picture post

because i like you, i've posted pictures.

lots of pictures.

and another one...

takes the plunge!

meet the newest nearlyweds, my jules and her zachary
been waiting on this one, folks. they were goners as soon as they met.
wishing you all the love and happiness in your marriage you both can stand.

p.s. move closer?

wedding post overload

who knew 2011 was wedding season spectacular?
below are some sweet friends who will be wedded these next few months.
wishing nothing but the best for you and yours! love you all

mandi & heath, edited per request

chris & michele

sister & mister

melanie & chris

kristi & nick

elizabeth & danny

i'm so excited to celebrate with y'all!

of course, the law student told me today a church believe the exact rapture date to be may 21, 2011, so all this may be moot. but i prefer to celebrate.
(and privately freak out - y'all know the rapture scares me).

days 19 - 22

day 19 - something you miss

oh, wow. what a loaded question. in no particular order:
my memory, being skinny, msu pom, being with my friends all day long, stressless christmases that didn't involve bad feeling, fbc youth group, riding horses every weekend, being able to hang, skipping class, visiting my boyfriend in LA, my cat cookie and my dog nellie, my sisters (remember the email! you know, kind of like remember the alamo!), spring break, lost friendships, abercrombie and fitch's kid jeans, sleeping in, my grandfathers, and being called by any of my college nicknames.

day 20 - nicknames

nice segue, huh? i'm awesome that way.
my nicknames are very special to me. no one here knows them. it makes me sad.
certain friends use certain ones. very few actually call me by my given name.

lu or lulu
lala
kissey or just kiss
mckissack
little bit
lil frien
tiny one
little lauren

day 21 - picture of yourself

me in my favorite city. again, no recent pictures of myself.
i want a camera for christmas. hint, hint.

day 22 - favorite city

BOSTON! i've told you this before.

days 15 - 18

day 15 - bible verse

"see, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me."
- isaiah 49:16

day 16 - dream house

don't even get me started.
i love bungalow, cottage & craftsman-style homes. must have a huge porch.
dream house is in the mountains, quiet, comfortable and liveable and impeccably decorated, completely paid for, and full of love.

day 17 - something you're looking forward to

christmas, of course! seeing the family and hopefully some friends,
and 24 hours of a christmas story, coming to a tbs near you.
also: mississippi state's bowl game over new year's with the law student.

day 18 - something you regret

hmm...usually it's something i say. also found here: my senior year of high school's haircut, not spending enough time with my grandfather, not studying abroad in college, and a few select college-era fashion choices and/or alcohol-induced antics.

day 9

#9 - a picture of my friends

well, my camera is in ICU but thank heavens for the facebook and shutterfly.
which means, these pictures are old.

oldest friends first! ber, holls, lu and court

lil' frien' paige - wish i had pom squad pictures scanned in!

kayla and amanda, who are also bffs

beautiful blonde skinny kristi - msu spirit squads and dorm buddy

pretty sure that's the cutest picture ever of my old roomie jessica

dear andrea, who loves to have deep conversations with me

marty party picnic

favorite gchat friend (and pom squad alum!) elizabeth

cousins melanie and lauren - msu spirit squads. were. awesome.

beautiful marsey and her little bit

teeny tiny sheena! she makes me look tall.

laura and i being silly - typical

"cause we're the three best friends that anyone could have"
mandi, jules and kissey

these ladies light up my life every day. couldn't make it without you.
wish all of you didn't insist on living so far away, durn it!

thank you for being a friend.

...and can't forget oxford friends!
anne (whom i've lost to tampa), stevie, crystal and new friend megan.
shelby, you are missed.


speaking of shuttefly, let me tell you....
they're giving away 50 free holiday cards to bloggers.
true story.
use this link to sign up!

day 8

#8 - a place i've traveled to

well, there's been a few. my blog, my rules

upstate new york and gloucester, massachussetts

grammi's house

gloucester fisherman's memorial

quechee gorge, vermont

saratoga race track (have i mentioned i love horses?)

new york city with my besties

baltimore with college friends for the preakness

talladega super speedway
(also known as redneck central)
chicago with dad and the law student

wrigley field

boston

fenway with the fam

los angeles and santa barbara wine country for vacation and our 3rd anniversary
santa ynez hills

brander vineyard, santa ynez


but my very favorite place ever was
costa rica
our fabulous honeymoon destination
san jose

guanacaste province on the pacific

rainforest in arenal

the arenal volcano

best. vacation. ever.
did you know the law student planned our entire honeymoon himself?
i want to go back.

day 1

ah, a recent picture (ha!), introduction, and 15 interesting facts.

disclaimer: i'm not that interesting, but i'm really cute.

see? it's true. (wink)

hi. i'm kissey. a Jesus-follower, wife, daughter, oldest sister, favorite cousin, best friend, dog owner, horse lover, painter, bookworm, adoption supporter, procrastinator, MSU fan, wannabe wine connoisseur and pathetic shopper.

15 facts - i'll refrain from claiming them to be interesting.

