There's Something about the Rain

PLNU is once again in the midst of a baby hurricane, with strong winds, cold whether and lots of rain!

I'm not bloging about the whether though, I am blogging about the end of the school year.
In two weeks I will have finals week and I will be able then to say that I am a sophomore in college! I expect to pass all of my classes and maybe snag a few A's! This has been a crazy year but as the final semester of freshman year begins to close I realize that there have been so many good things among the bad things.

So Goodbye year one! I'm ready to take on three!
-Katherine

Movies

So I have so much to cover today in terms of the blog world because I have been gone so long. I had an awesome spring break and an even more awesome easter break!

In this blog post I am going to write two reviews on two movies I saw over easter break.

1. How To Train Your Dragon 5/5
I had not even heard about this movie till like two days before I saw it but I guess there were tons of trailers for it during the olympics and I didn't really notice them. So the movies with my sister and two of my friends and after talking about a couple of movies we decided to see this one. By the time the film was over It had become one of my new favorite movies. The story line was so interesting it had me on the edge of my seat an the main characters won me over. My favorite part had to be the dragon Toothless because he was so cute and lovable that he just made the movie as special as it was. Definitely a great film and a good family one! I do think though that there were some elements that might be scary to small children and there was mild peril and mild action.



2. The Last Song 5/5
I am probably a bit biased toward this film since I have wanted to see it for a long time. I saw the trailer months ago and I wasn't to won over by it but I was interested in it because it was by Nicholas Sparks who wrote "A Walk to Remember" and I read something that said that this movie was in the same vein as "A Walk to Remember". Because I loved both the book and movie of "A Walk to Remember" I decided to give "The Last Song" a chance and I bought the book. I read through this book quickly enjoying every minute of it and after I finished the book I loved it so much that I decided to see the movie. Of course the movie was a lot different from the book, for one thing it eliminated a lot of the spiritual elements that were in the book, but it was still overall a really enjoyable and beautiful film. I felt that it was a sweet chick flick that was very much as enjoyable as "A Walk to Remember." Some things to note about it, it made me cry, there were some bad teens that drank at the beginning and there was some cursing.



Thats the end of my movie reviews. Next I have some photos to post and I have decided to do a post on beauty products I love because of some things I've been working on!

-Kat

Spring Break!

I'm on spring break!!!!!!! :D

Looking Forward

I realize that my application to Azusa was a form of back tracking. I have spent too much time looking back and worrying about whether or not I made the right decision when I chose Point Loma. I think to much about things when I should pray about them. God has not told me to move, and I believe Point Loma is where He put me so I am staying put. No matter what comes my way I have learned not to look back any more.

Fireflight - Recovery Begins

I talk, I talk too much
I never open up
To what You need to say
My words get in the way

I search for stillness
But worry kills it
I need to clear my head
I’m tired, I need to rest

It all comes down to this
The quiet in the end
I listen for Your voice
Recovery begins

The times I hear You most
Are when You bring me close
I’ll follow as You guide
While darkness turns to light

Whisper to me, whisper to me
Whisper to me, whisper to me

This is a song I listened to last week a couple times. I just love the lyrics, they encouraged me. God is leading and I will follow.
-Katherine

Stay or Go?

I just filled out an application for Azusa Pacific University. My times at Point Loma have been very mixed and I have found myself more restless than I was in High School. I don't know if I can take three more years in this place, it's so familiar and suffocating. I have seen the area my entire life, I don't feel like I have taken any steps in choosing Point Loma. Now the question remains, should I just take it the way it is and stick it out? Should I stay here? Is there a reason I choose here? or Should I go? Should I pack up and take a journey, an adventure to another place? Would it be any different there? Would I still be restless and unsatisfied? What is this feeling and is there any way to change it? What do I do?

Points of Light

I have learned never to underestimate God in any situation. He can see everything that is going on around you and he will guide you through every thing that comes your way. This week has been so uplifting for me with encouragement all around me. I can see the Points of Light in Point Loma that I missed with my critical eyes. I have been so quick to see all the bad things around me that I have missed the good. For example, the Greek used to be one of the most annoying places on campus because I usually found myself there on a forced visit listening to some speaker, speak about something I do not care about; this week I discovered that it can be a serene place to watch the sunset and just bask in the word of God.

I can now see the good everywhere I go and I smile and wave at everyone I know with a genuine smile.

