My 40 Day Fast

       First let me start off saying, No, I'm not catholic, but I decided to give up something for Lent. I was aching to get closer to God, and I wanted him to shake up my life. Giving up something that I do everyday is exactly what I thought I needed in order to expand my relationship with God and truly feel his presence. After thinking about it, I wanted to give up something that would not necessarily benefit me in a physical way, so I gave up meat. (After all a cheese pizza is not healthy, but also does not have meat.)

       One of the most important things I learned from this is when you ask God to shake up your life, he will follow through. These 40 days have brought me stress, brought me heartbreak, brought me pain, and brought me closer to the Lord. When I was confused and hurting I could only look to the Lord and his unconditional love. I found myself praying to God more than ever before for him to lead me down the path that glorifies him the most. I was praying for strength, and I was praying for peace. I was searching for answers in his word and in everything around me. I grew in Him and I have been reminded of the person I am just by looking for His approval in everything I do.

        Every time I went to eat I was reminded of my promise to God that I would not eat meat. I was also reminded of Gods love and his BIG, HUGE, INCREDIBLE sacrifice of his perfect son for me through my little sacrifice of meat for him. These forty days were not easy, in fact, they have been some of the hardest days since starting college. During these forty days, however, I not only grew closer to the Lord, I grew closer to my God loving family and friends. I opened up to them and asked for prayer. They helped me see beyond my present and look to God and his far greater plan. "My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways…. My ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts" Isaiah 55:8-9. Gods ways are so much higher and far greater than my own. I am still left wondering about some things, but I have been given the peace I prayed for so many times by the constant reminder "Trust the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him and he will make your paths straight" Proverbs 3:5-6. My forty day fast taught me far more than different variations of salads, pizza, and pasta, it reminded me of the person and woman I should strive to be. It reminded me of my passions and dreams. I was reminded each day that God is awesome, amazing, and all powerful, and for that I can not be more grateful.

     
       Throughout these forty days I have started reading a book by Elizabeth George called Beautiful in Gods Eyes. This book focuses on the Proverbs 31 woman. I have challenged myself to strive towards the purity, honesty, hardworking, thriftiness, strong in character, kindness, wisdom, and holiness that the Proverbs 31 Woman exemplifies. I have challenged myself to love more, and I have challenged myself to have the mental and physical toughness to face the world to spread the light of the Lord. Through this book I have learned that these qualities do not appear, but rather my life from here on out is a journey to become more and more like the Proverbs 31 woman. Everyday will continue to have temptations and sin, but I know that God gave his son Jesus to die and wash away my sins and make me new in him again. I am thankful that God shook up my life when I asked him because now I am growing each and every day.
     
     

"The Mountains are Calling and I Must Go." - John Muir

When told of this trip a few months ago, I never would have imagined the refreshing, renovating experience a family trip to the mountains would have on me. I was surrounded by Gods beauty and grace all week in both nature and family.

The view from our porch on Tiger Mountain. Photo credit to my cousin, Lenora.

The first day in northeast Georgia, I was surrounded by God's wonderful masterpiece. I went on a horseback ride with my brother, sister, cousin, and her boyfriend. We rode at Dillard House Stables. The scenery was truly breath taking throughout the course of the ride. We were able to see the mountains and a river. Our ride finished just as the sun was getting ready to set, so the colors were vivid and warm.

On the second day of the family vacation, the kids went to the arcade. Here I was able to witness the love each of us have for one another. From spending hours watching the younger ones, to giving up tickets to get a special prize for someone who didn't have enough, we grew closer and had a lot of fun.

Throughout the days at the cabin I was able to experience Gods love through the love of and for my family. Through the numerous, competitive card games, differing cooking experiences, and adventure trips around the surrounding mountains and towns, our family laughed and cried together. We truly became closer. I am so thankful for this amazing experience I spent with my wonderful, crazy, loud, proud, fam jam. Love you all.

   Dylan and Papa. 



    Ashton and Me. 














            







Waterfalls near Highlands, North Carolina

What wonderful sights and sounds I was able to share with the ones who mean so much to me. 

How to Survive College

As my first semester winds down, I'm going back and looking through bible verses that I have leaned on while being way from of my friends and family. I hope these give you inspiration in your everyday life as they have in mine. 

Matthew 19:6
But Jesus looked at them and said "with man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.

1Peter 5:6-7
Humble yourselves under God's mighty hand that he may lift you up in due time Cast your anxiety on him because he cares for you 

Isaiah 9:6
And his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Proverbs 3:5
Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding. 

Psalm 55:22
Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.