1. i'm obsessed with horses. always have been. if i could be a horse, i would.
2. i really do enjoy sports, even if i don't understand all the nuances. i'm a bulldog at heart, and a dolphins and dodgers fan by marriage, but they've managed to win my allegiance independent of the law student. as far as basketball, i'm just a fan in general. i like specific players and love an nba finals game 7.
3. i'm a really bad shopper. my mother and sisters make up for my lacking. it gives me a headache and decision anxiety, and pants. never. fit. plus, i have expensive taste (genetic), so it's generally better if i don't shop at all. the law student thanks me for this.
4. i've never broken a bone. true story.
5. i am slowly but surely becoming my mother. please see posts under that label.

6. my favorite dessert is ice cream. it shows.
7. i love to cook. this talent i did inherit. mom likes to make fun of me because, as she claims, i didn't know how to crack an egg when i left for college. but now i can make recipes sparkle and shine. thank you, law student, for discovering this talent and allowing it to blossom, and for alleviating mom's fear of a starving son-in-law.
8. i'm allergic to penicillin. funny story - had my wisdom teeth out and got the narcotic and penicillin for the recovery. for some reason my parents found it prudent not to suspend my driving privileges, which resulted in the purchase of a furry zebra print steering wheel cover. thanks, parents. but i digress. i was teaching vbs at church and had an allergic reaction to the penicillin (mom's allergic too), so the other teacher gave me benadryl. on top of my lortab. which culminated in me being drunk at church and driving home (again).
9. i love to make to-do lists and then cross off the items.
10. my sleepy-time habits must be observed: ceiling fan, cool temperature, white noise, my own pillow and baby blanket (some would call it a rag, i would call it awesome), closed door, dark, and otherwise quiet. no tv, no radio, no random party at the neighbors. sorry. wish i could fall asleep as soon as i lay down (becca), but i can't.

11. i play counselor to my friends. nobody's died or been incarcerated yet, so i think i've been pretty successful.
12. someone once told me i'm a type-a personality. i can't find anyone who refutes this allegation.
13. i'm really really bad at remembering to take pictures in general. the picture above is from my sister's camera this summer. i feel guilty, but not guilty enough to do anything about it. like get my camera fixed.
14. i can't stand to have my fingernails painted. it makes my fingers feel heavy.
15. i have the most expensive mouth i know of. expander, brackets with the expander, set of braces, 6 pairs of retainers, bleaching, 2 root canals, 2 sets of crowns, wisdom teeth removal, gingivectomy, tmj appliance...thanks, dental insurance.



so there you go. day 2 cometh.

heart strings

my heart is heavy this week.

first and foremost, the bulldog nation mourns the passing of one of our own, nick bell. this kid went from playing football on september 24, 2010, to gone on november 2, 2010. he was bright, humble, and just beginning to shine, but cancer doesn't fight fair. #36 will always be remembered.


http://blogs.clarionledger.com/msu/2010/11/02/bell-after-short-battle-with-cancer/

video of memorial in the junction

secondly, my friend's uncle is also losing his battle with cancer. cancer. sucks. see above. their families are really really close, and cancer has struck them so many times over and over - her father, her uncle, her aunt, her cousin's wife, the wife's sister - it's almost creepy. and so now, they prepare for the inevitable. and it is hard and it is painful. why God chooses to heal one and not another is a mystery. i hurt for my friend and her family.

katie from uganda (amazima) lost one of her daughters. i can't imagine the sense of loss, of injustice, the physical pain of her heart.

it's so hard to understand God sometimes, to fathom why He allows such pain and sorrow for any of us, why He heals one and not another, why He sometimes seems so far away and unmoved. and it is hard to cling to the fact that God is good, all of the time, and can't be anything else. it's just hard. and it hurts. but it's also hard for me to understand His love for me, His unfathomable and unending love, that drenches us in mercy, grace, compassion and kindess, even in the midst of our pain and our doubt. He is here. He is with katie and her daughter. He is with my friend's uncle. He is with the bell family. and His heart hurts with theirs. so i will trust my God, who goes with us when He takes us to hard places.

speaking of hard places, i read this verse today: james 2:20 - 24

"you foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? was not our ancestor abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son issac on the altar? you see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. and the scripture was fulfilled that says, “abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. you see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone."

that is hard. and yet God was there with him. and He provided a ram, not only to abraham, but to us as well, hanging on a cross. i'm so scared of only giving lip service to God, when the bible commands us to follow Him, to go where He goes, taking His good news to the sick, the poor, the hungry, the orphans - to do, not just hear, to have my faith live out in my actions. that is uncomfortable for me. it is so much easier to just go to church, read our bible study together, sing along to christian radio, and tell people i am a christian and all the good things about God and Jesus and stay in my little bubble. but i believe God, and i believe He is good, and His heart is for everyone, not just me. i want faith like abraham. and while i don't think God is trying to create a new hebrew nation out of me, i still want to say "yes" with no hesitation or doubt, or even anger, when He tells me to go to the hard places with Him.