who knows?

I have a test tomorrow, so seriously, what else would I be doing but writing in my blog? haha. I'm pretty terrible sometimes about doing anything but studying.

Today on my way home from school, it was nice and warm in my car from sitting in the sun all day, so I had the windows down and was driving over the connector with the sun shining down while blaring some Norah Jones - and it was absolutely FABULOUS. She has quite possibly one of the most relaxing, pure voices I've ever listened to and it's always a treat when she happens to be on the CD I'm listening to.

Today in lab I got to "play" in people's armpits....it's not as bad as I was expecting - it's funny how you don't even really think about the "grossness" or embarassment of things when you're focused on what you're doing from a medical standpoint. Kinda like in anatomy lab when we were doing the...uhh....reproductive region --- and you walk into the lab and see....uhh....a lot of....uhhh....you know. You think it'd be awkward, but when put in the situation, it's not at all.

In church on Sunday there was a missionary from China there - and it was really cool and somewhat eye-opening to hear her pray in Chinese. Made me realize once again that Christ isn't a white, middle class guy that only speaks English....funny how that view sometimes gets painted or clouds your mind. I mean, I obviously know He's not....but it was really nice to hear someone of a completely different culture than mine praying to the exact same God in a language I had no clue about....and know that He hears her prayers just as He does mine. It was awesome.

I had a REALLY encouraging talk with AJ on Sunday night -- and it was so good to hear her voice knowing that she was all safe and sound back home from her travels afar. I haven't even begun to hear her trip stories or adventures, but am excited to get to sit down with her soon and talk, perhaps this weekend....or when she comes to stay with me in Charleston -- yaaaaay!

I also had a pretty great conversation today with Bri. It's nice to have conversation that makes you think...where you challenge and are being challenged at the same time. Good times....

Erin is coming to the east coast in a month!!!!! YAAAAAY!!!!!!!

OK, well - that was a random assortment of thoughts that trickled through my brain as I was typing....aka, avoiding studying.

Oh yea, there was a guy last night sitting across from me in Starubucks who looked EXACTLY like the main character from Office Space. It was absolutely crazy....I should have asked for an autograph.

OK, I'm really finished now. Have a good one, everybody...I'm off to study...........gotta whoop up on my test tomorrow, like Sleeve did to his today. :-)

"A Day in the Life - Katie Hogue"

Well folks, it's the moment you've all been waiting for....a glimpse into a day in my life. That's right, I created a "documentary" in a manner of speaking using snapshots from my day, January 25th, 2006. I hope you enjoy....

Goooooodmorning sun! (this is a view from my back porch).



This is me pimpin' it on the way to school....heeeere we go!






Another shot on the way to school....meet my lovely passenger (also my "documentarian" for the day) Heather "H-boogey"Blackwell.





Holdin' it down at the bus stop...you know how I like to work it. haha.


My morning email check before class starts. I mean, uhh...this is me reviewing my notes before class begins since I'm such a studious person.

Professor Sword - also known as "sworddo" or "psword" doin' his thing after class....(he didn't know I was taking this....but genius me didn't turn off the flash - haha).

I was lucky enough today to be a part of the "collagen family" as Dr. Morissette called it. He was trying to make a point about the resiliancy of collagen due to the way its structured -- so called 5 of us up to demonstrate. (this is a recreation after class, because well - we couldn't whip out the camera during class). Don't we look like some STRONG covalent bonds?? You know it! From now on you can just call me "Katie Collagen" ---- orrrrr not.

Well, we were on our way out to Johns Island to a farm for a lab we had...and Wendy's was callin' our name. FYI: Frosty's with mixin's are GOOOOOOD (as you can see from Rachel's facial expression - haha). Cheers!

"harses, harses, harses..." -Sleepless in Seatle

what a GORGEOUS day at the farm...it was awesome.





Me and Mr. Horse. This is a self-taken photo...a talent I've found I possess - others can attest. haha.

We nickednamed this horse "massteter" because well - he had HUGE masseter muscles (those are the big muscles in your jaw you use to chew). He was cool....as you can see by the thumbs up gesture. haha.

Yep - I'm walkin' down Hwy 17 - a major highway in Charleston wearing goggles. It was pretty classic, so I thought I'd pull out a model pose (classic) for this documentation.

Well, we left the farm and had to come back to school for a water aerobics class for school. (I know, I go to the coolest classes EVER). We were going with an action shot here - trying to get a shot while I was in the air makin' the big jump -- buuut my documentarian (Heather) snapped it a lil' too early. It's ok - you can imagine the plunge...it was fabulous.

Well, after I got home from water aerobics (around 5ish) I took a nice long HOT shower since I was still in a wet, cold bathing suit. Grabbed a lil' soup, and headed out the door to the library for Bible Study. Here are the cool gals that attended - Danielle, Jess, Corey, Shelley, me and Scoobs. Good times....

Well - I got back home, watched a lil' American Idol - created this lil' (ok REALLY big) documentary - and now I'm hittin' the sack. Goodnight to all, and to all, a good night.

