down the road gathering pinecones passed by and smiled with the biggest pinecones I've ever seen in their arms. After they passed, we were only a family that tragedy had struck and their lives were only affected for that moment, but the image of that family is forever burned in my memory. I stared at them as time was moving slower than it ever had, envying their carefree Thanksgving. I had to snap back to reality and understand that being jealous of their happiness didn't make my sorrow any better.  At that point in time, time drug along slowly for me and passed the pinecone family by quickly.   Times has been such an odd friend to me-- it has taught me so much. Whether it has been break ups, victories, special moments, laughs, or tragedy, time has been there waiting to use its power to teach me something. I've begged time to fly so many times trough difficult trials, but if it would have flown, I wouldn't have experienced some of the special moments that are significant in my life. Likewise, I have asked time to slow down when things were full of bliss, but if it had then I wouldn't appreciate those perfect moments. Time is constant yet never the same for any person. The only person unaffected by the test of time is God Himself. That's why I find myself calling out to Him to help time be good to me.