"God I want to dream again/take me where I've never been/I want to go there/this time I'm not scared/now I am unbreakable/it's unmistakable/no one can touch me/nothing can stop me" - Fireflight

I listened to this song again and I realized how much it applied to me at the middle of this week where my life was changed. Now I am truly unbreakable as I have a powerful God by my side. No one can touch me and nothing can stop me as I press forward into life.

-Katherine

1 Corinthians 2

Verses that I've been meditating on:

1 Corinthians 2:4-5
And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and or power.
That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

It just stuck a chord with what I've been dealing with. It is not by the words which I speak that can change people, not through my own earthly wisdom and knowledge of the bible, which is limited. It is the power of God that dwells within me, that he is developing on the inside of me that my life will be like his life and that my words will strike the hearts of those around me. I have been sitting in the Greek just praying for God to put his power within me in a stronger way. I want such a great hunger and a passion for him that nothing of this world can effect me.

1 Corinthians 2:9
But as it is written, eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God ordained before the world unto unto Glory.

God has a plan for me that I can't even imagine. I may be restless with my life right now but I now see that I should find my rest in God because he is in control of everything. Nothing goes unnoticed by Him and He will lead my steps as I submit myself to him right now.

I encourage you!
Give thanks in all things
Praise Jesus every moment of the day
God Bless
-Katherine

Getting Back Up

I am finally standing up now! I am tried of being pushed around!

So this week had a rough start but with the support of friends, family and God,I am standing up and facing everything. I have been restored in confidence and I realize now that I can do it. God has never failed me and I just need to trust him with everything. I am going to get and A in Communications, I am going to make it through my crazy schedule and I am going to find a better way of living. I let people get to me too much and now I know that they don't matter that much.

I was listening to Britt Nicole's song "The Lost Get Found" today and it really began to encourage me in who I am. The lyrics "don't let the lights go down/don't let your fire burn out" really struck me. I have been trying to do to much in my own strength and the fire I used to have for the word of God has not been as evident in my life as it should: that is all changing because only through Him can I have strength!

Psalms 5:11-12 says "But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee. For thou, Lord wild bless the righteous with favor wilt thou compass him as with a shield."

This verse encouraged me today because God is in control and he is protecting me from everything. He has blessed me in so many ways, I am taking up a challenge my Computer Science teacher gave my class last semester: She simply gave us a message on Thankfulness and showed us how God wants us to be thankful in all things. Even when things are going bad and it seems like there is nothing to be thankful for there is always something, even if it is as simple as being thankful for each breath we breathe because each breath means we are alive and we have the chance to live for God.

God Bless You All!
-Katherine

Point Loma Photo Reel:

My Dorm Room!


The view from the dorm lounge in the evening!


Evening Sunset over the Ocean!


The reason I chose Point Loma!


Afternoon Sky!


A sight I run to when I am feeling down.


Rohr Science, home to all Science majors! Computer Science is on second floor with Mathematics and Physics and Computer Information Systems.


Visiting the Cliffs on a saturday afternoon with my friend Danielle.


The CLiffs!


With my friends Danielle and Katerina, at the cliffs when Katerina came to visit!


At Fiji Yogurt with my covenant group.


Getting ready for powder puff.


On the powder puff field praying before the game.


On the powder puff field ready to win: even though we lost.


Backstage at the Cider Celebration.


Cider Celebration: Chorale performance!


With Danielle and Laura at the cliffs!


Jumping at the business center park!


2010 will be amazing!

Observation

People are so tolerant until you disagree with them! Those who tolerate everyone happen to not tolerate those who do not share their tolerance. How hypocritical of them!

So I have not had a good experience with people this week. Hope it gets better!

-Katherine

BarlowGirl - Love & War

So I said awhile ago that I was going to do a review of BarlowGirl's new album love and war and here it is:

1. Come Alive - 4/5 BarlowGirl open's the album strong with Come Alive, which is more of an upbeat call to action song. I think it is very catchy and very fun to listen to in the morning. My only problem with it is that the production in the verses doesn't match the production in the chorus. Lauren was a perfect choice to sing this song as her voice is better suited for the faster songs.

2. Open Heavens - 5/5 This song is more worshipful that Come Alive and it is one of my favorites. Alyssa sings this one and it is flawless. My favorite part is when the song seems like it is ending the best part begins as a chorus of "hallelujahs" is sung. It is also very beautiful and has such a happy natural quality about it.

3. Beautiful Ending 4.5/5 I did not like this one at first because it is Lauren singing a slow song and usually that makes me dislike a song, her voice just is too low for slow songs. That said, I gave this one a few listens, as it was their first single and it was the first song we were allowed to hear from the album, and after listening to it for awhile it really grew on me. The song is beautiful and it has an amazing message about making sure we are really pouring our hearts into our relationship with God because we want to be found by God's side when we die. Definitely a standout track!