COMING SOON.....

"A Day in the Life -- Katie Hogue"

Get ready, it's gonna knock your socks off....

(I'm hoping to post my "documentary" tonight...so go ahead and get excited)

"In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation." -Psalms 5:3

This morning I read this verse and for some reason the word "lay" just jumped out at me. I began wondering what it might look like to "lay" my requests before God each morning, how I do that, and what implications it may have.

I was drying my hair, and thinking about these things when I realized that my blinds were still closed. I usually keep them closed when I get out of the bed because it's still dark outside, then I get in the shower, and by the time I get out the sun usually begins peeking up over the horizon, so I ALWAYS open them to let the daylight in. (It's actually one of those lil' idiosyncracies of mine - if it's daylight outside, the blinds are definitely going to be open). So, I am drying my hair and realize that I haven't opened them yet, and it should be time for it to be getting light outside. I turn off the dryer, and walk to open my blinds, and I realize that I can't see anything outside because of the dense fog that has settled right outside of my porch.

The first thing I thought of is the word "lay." The fog was settled in so thick and covered absolutely everything, seeming to just be "laying" there so soft and still. That is exactly what the Lord wants us to do. To spill ourselves out, to lay our requests - no matter how thick they may be - at His feet and be still and wait in expectation for Him to deal with them in the way He chooses. Just as the fog is sure to rise, the Lord is sure to handle our requests, carry them, and lift them in His time. We are just asked to lay them before Him and wait.

Seems so simple....

so often I make it so hard...

random? yes.

snapshot

I feel like this picture is a pretty accurate portrayal of my weekend in many ways. (If you can't see it well, I think you can click on it to make it bigger). I wish I had more time to write, right now, but it's late and I have an 8 o'clock class in the morning.

This is me frolicking (literally, frolicking doing leaps and things of the sort) in the sand at the beach today, flyin' my kite. There was such a sense of freedom, of playfulness, of sheer delight, of exhileration, of life, and of just raw fun. It was relaxing...and well, this picture is just plain metaphorical for a lot of things. I'll let you interpret them for now, and perhaps I can elaborate a little more later. I guess in a nutshell it was a time filled with relaxation, fun, hanging out with friends, shopping, going to the rodeo, hillarious games of charades, football, horeshoes, kamakazi kite flying, great conversation, and just plain goodness. It's kinda funny that the times that were the greatest were those in which there wasn't necessarily much "doing" but the times when there was just great conversation. I guess it's not too surprising though, those are always the best times in life.

I hope your weekend treated you equally as nice, or even better.

.....

Tonight was definitely a windows rolled down, heat cranked up driving night. That is one of the best feelings in the world, and it was oh so nice.


I want to build a tree house with my husband one day.

don't talk to strangers...MINUS the don't

I met a man named George tonight. He was sitting across from me at Barnes and Noble reading some computer magazines and I learned a lot about life through our conversation.

George was a man who, just by looking at him, you knew wasn't "quite right." He was probably in his 40's but looked as if he was much older. He walked very rigidly, slow, deliberate, and laborious (and the PT in me noticed that he had some leg braces under his pants legs). His hands shook, he seemed nervous, and when I spoke to him, or he spoke to me, he didn't seem to be able to locate where exactly to look, so it looked as if he was kind of blankly staring at me or somewhere near me.

But George was an incredible man. I feel like a lot of people at first sight may just dismiss him. May think that he wouldn't understand things if you talked to him, or think that it'd be a waste of time to even try. And I'll be honest, I thought some of the same things. But for some reason, I kept feeling compelled to talk to him (probable things behind this reasoning: God and Brianne).

So, I tried to make some converation. A slightly failed attempt. I continued to read, then tried to make another attempt. A little better outcome than the previous, but still no real conversation. I almost decided to just leave him to his magazines, and me to my books, but wanted to try just one more time. I felt like he just needed to know someone cared, or that someone wanted to be his friend. So, I tried again. This time was different. After a few questions in which he would just say "yes" or "no" or repeat what I asked him, he began to open up. This, friends, was exciting.

In his slow, slightly slurred, thoughtful speech, he began telling me some things, and I'd ask him some questions, and I'd tell him some things - which eventually lead to him telling me about a big part of his life: he has been through 2 heart transplant surgeries. Two. WOW. That's pretty big stuff, folks. He told me that the first one was all his fault. He smoked 4 packs of cigarettes a day, which eventually lead to abnormal destruction of his heart, hence, the need for a transplant in 1994. His body rejected the first heart, so he underwent another transplant surgery in 2001....and he's still with us today, which is a miracle in itself.

He seems to have been through a lot in life. He says the ER and CCU doctors at MUSC know him by name, and that he's even had to call an ambulance to come pick him up from Barnes and Noble 4 or 5 times. He's had several near-death experiences, and been through more therapy and rehab than most people can imagine. He has serious damage, in most every sense of the word....but was such a big encouragement to me tonight.

