Day 377: Wedding Photos!

This weekend, we finally organized, arranged, and ordered more wedding pictures, in various shapes and forms. If you have 25 minutes to kill, please enjoy our slideshow!

Click here for the video->

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!

Day 227: Blackbelt!

I AM THE PROUD SISTER OF A BLACK BELT!!

GO SAM!!

Day 214: Our New Home!

It is official! The future Fitch family has a new home. We are proud home owners in the Forest Heights neighborhood of Knoxville!

Here is a little history of the neighborhood from the Forest Heights Neighborhood Association Website

The heavily wooded, hilly neighborhood now called Forest Heights has been a stable, attractive, and desirable residential area for over seventy years. The present neighborhood is made up of four separate subdivisions - Forest Hills, Forest Heights, Highland Hills and Highland Hills Addition, bounded on the east just east of Forest Hills, to the south by Sutherland, to the west by Highland Memorial Cemetary, to the north by Interstate 40/75, and in its entirety was annexed by the City of Knoxville in 1960.

Although the earliest homes of the area are from the 1920s and 1930s, most of the building is of the post World War II period. The residents of this neighborhood were and are a diverse group of people who have found the location, the natural beauty and the friendliness of their neighbors an enticement to move here, to raise their families, and often to remain and welcome their grown children back as new homeowners in the neighborhood.

Photo Credit

Day 215: I am new at the New 2!

In a fun week of new beginnings and the Lord's leading, I have started my new job with Children and Family Ministries at our church, Second Pres. So excited to be here, to jump into my new role, talk with everyone here, and get to work with a wonderful, welcoming team! Stay tuned for more!

Photo Credit

Diversion: AprilBabees

Here is to you, oh AprilBabee,
You are the incarnation of all the it is to be a Fav
With your left hand stretched up into the air,
You voice loudly proclaiming the truth of your birth month,
With the extravagancy of our friendship embodied in the longevity of the final syllable
You, AprilBabee, bring memories of all that Breakfast Group means
You may or may not finish the reading,
And you will likely continue to talk about Tshirts in order to distract from that fact,
You look grown up and perfectly poised,
But deep down, we all still wish you acted out Bible stories,
You do know the court way to pass and fork
And you will remind us all
And yes, we know you are hording the powdered sugar and strawberries

But dearest AprilBabees,
You mean more to me than I can say.
You, AprilBabees, are greater than 3 individual women,
You are the representation of all Laurens, all Carolina girls, 2 sweet twins, and even a famous Red Head.
You, and all your friends,
You, who will bring the light of Christ down the aisle and go before me on my wedding day,
You, will always be my AprilBabees,
And along with all my girls, will always be my Favs!

Day 167: Sneak Peak: Katie and Brad online

Here it is, our wedding website!
As you can tell from this blog, I am a horrible proofreader, so edits are still coming. But go ahead, check it out for info about us, our wedding day, weekend details for out of town guests, registries, and more.

Katie & Brad's Wedding

Be sure and sign the guestbook!

The Proposal (Part II): Up on the rooftop...

You asked for it. Now you've got it. Our engagement story. In installments. Unedited. Uncensored. Filled with typos not doubt.

We went to the Christmas Parade. It was wonderful.
We went to dinner at the newly reopened, historic S&W Grand.
I gushed about the lights of Gay Street and Crouch Park, decked out for the holiday.
We headed over the Market Square for ice skating.
While waiting to skate, Brad told me he had just gotten a key to the building at 4 Market Square. He’s involved with the Knoxville Fellows (a program housed in that building), so again I was didn’t suspected.
As soon as we got on the roof, I saw roses, a bottle of wine, 2 glasses, and all the trimmings. I looked out over Market Square, as Brad opened the bottle. I was so amazed at how pretty everything was. The holiday lights and the shops and the Christmas music from the ice skating. It really was so picturesque that it seemed unreal.
Brad read to me from 1 Corinthians 13. I cried.
Then for a spilt second, he made me think we were about to leave. What? Where we leaving? Was this all to fake me out. Was this prankster going to present several “would be” engagement moments to keep me on my toes. What was happening? I was so, so confused. But only for a second.
“No, let’s stay up here,” he said.
He started to play with my left hand. And then my ring finger. I was looking over the edge of the building when he turned me around and said, “well, I think I am supposed to ask you something.”
As he said this, he got down on one knee. He put a lovely sapphire ring on my finger.
Honestly, I hardly remember what he said or what I said….
I was just so happy.
So surprised.
So in love.
After a few moment of being mesmerized, Brad was leading me downstairs and saying something about another surprise?
We were greeted by a delightful “British” cab driver*, who welcomed us to an old-fashion English taxi cab. I thought we were just driving around to enjoy the moment. I was certainly enjoying the moment. I even asked her if she would drive in our wedding?!
Then, we pulled up to the curb in the Old City. I didn’t even realize what was happening, as we walked into Crown & Goose. The first thing I saw was my mom and some balloons. Such a wonderful crowd was there – my parents*, my brother*, Dori* and Alisa* and Josh*, Casey* and LJ*, David* and Ashley*, Jay* and Rebecca*. Wow! There were flowers. There were gifts.
It was amazing.
Amazing.
Shocking.
Wonderful.
More than I could have ever imagined.
Speachless.
More people stopped by. There was lots of story telling. Fun bonding among our favorite people. I called my YL girls to tell them, “Today I…got engaged.”
Wonderful. Wonderful. Wonderful.
Everywhere I turned, I was learning about someone else who knew Brad was proposing.*
I’ve never really been one to daydream about my engagement. But I did want to be surprised. I didn’t think that was possible. I also thought it would be wonderful and romantic to be alone. But at the same time, there are so many wonderful people I would love to share the moment with. Truly, Friday night I got it all. It was more than I could have ever asked or imagined.

