Time-wise, I like my schedule a whole lot better than last semester.

Monday:
Speech/Communications: 5:30 PM to 6:45 PM

Tuesday/Thursday:
Survey of Music Business: 8:00 AM o 9:15 AM
Southern Literature: 12:30 PM to 1:45 PM
American South History: 2:00 PM to 3:15 PM

Wednesday:
DAW (Digital Audio Workstation): 3:30 PM to 4:45: PM
Speech/Communications: 5:30 PM to 6:45 PM

All of my professors are wonderful. I absolutely love my southern history and souther literature professors; they are hilarious and definitely make sitting in the same classroom for 3 hours straight interesting. My DAW professor is the same professor I had for rec teach; he is such an awesome guy. My speech professor is a retired preacher; he’s a really sweet guy. My music business professor is Mark Volman, a founding member and singer in the The Turtles [featuring Flo and Eddie]; they’re the guys that sing “Happy Together.” I’m sure you’ve heard it; go look it up. He is absolutely hilarious. Fried, but knows a lot about the industry, especially from an artist’s viewpoint.

Matt and I have been together two and a half months, and we’re still going strong. We’ve almost knocked off two months of his deployment. Every day he’s gone, I get more and more excited about him coming home. I have the CUTEST Valentine’s Day car and package ready for him, but I won’t discuss that on here until he gets it in fear he might see this. Silly boy, always stalking me.

This semester is already keeping me busy which is a good thing- it keeps me from worrying to much about Matt.

But you can take all that and shove it. Because this year it’s all about my faith and strength. It’s all about living Proverbs 16:9, not just saying it.

I know you’ll be wonderful. I have amazing friends, wonderful [crazy] parents, 4 silly little sisters and 1 crazy brother, a twin, and 5 best friends at school who will get me through whatever you throw at me. Waffle House, McDonald’s, and Walmart runs at any given hour. Recording sessions. Incredible concerts. Splendid nights in the FC and Hoptown. Sweet messages and phone calls from my boyfriend. Hilarity with Twin. Skype dates with my sisters. A gorgeous summer filled with nothing but life guarding and swimming. A summer where my love comes home. An amazing semester as a sophomore in which more hilarity with my favorite people ensues. A year where my love, faith, and strength in God show you what’s up. A year where it’s all mine.

2012, you’re mine. Best get ready.

Love,
Katelyn

But no matter what triumphs and failures I’ve had with with you, I’m done with you. You took out some of the people who I needed and some of the people I didn’t need. You were the year my parents’ divorce became final. You were the year World Wars 3 through 7 erupted in my life. You made me question my faith, grace, and strength.

Then again, I don’t want to be done with you. You gave me Katelyn, Philip, Nick, Hannah, Lauren, and Caroline. You put my sweet Matt back in my life and gave me a love I’ll never forget. You gave me stronger will, faith, grace, love, power, strength, honor, courage, and ability. You made me realize how much I love my small town and FC and how much I love Nashville and the future I have in it.

You made me the Katelyn I am now on December 31, 2011. I’ve done a lot of growing up in you.

But 2012 can only get better from here.

Love,
Katelyn

I also hope all your presents made you smile and all your wishes came true; I know my wishes certainly came true.

So Christmas presents. My parents, I think, tried to out do each other since it was our first Christmas as a separated family. Even though we spent both evenings of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day together, as in all four of us, and went to church together, it was different. Definitely not the same as past Christmases.

BUT I did get my Christmas present early. Matt got to call on Christmas Eve; we got to talk long enough just for him to check up on me and to make sure I wasn’t about to strangle my parents. On Christmas Day, I got to talk to him for 25 minutes. It was literally the sweetest phone call ever. As of today, we’ve knocked 1 month off.

And I bet you thought you were going to get a run down on the haul I got. BAHAHA not. I will tell you that I’m very warm, I smell really good, and I’ve gone to the bank. I’m a happy little girl.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas.

I finished up my finals on Friday the 9th. On a side note about finals, I whipped my Rec Tech final in the butt. After I finished finals, I drove up to Kentucky to spent the weekend with Matt’s family. It was really nice to get out of Nashville but not go to FC. His parents are the sweetest people ever; I love them so much. In a way, I’m jealous of his family. Back before my parents divorced and before my grandmother died, we were so much like them. Goofing off, together all the time…. a family. Totally jealous. I want them to be my in-laws. Like seriously. I’m not kidding you.

I find it funny I’m incredibly happy with someone who is half a world away from me. I live for those emails and almost melt every time I answer the phone and hear his voice. I am so blessed to have a boyfriend like him. We’ve been together for a little more than a month, but I’ve never felt like this before with my other boyfriends. I can seriously see myself spending the rest of my life with him. He’s incredibly sweet and caring. His faith is incredible, and his strength amazes me. If he’s not the one I’m to marry, I don’t know how God could send me someone better than him.

I’ve been home since last Monday; it’s nice to be back in the FC for more than four days at a time. I’m excited about being here and spending time with Callie and Ashton, and maybe Carrie. I’ve done nothing but lounge, eat good food, attend wonderful Christmas parties (four as of right now), drink SunDrop, plan out my New Year’s Eve party, plan out my after-Christmas workout schedule, and sleep. It’s been wonderful to do absolutely nothing for a change and to not have to worry about school.

If I don’t write before Christmas, I hope ya’ll have a merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year. Remember the reason for the season.

Matt left last Tuesday for a 8 month tour. Words cannot describe how much I miss him. He called me Sunday night. Literally the best 80 seconds of my life. I don’t think I’ve ever been so thankful for Facebook and email. I’m so thankful I have some awesome friends who will get me through the next 8 months. AND me and Twin are going to Kentucky to see his parents this Friday when we finish finals. I’m LIVING for this weekend…

I finished classes today. I cannot believe I’m almost finish with my first semester of college. I’m suppose to still be in my drum major uniform with my band.

I had my ice skating final last Wednesday (EASIEST ONE, obviously) and turned in my Understanding the Bible final essays yesterday. My math final is Thursday at 8 AM, and my Rec Tech final (the hardest one I have) is at 2 Thursday afternoon. I have an English final essay due Friday. My First Year Seminar final is at 8 Friday morning, and I have a “reflective essay” due with that as well. Then I can forget all about school and have fun for three weeks. ♥

Tomorrow is “dead day.” It should really be “Hope You Don’t Commit Suicide Day.” I have a HUGE amount of studying to do. I NEED an ‘A’ on my Rec Tech final to get a ‘B’ in the class. Who new something I love so much would end up being my hardest class.

If you have finals this week and next week, I wish you the best of luck. Study hard! Get some sleep!

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. “–Philippians 4:6

Day 30 – A picture of someone you miss.

I did a little downloading from someone’s Facebook for this one. I miss Matt more than I miss SunDrop. 2 days down.

Day 29 – A picture that can always make you smile.

All of my drum major pictures make me smile. I miss that uniform.

Day 28 – A picture of something you’re afraid of.

This one hasn’t changed. I’m scared of heights. What’s sad is I was a drum major. On a freaking stand. High. -.-

Day 27 – A picture of yourself and a family member.

Another picture of a picture for this one. It’s the same from last time. Note the horrid hair rollers my mother forced me into as a child.