Romans 5:3
We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 

Proverbs 24:14
Know that wisdom is like honey for you: If you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off. 

Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. 

Romans 12:19
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 

Psalm 139:14
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. 

Philippians 2:3
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourself. 

Romans 8:28
And we know that all things work together for good to those who are called according to His purpose. 

1Thessalonians 5:16-18

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give things; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Ephesians 2:8
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. 

Micah 7:7
But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me. 

Proverbs. 4:23
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. 

While being away from my inner circle of loved ones, I have found myself constantly relying on the strength of my savior. I can honestly say I have grown closer to the Lord this semester. I cannot wait to continue my journey and work to spread the love of Jesus in all aspects of my life. 

Thoughts from the first month at college

As I'm approaching the last few days of my first month as a college girl, I have definitely had many "WHOAH" and "ARE YOU KIDDING ME" moments. Here are just a few.

omg. How does everyone know I'm a freshman? Is it written on my face or something?

Wait... where is the target? 
but honestly what college town does not have a target.

I'm gonna have all of my work done at least a week in advance so I will stay on top of everything.
At least that lasted for syllabus week :)

WHAT?? That was due today??
oh not today? okay I'll email it just in case.

I have to read a whole book in how many days??
That's right a whole book in two days. Thanks honors college. Thanks

Do the professors not realize I have other classes?

How on earth are people involved with anything on campus??
I'm lucky if I can socialize with my roommate between study breaks.

okay jokes over. Where are the free t-shirts I heard so much about?

Idk how I'll gain weight walking 10 miles everyday.

I think I'm gonna go to yoga at 6am.
lol jokes on myself for ever thinking that would happen.

I HAVE HEADACHES

Why is it hotter in this class than outside?
come on Hume, this is the south lets get some air flowing.

where did these mutant squirrels come from?

Flim Flam? Bim Bam? what does that even mean?
Who knows what it means, but ill yell it anyways!

I know I know that person. should I say hey? What if they don't remember me?

Who said college was fun?

WHY ARE THERE SO MANY HILLS?????
me? ride a bike? up this? HA

I can't so this

I just need Target. And Bob's Victory Grill. And Taco Casa ice. And Ulta. And free meals with my family.

why do I have to pay to wash my clothes? do you want me to stink?

huh I'm actually making friends

Old Venice has my heart
and my allowance

Nelsons is the oldest and the best 

YOU LOVE TAYLOR SWIFT TOO???

Okay wow South Depot might be better than Chipotle 

Where has Ajax been all my life?
Yasss red beans and rice just yasss

wow its a beautiful day

omg this sushi is bomb
even when I'm skeptical about how long it's been on the shelf

I GO TO THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SCHOOL
wow look at the lyceum #instaworthy

I LOVE MY SCHOOL

So happy to say my First month in college has had many ups and downs, but over all there is no place I'd rather be.

I AM AN OLE MISS REBEL

Letter to my Sister before I move out

 letter to my sister as I prepare to move away from my best friend.

The past 15 years I have watched you grow up from my real-life baby doll to my beautiful, clever, smart, funny, remarkable younger sister. You have maturity far beyond your years. Your (at times hard to find past all the sarcasm) inner-beauty truly reflects the beautiful person you are on the outside. You have so much poise and strength all wrapped up into such a young lady.

Gone are the days of fighting over what shoes to wear. Thank goodness we decided who gets what shoes without one of us dying. yay! Gone are the days where you force me to sit with you while you "study" (although I'm sure it'll still happen over FaceTime). Gone are the days where you climb in my bed when you're scared after watching a horror movie, and gone are the days when I climb in bed with you when I've had an awful night or bad dream. Looking back at all the times we have truly driven one another up the wall and to all the times I swore you hated me, I would not trade any of it because now I see how strong our relationship is because of it. You're probably the only person who I can be SO, EXTREMELY mad at but then we just look at each other and laugh and go back to normal. I also take pride in being one of only a few people that you don't stay mad at for huge amounts of time (after all who would you talk to about the other people you're mad at?).

Even though you're smaller and younger than me, I truly look up to you-- especially in your spiritual life. Your love for Jesus encourages me to go to church even on the days where I'm beat from the week and just want to sleep. You remind me daily to say my prayers before meals without saying a word, just by bowing your head and saying yours. The grace of the Lord is present in everything you do.

I know sometimes you get compared to me and you hate it, but just know whenever I get compared to you it is one of my biggest compliments. You have the knowledge to do well on tests and the knowledge to do well in life. You are smart enough to see the bigger picture of things (where most of the time I get caught up in all of the small things).

You are not scared to be original and you no longer worry about what other people think. You just always do you.

