wonder-filled

Thursday, February 6


 In the midst of all this travel talk, I thought I'd squeak in a post about the life happening around me lately.
 It has been filled with wonder.
wonder-filled

You see, Kevin and I are in a "sowing" season now. 
A time where we buckle down and do the hard work, 
get our hands dirty, 
and put in long hours,
so that in the future, we will reap what we have sown.  

For us personally, this means Kevin going back to work full-time at our family's restaurants, 
and me going back to school full-time to get my masters in counseling (MFT). 
These are long days, filled with reading and errands, and well, life. 
And for a couple who has spent the last few years traveling the world,
 exploring and meandering, 
working on our own time,
and discovering all things "new"
this shift to schedules and routines and a long road of commitments
could seem, for lack of a better word, boring. 

But instead, God has dipped this meaningful chapter in a golden hue. 
He has taken the mundane, and literally flipped the switch of mediocrity into an illuminated mercy. 
I  have had the most incredible ride just sitting back this last month and watching God show himself to be nothing less than fantastically in tune with our hearts… 
blessing us with gifts that surprise and leave us in awe
at his tender love and unique care of the things that make us happy.
life, while more structured in one sense, is never without wonder. 

Remember how I told you I was starting school to get my MFT? 
welp, i'm now in my third week and LOVING IT! 
Friends, school is my JAM! Everything I am learning to so relevant and fascinating:)
And, as many of you know from experience, school is not cheap. In fact, it's downright expensive! 
But what do you know...lo and behold…a few weeks before school started, I received an email from one of the directors of my program asking if I would be interested in applying to be their graduate assistant! The short story is that I was hired for this position, and now receive a lovely reduction in my tuition!! I was literally humbled as I watched the Lord just outdo himself and provide for Kevin and I in such a beautiful way. 
wonder-filled

If you've been following my blog long enough, you'd know that Kevin and I lived the last 5 years in a low-income neighborhood. The kids and families we met there, changed our lives. This past weekend I visited our complex for the first time since we've been back from Nepal. As I parked my car, I caught one of the little boy's eyes, who literally LIT UP and ran straight to me. In a matter of seconds, all the kids started yelling "Katie's back!!!!" and running and giving me hugs. Old and young, I sat tethered in a stream of arms embracing, wishing I could have bottled up the love and sheer joy I felt. And it reminded me that the way of relationship is the most beautiful and profound thread of our lives. All those hours of baking with neighbors, and reading books, and playing tag, and hosting dinners…it all mattered. It mattered because I mattered to them, and they mattered to me. And we, together in the business of doing life, mattered to God. You guys, it was so, so holy. 
wonder-filled

and then there have been the little tender mercies from above. 
visits from out of town friends. love notes from my husband. fresh fruit and veggies.
sunshine the entire month of January. 
being hired to capture memories of love-filled events,
absolute peace in my heart, the gifts of the Proverbs, 
in-laws that fill us with laughter and let us live rent-free,
and now house-sitting with Kev at a most beautiful retreat-like home. 
really, it all is 
wonder-filled. 

I hope you find wonder in your daily tasks. Because our wonderful God pours life into even the most boring of days:) Happy Thursday friends! 

Love Katie 
ps- I'm flying to northern california this weekend to visit my family and watch the Olympics! My dad and I are die-hard olympic fans, and for his Christmas present I told him I would come up and be his olympic watching buddy! My two sisters are also driving home this weekend, and together the three of us are playing on a basketball team, in a city league my dad has been organizing for the last 5 years! Should be fun and hilarious, as i'm so out of shape, haha!! 


22 comments :

  1. So very excited for you about grad school! Isn't it amazing how the Lord provides? Praying for you both in this transition of seasons to a seemingly more "mundane" way of life that He will continually open doors and opportunities to spread His love in more ways than you can imagine! Thinking of you friend :)

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  2. Aww, I'm so glad you are loving grad school! And I just LOVED hearing about your visit to your old neighborhood. I can just imagine what a joyous reunion that was! :)

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  3. I'm so excited for you! That is so amazing about your grad assistantship!

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  4. That is so awesome that God is blessing you in this season of sewing! I'm going to get my MSW and become a licensed counselor in the next year or so, so I understand the whole grad school expense!!

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  5. Aw, this post gave me goose bumps. So glad you have been so blessed in this season of life! <3

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  6. You look so beautiful on that window seat wrapped up in your skirt! Lovely!

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  7. This is so good! Seasons of sowing can often bring me and my husband so much closer, even if I don't realize it until afterwards. Also, these photos of you are so lovely!

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  8. I love this! So glad you're settling into your "boring" life ;)

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  9. God does bring life into the "boring days" and make them amazingly beautiful. It's so good to hear of how He is working in your lives!

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  10. you are just so positive and beautiful! school is my jam too! so glad you are loving it. keep up the good work my friend! congratulations on the assistant position.

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  11. These photos are beautiful!! I miss you dear friend! I was away from blogging for a few weeks and have been eager to catch up with your blog! I am so happy school is treating you well! And what a blessing to be hired as a graduate assistant! God is taking care of all your needs! What a beautiful blessing to see His faithfulness! P.S. will I be seeing you in a little over a week? :)

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  12. So, so happy for you! There's no such thing as boring when God is part of the story. :)

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  13. absolutely adored this post.
    your ability to allow God to move in all areas of your life is encouraging and motivating.
    thank you for continuing to follow him and to share your walk with us - you will never fully know the impact you have on the lives of others.
    i'm so blessed to be following your blog katie! :)

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  14. Everything about this is so happy. You look beautiful and I'm so glad things are going so well!

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  15. "sowing season". I love that. It certainly feels like that is where J and I are at right now as well. I'm so glad to hear you're loving your classes and what a blessing to get a GA! having a GA definitely made a big difference for us financially. God blesses the sowing season :)

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  16. You talking about wonder always inspires me to see the wonder in my own life friend =)

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  17. Bloglovin always deletes my comments before i send them, boo :( But what i was going to say is that this post really helped me calm down and let go of some of the ol' anxiety. We have big decisions to make for next year, and things were changing very quickly and i couldn't keep up. This post give me perspective, our God has a plan, he has provision and so much to teach us along the way. He absolutely knows the desires of my heart and has a brilliant adventure for us all! woohooo!

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  18. Well said... Life really is about seasons, and it is important to embrace them as it goes by too quickly. :)

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  19. I felt really empty when we came back from living abroad, and it took a couple of months for me to get in the "groove" and see that there was plenty for me to do here! I'm in school for my Master's now, too, and I really had forgotten how much I love learning and how this is exactly where I need to be right now. God works in mysterious ways, I tell ya!

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  20. I am SO glad life is so wonder-filled for you both! I love that you are enjoying school so much and that you got to visit your old neighborhood. Have so much fun with your family!! :)

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  21. honestly these pictures are breathtaking. absolutely lovely and so feminine. xoxo

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  22. Such lovely perspective girl! I hope you had a blast with your dad and sisters! Family time is the best. :)

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