idk

really gonna miss random nights like this



happy blogiversary to illuminating kate

so even though i do realize i haven't been the best blogger this year, my friends are so sweet... they remembered my blogiversary! it's been exactly 1 year since i officially started being Illuminating Kate.

Its been a year of blessings. I have searched and found the college meant to be for me, i've grown as an artist, i've found more about myself and most importantly, i have come closer to God! I am proud to say it's been an amazing year since last President's day and the first day i entered the blogging world.

so i just got back from the most amazing church retreat and i am feeling so refreshed! (spiritually and physically since i slept for the most of my day today now that i am home).

today, as i was being a couch potato, i got a call around 3 from Brendan asking if i wanted to do a photoshoot for our photography class with him. so of course i was on board! but little did i know the surprise waiting for me....

we met at a park near our houses and when i got there he had invited our other best friend, lauren, to celebrate my blogiversary! i can't believe i had completely forgotten!

they are my number one fans and my number one friends. love them so much. afterall, they bring the adventure to this blog and to my life.

they made the most delicious cupcakes. seriously, they were so yum and the cupcakes spelled out "illuminating kate" awwwwww how special.... and the for icing on the cake (no pun intended), brendan used cursive lettering for spelling out the words. he said he looked back at my blog and tried to make the lettering JUST like the lettering of my blog banner....he knows illuminating kate so well!!

today made me realize how blessed i am to have these two people in my life. Brendan and Lauren are friends that will last a lifetime. the trials we've faced and the journeys we go through together are amazing. i'll always love these two. 

we were talking about our futures today.... that even though college is just around the corner, and no matter where we end up going, we all share the same thing: our home. Carmel, Indiana is where i met my best friends. carmel, indiana is where fate happened. it was fate to meet these freaking awesome people.

even when we're forty and have families, the memories we have made and the friendships we have planted here will always remain in this special town. my heart knows we will still be just as good friends.

yes, i look forward to making new friends and starting new beginnings in college, but because of these two people and because of my family, coming back home for breaks will be that much more special ♥

today was a happy day and a perfect ending to a perfect weekend. i couldn't ask for more.

have a great week..... live it with bright color! (whatever that means, i can just imagine my art teacher saying something like that)

keep chasing the light

don't lose it all in the blur of the stars
seeing is deceiving, dreaming is believing
it's okay not to be okay
sometimes it's hard to follow your heart
tears don't mean you're losing
everybody's bruising
just be true to who you are
          -JESSIE J ♥

^i love jessie j! she's so inspirational. i always love a good jessie j sesh with my iPod. good times. but really, just like she said.... just be true to who you are. we're all on a different journey through life but we can only truly enjoy it if we can each individually be true to who we are.


eh. times are kinda not really goin the greatest right now.... i feel like they should be! its second semester senior year! but whatevs. im going into this week with a really positive attitude. nothing is gonna get me down. that is my goal.

Pinterest

i've been getting all in a tizzy over DUMB SHIT. (excuse my french) haha but seriously i need to stop. i just need to worry bout me and only me. so i'm just gonna try to be a happier person to be around! and that can only happen if i let the sun shine through my heart. just be true to me and thats my word.

i should be more grateful for everything i have! seriously, hello, katelyn!!!! you just got accepted into college! some people would kill for the colleges i just got accepted to. that is such an accomplishment for me and i need to be more graceful with God's awesome presence in my life. everything that's falling apart or coming together is exactly meant to happen in God's perfect plan for me.

Pinterest

i need to be more forgiving. less spiteful. more grateful. i've especially learned a lot of lessons this year. but one of the biggest lessons was to not compare myself. comparing only drives jealousy and bad things. there's no good in focusing on things that are out of your control. i've realized that social networks are the central hubb of showing off. yeah, i had to stear clear of facebook for a while during my "i dont know if i'll ever get into college" phase.  and to all my twitter followers, im sick of all your negative shit!!!!! my biggest pet peeve is when someone tweets early in the morning, "this is going to be the worst day ever." UM. HELLO? IT'S ONLY GONNA BE A BAD DAY IF YOU SAY IT IS.

so in conclusion, to anyone reading this that may be a peer of mine: don't worry about what college 'that person' got into or "omg i cant believe 'so & so" got into that college... why didn't i?" LET IT GO. let it be. focus on the HAPPY. get all that negativity out of you!!!!! you are enough. OH! and one more thing: if ever you are scared, pray. Pray it out. God listens, and he understands what you are trying to say, even when you don't know how to say it. He's ALWAYS there to listen to you, even if it is just to thank Him.