“This day must be the very best day of my life.”

Next up: The icing on the cake.

Day 49: Team In Training

Here I go again! I am training for my 3rd Marathon with Team In Training. I wanted to do a race to celebrate turning 30 next Spring. I also wanted to support this transformative organization. At the same time, I didn’t want to take attention away from Rice Bowls. So, I am replying on old friends, teammates, and supporter, who already know about Rice Bowls, to help me run this race for the Leukimia and Lymphomia Society. My goal is $1300.
With this race, I would like to do things fast - run 26.2 miles faster than ever before and raise the $1300 soon! So, I am praying for some $10 gifts and a couple $50 contributions to get this ball rolling. I'll also be mentoring a team of runners. I am here to help them with their first TNT experience. Your support will help me set an example and encourage them. Help me show them that this can be done and watch your gifts multiply!
Please click here for my fundraising page. Check back often, I’ll be adding details!

Day 46:The New 2

A list of 2 dozen initial choices. 5 weeks. 9 churches visited at least once. 3 services on some Sundays. Dozens of website visits. Countless great conversations. Lots of coffees. Prayer, prayer, prayer.
We’ve been visiting churches…can you tell? Lots of churches…can you tell? Knoxville has so, so, so many wonderful choices. (Thinking about that while hearing from Joseph Paul talk about the persecution of believers in India was an incredible juxtaposition.)
After visiting so many of these great Christ-centered communities (not a bad one in the bunch), we joined “The New 2.” I can’t begin to tell you what a cool process this has been, at this point in life. I can’t begin to tell you how many ways things are right for us to be at 2nd Presbyterian Church right now. I am so excited!
So, after all this praying, visiting, and incredible affirmation, Brad and headed to an informal dinner Sunday night. To join 2nd Presbyterian Church. We saw some people we met in the new members class and Sunday School. We laughed a lot at…I mean with…Bryan, the new pastor. We sat with fun, fun, fun folks at dinner who are in love with the Lord. Then, we become part of the family at “The New 2.”
I pledge to be a servant, a student, a leader, a resource, a disciple.

Photo Credit

Day 3: Neyland at Night!

Go Vols! Tonight I am headed to my first UT night game. Maybe it's bad form to blog about something before it happens. But I just can't wait!
For those of you that are not Tennesseans or big time SEC fans, I'll take this opportunity to explain the name of this blog. Rocky Top is an anthem of this great state and it's the fight song of the University of Tennessee. It was famously recorded by the Osborne Brothers and played after every big play by UT's Pride of the Southland Marching Band.

Rocky Top
by Boudleax and Felice Bryant

Wish that I was on ol' Rocky Top
Down in the Tennessee hills
Aint' no smoggy smoke on Rocky Top
Ain't no telephone bills
Once I had a girl on Rocky Top
Half bear, other half cat
Wild as a mink,
but sweet as soda pop
I still dream about that.

Rocky Top you'll always be
Home sweet home to me
Good ol' Rocky Top
Rocky Top Tennessee,
Rocky Top Tennessee

Once two strangers climbed ol' Rocky Top
Lookin' for a moonshine still
Strangers ain't come down from Rocky Top
Reckon they never will

Rocky Top you'll always be
Home sweet home to me
Good ol' Rocky Top
Rocky Top Tennessee,
Rocky Top Tennessee

Corn won't grow at all on Rocky Top
Dirt's too rocky by far
That's why all the folks on Rocky Top
Get their corn from a jar

Rocky Top you'll always be
Home sweet home to me
Good ol' Rocky Top
Rocky Top Tennessee,
Rocky Top Tennessee

I've had years of cramped-up city life
Trapped like a duck in a pen
All I know is it's a pity life
Can't be simple again

Rocky Top you'll always be
Home sweet home to me
Good ol' Rocky Top
Rocky Top Tennessee,
Rocky Top Tennessee

(I learned all these lyrics, as well as the sign language, in 7th grade "enrichment" class.)
It's going to be a cool October evening so I am off to make sure I have something orange and warm to wear...