You are my butthead, my spoiled brat, my procrastinator, and my "hate you" stare giver. You are my rock. You are my hero. You are my best friend. Not many people see the warmth, compassion, sensitivity, and love you are filled with because of the hard exterior you sometimes put up, but you are truly one of the most loyal, giving, fearless people I've met. You encourage me daily to be a better me and I honestly do not know where I would be without you.

You are pure Kara, and you are good. Your grace and kindness has the power to radiate and fill people up.

I am so glad God chose me to be your big sister.



                                                                 I love you always,

                                                                                  Kaci

Final Senior Trip post...For Now

Milan
After our day at the expo, we spent the next day touring around more of Milan. We went to Sforza Castle that was built in the 15th century. It was beautiful! While there we relaxed in the park beside it and enjoyed the sun and of course some gelato! We had lunch at a mozzarella bar before heading to catch our flight to Stuttgart.

Germany
From Milan we flew into Stuttgart, Germany where Simons father picked us up and took us back to their house. Simon's father is the mayor of a beautiful town, and Tuscaloosa's sister city Schorndorf! We spent five nights in Germany before flying back to Italy. We were able to stay with Simon's family for the entirety of our time in Germany, and I could not be more grateful. Both Simon's mom, Anni and his dad, Matthew were very sweet and wonderful! I truly felt at home while staying with them. Our experience in Germany was wonderful and full of adventure! I was pleasantly suppressed with pretzel with Nutella every morning for breakfast (and it's great)!

Schorndrorf
The next day we toured around Schorndrorf and saw all of the beautiful sights this city has to offer. That night we had supper at a bar that overlooks the city. On our last day in Schorndrorf we were able to go to the top of the main church and view the whole city (courtesy of the mayor's connections). We were also able to visit the castle, which sit just across the street from Simon's house.

Stuttgart
Our day in Stuttgart primarily consisted of shopping. We went to many stores and I even purchased some Birkenstocks for half of the price of here in the US!! Stuttgart has an amazing little indoor market that is sectioned off by different food groups throughout Europe! It was very cool. The architecture of stuttgart was also amazing. The castle, government buildings, and the opera house were all in very close proximity to one another. Across from the opera there was a small park and pond (if you can call a body of water 2 feet deep a pond) that really made the city feel homey and comfortable.

Munich
We spent our first tuesday in Europe in Munich and it was great! In Munich we did some shopping and visited many churches. The town square was crawling with history. For lunch we took the subway to the academic part of Munich to walk to a huge park with streams and lots of students sitting around studying and sunbathing. There we also many MANY bikers. In the park we went to a beer garden for lunch. the whole set up was like a buffet of traditional german food and of course monster beers. The food was great! I had a pretzel that was larger than my head!!! The best part of it all was the atmosphere. We got to eat and relax outside. The park made for a very peaceful lunch. After lunch we went to the top of a hill which set a little temple where we got a great view of the whole park. When we returned to the city center we went to the market. Although Stuttgart's market was very fascinating and different, this market was HUGE. There was any and every type of food you could have Imagined. Munich was a very tiring day, but well worth it. Seeing buildings that were bombed in WWII but rebuilt as close to the original as possible truly creates a feeling of nostalgia and realization of history. When reading a history book you don't understand the effects of bombings that take place in war, but seeing pictures of the building you're standing in after it has been destroyed really connects the dots.

Heidelberg
Heidelberg was equally as historic and beautiful. In Heidelberg we visited the castle that overlooks the whole city. There was even a couple getting married there, how cute! The city center was very large and we were also able to do some shopping in Heidelberg. It is here that I was able to try my first schnitzel! We also stopped in a Hard Rock Cafe to get some souvenirs and to our surprise there was NO STORE in the cafe!!! I could not believe it!! Heidelberg was a truly amazing experience and there are MANY english speakers, so again this is a favorite of mine and if given the chance I recommend you visit. I know I will again soon.

Beach
After returning from Italy we spent the next day in Udine to celebrate Silvia's Mom's birthday before heading to the beach. For her birthday celebration we spent the day by the pool with a fantastic view of the alps. On Sunday we left for the beach. This beach was truly like none I have been to before. It was so strange to see brown sand on the beach, but also beautiful. One truly scary thing we saw on the beach happened on monday. While Silvia and I were laying out on the beach I noticed a man laying on the ground. Before we knew it we saw a another man preforming CPR on him and this man (in a speedo) truly saved his life. Eventually lifeguards and paramedics arrived and he was carried off of the beach. I can honestly say that in this moment I truly admired the life savors strength and speed to take charge and save a life. He was also humble. He never looked for praise. When the medics arrived he left and continued to play with his children. I do not know who this man is but I can say he is an everyday hero. At the beach we finally got some much needed relaxation to let our feet rest from the previous days of strenuous walking. We went back to Udine on Tuesday night and had hour Final meal with Silvia's family.