He somehow learned to laugh about his struggles. While we were talking an ambulance sped by with its lights and siren on and he smiled and said "I have a joke, when I see or hear those, I tell people they're coming to get me."

After talking for a little while, a van drove up to the window and flashed its lights, meaning he had to leave. He stood slowly, got his bookbag, we said goodnight and he shuffled out. I assume he lives in a home with other "disabled" men and women. I wished he didn't have to leave, but he said he comes to Barnes and Noble almost every night if he gets the chance. I plan on returning just so I can talk with him again. I'm hoping that maybe some sort of relationship will form, Lord willing. That he will be able to see that I care for him in a big way, and more than that, that he will be able to see Jesus through me. Through a simple friendship. A thing that we often take for granted, but that if I'd have to guess, George is missing out on.

I learned a lot tonight from my conversation George. More than I will write on here. I tried to encourage him as much as I could, and I can only pray that I somehow showed him that he was loved.

I encourage you to keep your eyes and your heart open to see people that need to be loved (yep - that's everyone). Don't be afraid to talk to strangers (no matter what your mom told you growing up), to meet new people, to share and listen to those you just meet. I'll be willing to guess that you will walk away more encouraged than they will, many times...just as I was tonight.

Luke 1:53

"He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty."

His mercies are new every morning...

"His splendor was like the sunrise;
rays flashed from his hand,
where his power was hidden." - Habakkuk 3:4

I stood out on my porch this morning sipping my coffee and watching an amazingly beautiful sunrise over the marsh. The day seemed to begin to wake up and stretch it's legs as the the sun began to peek over the horizon. It was majestic. Bright pink and orange streaked underneath the misty sky, and then it happend -- the huge, bright, powerful ball of fire began to rise. Just as it does every morning. I never want to just "get used to it." I want it to amaze me every single day of my life -- because it is incredible. Just think about it - this huge mass of earth we live on is spinning suspended in a huge galaxy that we know nothing about, around a great ball of fire that keeps us alive. How much more astounding could could it get? It's a simple display of God's power that He chooses to show us every morning -- every single morning He is faithful. Tomorrow I think I might head to the beach to enjoy the sunrise....mmmm...He is good.

"only when surprised"

so, i've laughed a whole heck of a lot tonight - and discovered some pretty wonderful/unexpected things - gosh I love friendships.

cheers!

experiencing creation

If only I could see it with my own 2 eyes...


adventure.

exploration.

they are calling.

I want to go....just go...

I need to go...

LIVE.

walk. run. lay with the grass. stand among the trees. dance with the stars. float in the water. gaze at the hills. be mezmorized by the canyons. meet the people. be surrounded by life at its fullest.

just go...

RECAP

Well hello again. I'm going to take a little time to reflect over the past few days....feel free to read on if you wish...

Thursday night I got to go to Greecian Gardens with my friend Grant, in which we were by far the youngest people dining there that night. We were surrounded by middle-aged to elderly couples everywhere...it was quite funny. Then we watched Mr. and Mrs. Smith (a great movie) and proceeded to have a "friendly conversation" about the differences between guys and girls...he admitted that women were by far the superior gender and we moved on quickly....haha, riiiiiiight.

Friday was fabulous - I got to enjoy dinner at Macaroni Grill with Sleeve - which was filled with good food and excellent conversation. It was really great to get to see him and just hangout and talk for a few hours....and hopefully we will get to do so again very soon if I'm lucky.

Saturday was New Year's Eve - I went to Bri's house for about an hour and a half first and well...we'll just say it was really good to get to talk to her. She is such an encouragement - and I love being able to share my heart with her. After what was supposed to be a quick visit turned into an amazing hour and a half, I left and went to eat at Damon's downtown with Sleeve, Grant, and Jonathan Davis --- I was perhaps the luckiest girl in the world to be surrounded by 3 hot guys like I was at one time! Then we headed over to Danny and Jordan's house then back over to Grant's and just chilled out -- a typical New Year's night.

Sunday was filled with church, and sitting outside on my dock relaxing, and reading, and great phone conversations, and breakfast for dinner, and yea....good stuff.

Monday was the day I headed back to ole' Charles Towne, but before I left I got to sit and have some incredible coffee and even better conversation for a few hours once again with Miss Siciliano. It was SOLID. I loved every second of it...

Today, Tuesday, was the first day of class. To be honest, I was a little anxious/unsettled about starting the semester - but class today was good. I mean, I wasn't necessasrily "excited" about starting all the studying again...buuuut, the stuff I learned today was fun (yes, I accept that I am a nerd for thinking class is fun). Hopefully it will stay that way all semester...my fingers are crossed. :-)

And well, there ya have it folks.

I want to go to the mountains, really bad. Just wanted to toss that out there.

Peace....

a true statement:

I have a best friend named Bri, and she's absolutely amazing. I just wanted to throw that out there because I thought you all should know, if you didn't already.