The Final Day

Eighteen months. 400 blog posts. A year in a new job and a new home. Nine months of marriage.
I think I can officially say, I am settled.

I started this blog with the title "Rediscovering Rocky Top." I wanted to celebrate all the things I was discovering and re-discovering about this city, after a decade away. I changed the name to "KtownKatie" as I got a bit more settled in, but life still had so many changes. Since moving, I have fallen more in love with my family, made wonderful friends, planned and celebrate the wedding of my dreams, become a part of Second Presbyterian Church, found dozens of wonderful restaurants, shops, and special things, and become a home owner for the first time. Most importantly, I am married to a wonderful man and I love it.

So, as I'm turning 31, I am taking a break from blogging. And leaving you with 31 things I have learned over the last year and a half.

1. Sabbath is a commandment.

2. While I may be concerned with happiness, God is concerned with Holiness.

3. Google Reader can change your life.

4. Hospitality can be a ministry.

5. Not every girl is girly.

6. It takes time to become good at things.

7. It is okay to not edit your blog posts. You will have typos. People will judge you. But there is freedom in not worrying what they think.

8. God commands. Sometimes He "calls" us or "gives us peace" about something. Other times, He just says do it.

9. It is better to make food from scratch.

10. People don't give kids enough credit. Especially toddlers and preschoolers.

11. In this life, we will always want for things. That is our nature as created beings. Even Eve wanted something she could not have. Only in heaven will we be satisfied.

12. Homes are supposed to be a haven.

13. People will hurt you.

14. Love delights in truth. Evil loves darkness. The Lord loves light.

15. We are supposed to "make every effort" to love people well and to serve with excellence. But our best effort is all we can do and all we are held to.

16. To analize or discuss something, figure out: What are we trying to achieve? What are we trying to avoid?

17. My home and my husband are even more important than my work.

18. When in doubt, wear cowboy boots.

19. Christmas is so fun in your own home. Can't wait for Easter.

20. I want to make everyone feel important and loved while they are with me. The way my dog does.

21. Spiritual disciplines really do fit into the 21st century.

22. Sometimes, the most important thing you can do is not the biggest, most noticeable thing.

23. Weddings are for brides and grooms. But also families. Especially moms.

24. My mom is wonderful. I am blessed.

25. My mother-in-law is wonderful. I am doubly blessed.

26. Yard work is a metaphor for life.

27. Listen more. Honor people by not talking yourself.

28. Being a team player can be thankless. But it's still right.

29. Two become One. Wow.

30. I am never going to know it all and I am never going to be perfect.

31. I am okay with that.

Day 480: The Flower Guy

For years, women on first dates with hopelessly romantic men in downtown Knoxville have come face to face with a dark haired stranger. He is not an urban legend. He is always there, subtlety making his presence known, even if you never know his name. (And even if he cannot be found via any internet search when you are trying to find a photo or additional content for your blog entry.)
He is the flower man. He strolls downtown Knoxville and sells roses each night. For first or second dates. For anniversaries no doubt. Or, in my case, on a random Thursday night while grabbing dinner with my husband after downtown meetings.
2 red roses=a sweet Thursday memory.

Source

Day 475: 6 months

6 months.
We have been married 6 months.
I have been thinking about it all day, and here are 4 things I have thought about. I wanted to think of 6, but these 5 were perfect.
1. My grandparents have been married for over 50 years. That means we have experience less than 1% of what they have experienced.
2. Marriage is never ending. Every great thing i have been a part of had some sort of end or finish line in sight. Graduation. The literal finish line of a race. These all end relatively soon, when compared to marriage. We get to do this for years and years and years to come!
3. All the cliches are true - it seems like we just got started and at the same time it seems like we have been married forever.
4. I just started a study of Habakkuk and while the context is totally different, this quote sticks with me from that text. "You would not believe [what would happen] if you were told."
5. You can watch reruns of the local news basically any time of day. It is very convenient.
Happy anniversary!

Day 410: No Shave November

Okay...so, he does not look like this. But when I googled "No Shave November" this image came up. My husband says he is not shaving this month as in order to raise awareness for prostate cancer.

So he says.

He says he is part of a cause bigger than himself.

He says that it makes him look like a member of "the nobility."

He says people come up to him all the time and tell him how good it looks.

So he says.

Oh, and now my uncle is doing it too?!

Facial hair for a cause...what will they think of next?

On the move...Ktown Katie

Coming soon, to a computer near you...
...It's Almost Blogging Time in Tennessee!
Over the past 2 months, I have been honeymooning, program planning, and unpacking. Now, I am excited to announce that I will be back to blogging soon. I am relaunching with a new name and a new url. It's Ktown Katie. So, reset your RSS and bookmarks to ktownkatie.blogspot.com.
You can still access all the old posts, and hear about how things are unfolding:

New Life.
New Ministry.
Newlywed.

In the meantime, tell me what you want to hear about!
See you soon!