Venice
On Wednesday we left to head to Venice. Venice is a truly amazing city and I wish we could've had more time to explore and get lost in it. We went to saint mark's square. Again this was a moment of awe to take in the amazing mosaics that were all over Saint Mark's Basilica. To get to the square we took a water ferry where we got to see most of the island from the Grand Canal. Venice is amazing. It looks like the buildings Are coming out of the water. While in Venice I was able to try black pasta! It is pasta with fish and the noodles are soaked in squid ink. It sounds weird and nasty but I was very happy with my out of the box choice! We spent the night in a bed and breakfast in Venice. It was very cute and comfortable. The next day Silvia's dad picked us up and took us to the airport to head back to the states.

Silvia's family was amazing. Both her father, her mom, and her mom's boyfriend welcomed us with open arms (and full bellies). I had such a wonderful time with my great friend that I got to reconnect with over a two week trip. They say home is where the heart is. I left a little of my heart with them so I guess I have a home in Italy now too.








I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to go to Italy and Germany. I owe a huge thank you to Silvia, Simon, and both of their families. I also want to thank the Curry's so I could experience this with my best friend. Last but not least a big thanks to my parents who trusted me enough to allow me to go, who gave me money at holidays so I could save to go, and for instilling an adventurous mentality in me from the time I was little. I love you all.

EXPO 2015

Before planning the trip to Italy, I had never heard of the world expo. So, for those of you who feel the same way here are some quick facts before I ramble about my opinion on everything.

QUICK FACTS

• The world Expo has 145 pavillions set up on the grounds. 143 are dedicated to individual countries and the remaining three are the UN, CERN, and the European Commission.
• The expo is on display for 6 months and there is an expected 23 million visitors. 
• Universal Expos take place every five years.
• The Eiffel Tower was built for Expo. 
• Each Expo has a theme to identify world problems.

EXPO 2015

This years Expo was hosted in Milan, Italy. The theme for this year is Feeding the Planet, Energy for life.  Pavilion Zero is solely focused on the earth, energy, and food. This pavilion identifies the levels of food production around the world. Here many problems with world hunger and waste are also identified. Having taken AP Environmental Science really helped me appreciate this pavilion more than the average. Aside from the amazing set up and use of technology, the pavilion was accomplished without putting people down for the waste but rather showing different ways waste can be used to help make a more sustainable earth. 

As I said, this years expo focused on food, so naturally we ate (probably more than we should have), but we also walked a very significant amount (I have scares on my feet from blisters to prove it). It is hard to remember every country we visited because we did walk through a bunch, but I will try my best. 

Our first stop was to the Belgium pavilion where we enjoyed Belgium waffles, beers, and fries. What a combination. 

In the Chocolate district of expo we went through Cuba, which to no surprise at all was a little hut filled with Caribbean music and mojitos. We went through Switzerland and the lindt chocolate mini factory to get a firsthand look at the creation of such famous chocolate. 

For lunch we went through the China pavilion and stopped to eat at the more traditional Chinese restaurant. 

Probably my favorite pavilion of the day was Spain. It was a light show throughout the building. Lights were reflecting off of hundreds of plates that covered the walls, floors, and ceilings. 

The English Pavilion highlighted bees. This pavilion had a steel structure that was made to resemble a honey comb. 

The United States pavilion highlighted the many different types of food that are present from barbecue to food truck stands.

 In Germany the pavilion focused on food production of the future.

 For a snack we stopped in EATaly for gelato and saw the tree of life light show.

 Every country, although sticking to the common theme of food, was very unique in every aspect of the structures and the presentation. All of the effort put into Expo was truly portrayed.

 One of the very unique pavilions was a "supermarket of the future". Down the isle of the super market there were flat screen tvs all connected to xbox connects. when you point to a food on the isle the tv pulls up the food and shows all nutritional value of the food. I also got to try some coca-cola life while in this supermarket. All of the pavilions were fantastic. 

At the end of the day we had the opportunity to see a mini Cirque Du Soleil performance. Although it was only half the time of a regular shop it was phenomenal. I can honestly say I was in awe of their abilities the whole time. 

All of the many MANY blisters that hindered my ability to walk the following days were well worth all of the sights I saw and countries I visited while at EXPO 2015. If you ever have the chance to go to an expo I highly recommend it.