Pinterest

i have a lot going for me and i believe in me because i am true to me. i believed in the beauty of my dreams and that is why i'm going to italy in six short months. keep chasing the light and you'll get exactly where you want to be.

well looky here

omg isn't it so crazy!! haha so cray cray. Oh goodness, welcome to my world of crazy lingo. (or should i say cray lingo) My life has been pretty cray the past six months especially. And i have so me exciting news! After that last blog post, i ironically got some mail the next day. Hmmm...

omg CRAY!!!!!

woohoo! so far, ive been accepted into IUPUI, Indiana University, and Ball State University. Just waiting on one more. (they're saving the best for last)

God heard me prayin hard cuz i got a double whammy in the mail. i wasn't supposed to hear back from IU or Ball State but guess what! I got my acceptance letters from both in the mail on the same day! cray.

feeling very blessed and happy going into this last and final semester of school. i calculated it all up.... this is my 26th semester of school since kindergarten. #26 out of 26. i've come a long way. time to finish up strong. it's gonna be a great semester. on to day 2 tomorrow.

stay positive!!!!!!

you've got a lot goin' for ya

before i get started, i'd like to say that i am so completely relaxed this winter break that i don't know what will get me to go back to school..... oh wait, i think i know.........

every day is a day closer to many wonderful happenings in my near future: spring break to Disney, my birthday, graduation, and ITALY. Yes, i said the "i" word. I'm going to Italy. No really, i don't know if you heard me.... I'M GOING TO ITALY.... THE BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY, ITALY!! Oh, and i'm also going to college. (lol, can't forget that one.)

Only one semester to go before my life changes in so many ways. It's really bittersweet though. Im super duper excited and happy, yet at the same time, i remember when i was just a little kid playing with my beloved American girl dolls. I dont really wanna grow up already. I'm gonna be 18 in a few months... like when the hell did that happen? Man, these happy 17 years sure have gone fast. I have a vivid memory of being in the 4th grade and we got track and field shirts with my class' graduating year on the back: 2012... back then it seemed like the space age. Yeah, well 2012 is gonna be here in 24 hours. haha.

Seeing time fly by so fast is why i'm gonna take a deep breath and just soak in every detail while things are the way they are right now.... before they get all weird when i go away from college. I know i'll come back to visit for breaks, but it just won't ever be EXACTLY the same. The thought of my family of 5 turning into a family of 4 at our dinner table next year makes me kinda sad. Sometimes being the oldest child kinda sucks. (Oh, but it does have sooooo many perks!) So let's make it an awesome 2nd semester of my senior year!!! And let's make it better than 1st semester!!!

So far this year, i've been bombarded with such crazy stress, i really dont know how i am staying sane. ha. Seriously though... college this, college that, college essays, college apps, college, college, college. If i hear that word in a stressful manner one more time...... haha let's just say by the time i finally get there, i will be MORE THAN READY TO PARTY!!!! (oh.....hey mom reading this!) Lolz. Im gonna embrace college life in the best way possible. Cant wait to meet new friends and really launch my artistic abilities.

Oh, yeah, the only MAJOR thing about this whole college topic making it kind of awkward right now is the fact that yeah, haha, i have no idea where i'm gonna end up yet! I'm still on that "getting into college" journey right now. So far, it's been a bumpy bumpy ride. But i'm trying to stay positive.

After finding out that i have been wait-listed at my top 3 school choices, it's been more of a faithful journey for me. I've gotten myself this far by working hard in school and staying out of trouble so now it's up to God from here. I've been praying that He will bring me to the right place and of course, i completely trust in His plan for me. It's very comforting to know i'm in good company.

2012 not only is my graduating year, but it is the year my dreams are literally coming true. Not many people can say they are looking forward to a trip to Disney World/Orlando Studios and Italy this upcoming year! I can say it though :o) hehehe.

I can tell it's going to be a magical year for me. A year of growth and happiness. And i am ready to embrace every part of my story to come. I totally cannot wait to meet 2012. She seems like a pretty cool year to me.

angel rays

just thinking lately about how many angels i have that are watching over me and keeping me safe. whenever i feel scared or stressed or mad or happy or sad or confused..... i know i will be okay because i have my guardian angels. i believe i have already met some of my guardian angels. my nana and poppop and mimi and jae. i miss them terribly. especially my poppop. i cant believe its been almost a year.

i also have angels watching over me who i havent met yet but they know who i am. i never met a bunch of my great grandparents but they look so sweet in pictures. they are watching over me too.

but whenever i get sad about missing the ones who i have loved and lost, i just have to think about how i had lunch with them earlier or how they guided me to school or helped me take my test. they're always with me. even though they are in heaven and i am on earth doesnt mean anything.

the other day i found this on pinterest



so true. seriously though, it got me thinking... the concept of time is SO WEIRD. there really is no such thing as "time." We are living in the same time as 100 years ago... it just looks different. The time i've spent away from my passed loved ones is no time at all. It seems like just yesterday they were here. I'll see 'em later with God though.

they're (not so) grrrrrrreat

whenever i was little, i used to love frosted flakes. well not anymore. i seem to be surrounded by them everyday and they're getting really old. i'd rather be surrounded by a buncha honey nuts... because at least they're better for you.

we all have those flakes in our lives whether we realize it or not. too bad i'm realizing it everyday. we've got the snow flakes, the corn flakes, and the dandruff flakes. but most especially, the frosted flakes.

frosted flakes. they seem so nice on the outside, but really, once you let them set in the milk, they get all soggy and limp and they break apart. they look very decieving. you think they're going to be there forever but soon enough they disinigrate.

tucan sam once told me, "be a fruitloop in a world full of cheerios."