4. Stay With Me - 4/5 I like this song because of Alyssa's voice and because it is another great song but I really felt like the chorus of the song didn't match up with the build up of the bridge. I also did not find this song applying to my life so it kinda just fell to the wayside of tracks I didn't give very many listens. After going back like Beautiful Ending it has grown on me and I find it enjoyable sometimes, it's just not a favorite. Still a good track.

5. Our Worlds Collide 5/5 - One of the funnest tracks on the album! Worshipful, upbeat and beautiful. I felt this song was so uplifting that it has quickly become one of my favorite things to listen to on sunny afternoons!

6. Love Is Marching 6/5 I have to fight really hard to decide which is my favorite song this one or "Sing Me A Love Song". This song is so beautiful, I want to learn it on the piano! The chorus "everyone will pass/ and when we've breathed our last/ can we say we have lived for more/ did we live to die for love" is kinda a reminder of what our lives must become, something more. It sums up how we live for God who is more than anything else in the world and when we die we want to have given our lives completely to him, in a way it is exactly the same thing as Beautiful Ending but it is better and more beautiful and thus much better.

7. Running Out Of Time 4/5 - I feel like a lot of this album is the same thing, calls to action in our spiritual lives. This song has that same message, to fight for God instead of sitting on our hands and expecting someone else to move. It is a more upbeat and fun song, which we missed out on the last album which was mostly sadder songs. This one echos back to earlier BarlowGirl songs such as "5 Minutes of Fame" and "Superstars." I like it because it is fun to listen to but i feel that it is the same as "Beautiful Ending" and "Love is Marching" in a pop form.

8. Time For You to Go 5/5 An uptempo song I absolutely love! This one is about the media and how everything around us seeks to get into our heads and effect our opinions. It is relevant considering what is constantly thrown at us. Lauren takes control on this one using her alto voice to really sing it nice. It is fun to jam to.

9. Sing Me a Love Song 6/5 I think I have decided that this song is my favorite over "Love is Marching" though that is a hard decision. This song is the most beautiful, stirring song on the album! It begins with heavenly strings and beautiful piano. The chorus and every moment of the song is perfectly crafted! This is one song that I will listen to any time of the day! I love it!

10. Tears Fall 4/5 This is a low key beautiful song. I like it but I don't feel there is too much to say about it. It has a gospel vibe to it and I would love to learn it on the piano!

11. Hello Sunshine 5/5 - This song is my new anthem, a beautiful song about God's creation. It is something to turn on in the morning and it is a great song to start the day!

So overall the album gets a 4.7/5 - I liked every track enough on this album that I can just put the disk in my car and listen to it without skipping a track. I highly recommend this album to anyone who wants an encouraging album though the subject matter is a little repetitive!

Michael Card - Under the Sun

He was a king a teacher,
the wisest in the land,
driven by a passion,
just to know and understand.
He opened wide his eyes,
sought to see beyond the lies,
and found a world beyond his understanding.

Under the sun,
he saw the vanity of vanities.
He bravely looked at life and saw futility.
Torn between the facts he saw and all he ever had believed,
between his hopes and what he'd clearly seen.

He hoped it might be wisdom,
so he set himself to learn,
but found the more the knowledge,
the more sorrow and concern,
and so he turned to pleasure,
to folly and to cheer,
but still his laughter tasted of his tears.

Under the sun it was all vanity of vanities.
In wisdom or in wine, he found futility.
In knowledge or in folly,
for the wise man or the fool,
hoplessness will always be the rule

And yet there is a time for everything under heaven;
a time to run, a time to stand and fight.
So in the face of cold despair, no matter what seems right,
remember darkness drives us to the light.

Under the sun,
true there is vanity of vanities.
But there is more to life.
There is security.
Remember your Creator in the days when you are young,
and He will be your hope under the sun.


I was listening to this song earlier today and I thought i could make a nice short blog post on it. This is one of my favorite Michael Card songs taken from the book of Ecclesiastes. Michael Card does a nice job of taking that book and making a song out of it. My favorite line is "Remember your Creator in the days when you are young, and He will be your hope under the sun" as it gives the message of hope to all. The hope we have in God is the greatest hope on earth for it is Him who gives us all the breath that we breathe and the life that flows through us. He is the one that keeps us, leads us and guides us.

Happy New Year to all,
Katherine

PS. Here is the Graham family photo done by Katherine Graham Photography