Friendship

Maybe I'm sad about graduating - or getting there, anyway.

Maybe I'm just on one of those emotional roller coaster rides that comes around every so often and isn't really justified. (Or I'm just a girl and, let's be real, I'm always emotional.)

Maybe I have just suddenly become "older" and "wiser" and now see the value in things I once took for granted.

Regardless of my current situation and state of mind (or the fact that it's almost midnight and way past my bedtime), I am feeling overwhelmed by my friendships.

Not in a bad way. No, in a very good way.

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Friendships have always been something on which I have placed a lot of weight, and at times, have relied on too much, regardless of being the independent person that I am. (Let's be honest; it's nice to be surrounded by people who want to be around you!) It has only been within the last few years, I think, that I have seen a clearer picture of what real, genuine friendships are like.

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Friends have come and gone in my life. Some friendships last a month, others last a year, and still others last years and years and years.

I don't really know what it is about friendship that makes it so meaningful. Scratch that; I know why friendships mean so much to me, but putting these thoughts and feelings into words is way too difficult.

Maybe that's why friendship is so special -- It's one of those largely inexplicable things in life. A thing that makes life so sweet; worthwhile; fun; joyful; emotional. It is a way to genuinely share life with other people. It is community at its finest; fellowship with another being - a living, moving, breathing, soulful being.

It is encompassed in those late night conversations about anything and everything, silly and serious. It is sharing your struggles, fears, joys, and daily happenings. It is speaking truth in love. It is telling a friend that one small thing you found funny about your day that only they would understand. It is unexplained laughter that you just can't seem to stifle. It is sharing tears and prayers, meals and celebrations, chaos and stillness.

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I am overwhelmed in this moment as I reflect on my friendships of long ago. And the sweetness of knowing that some of them have lasted through the years (despite miles, schedules, and life paths in general) - that brings joy to my heart.

And the deep bond I experience with friends who are close by; who surround me literally everyday with love and encouragement; who I can interact with like sisters and speak openly and honestly in their presence.....

It is so, so obvious to me that this is one of the things we were created for. And I am incredibly thankful for that.

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"The friendship is not a reward for our discriminating and good taste in finding one another out. It is the instrument by which God reveals to each of us the beauties of others."

C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

The "Mem Jar"

In my previous post, I included a picture with the caption "The Trip ate lots of Yopo and cracked open the Mem Jar." If you are not one of the people who were specifically involved in this occasion, the chances that you know what the heck I am talking about are slim to none. I have wanted to explain this for a while (because it's so awesome), so now's my chance!

The Trip

"The Trip" is the name that my roommates from junior year (Amy and Dana) and I gave to the room where we lived. It was a triple - made for 3 people - in Old West, right next to the Old Well, and is arguably the BEST place to live if you choose to remain on campus. Over the course of the year, "the Trip" came to mean much more than just the physical location in which we lived, but it essentially became a label for the 3 of us. Our friends would invite "the Trip" to go watch a movie or to go get ice cream, etc. and we still tend to refer of our outings together as "Trip dates."

A perk of living in Old West was that we were SO CLOSE to Franklin St. And what better way to take advantage of this closeness than to visit Yopo a lot. And by "a lot" I mean all the time. We pretty much became regulars. (It's yogurt so it's healthy, right?) I have no regrets of the fact that my junior year was defined by lots of Yopo outings.

Our view from Old West

So now for the "Mem Jar." Over the summer before junior year began, I came across this on Pinterest. Thinking it was a neat (and yes, cheesy) idea, I decided that my roommates and I should do it throughout the school year. I had no idea whether or not it would really catch on and happen, but it did! We deemed it the "Mem Jar" and throughout the year we filled it with fun things that happened, sweet things that friends did for us, notes to each other, exciting occasions, hilarious quotes, pictures, newspaper articles, and even a few embarrassing things that the public will (hopefully) never see. Everything in the jar related to one or all three of us. We promised to open the Mem Jar together one day at the end of the year and celebrate with Yopo (obviously).

The Mem Jar explosion

Unfortunately, the Mem Jar Date day had to wait until we returned to school as seniors, but it did eventually happen and we were able to go purchase the long-awaited pints of Yopo. (We also played Friends in the background while we were opening the jar, because that also was a staple of our junior year.) That night was so fun and full of many, many laughs (and maybe a few happy tears?) as we reminisced about our time together in Old West - when we grew so close through the happy, fun, memorable times, as well as the hard and stressful times. I am forever grateful for the time Amy, Dana, and I spent living together in the Trip, and love that "the Trip" has lived on, even past our time when we were crammed together in a dorm room.

Mem Jar + Yopo pints

Here's to a senior year full of as many memories as junior year - maybe even more than the Mem Jar can contain :)

Love, Kayla

blessed and oh so thankful | part three

The week is coming to a close, which means my concentration needs to increase and my procrastination needs to decrease. But one more post never hurt anyone, right?

My last two posts were very long and specific so I'm going to try and make this one a tad shorter and much more concise.

So here it goes. I'm thankful for...

North Carolina, this beautiful state I live in

my King's Domain family (just read any post I've written in the last 6 months) and the hour-long phone calls we often share. Who knew I would ever become a "phone-talker"?

UNC and all of it's tradition - what a privilege it is to study here

The Summit Church

The Gospel and the freedom it provides - "There is nothing I could ever do to make You love me more, and nothing I have done that can make You love me less."

movie nights with my family after finally deciding what to watch 

the ridiculous "questions of the week" that Amy always seems to come up with (some of our best/funniest conversations result from these!)

coffee and Port City Java (where I currently am...with my stack of library books next to me)

silly nights with my roommates

the ability to travel and to make a list of places to go and see that aren't completely out of the realm of possibility

my Route 56 kids and their smiles that greet me at the end of a long week

encouraging messages from my parents exactly when I need them

lunch dates with my Grandmother

being able to still act like I'm twelve and take crazy pictures with my sister and cousin

friends who will watch animated movies with me even when they know I'll probably cry (okay, that only happened one time)

living 2 minutes away from YoPo

my walk to work twice a week under a canopy of fall trees

Happy Thanksgiving, happy Fall, and happy studying! 

Love, Kayla

Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!

Serve the LORD with gladness!

Come into his presence with singing!

Know that the LORD, he is God!

It is he who made us, and we are his;

we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,

and his courts with praise!

Give thanks to him; bless his name!

For the LORD is good; 

his steadfast love endures forever,

and his faithfulness to all generations.

Psalm 100

blessed and oh so thankful | part two

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all! I hope you're enjoying this fabulous holiday and ate your best meal ever. Stuffing, sweet potatoes, and all things pumpkin are some of my fave Thanksgiving treats :) AND I've been spending time with my extended family that I love very much!

Today's "thankful" post is dedicated to a variety of people who all hold a special place in my heart. God has blessed me in ways I never imaged before coming to college, and one of those ways is in the friendships He has given me. There have definitely been times when maintaining friendships has been one of the hardest things I ever thought I would experience, and other times when it was the easiest thing ever. But the people I have in my life now have stuck through it all and never fail to point me back to Christ, my ultimate purpose in life.

To begin, I'm thankful for my roommates Amy and Dana...aka the people who keep me sane. I seriously could not have asked for two better people to share life with. When I think back to my goofiest, most ridiculous moments, these two are definitely in the picture. They are also probably some of the people who know me the most because they are there for both my worst and best moments. Thank you guys for putting up with me, for loving me, for hugging me (we'll work on that some more though :)), for listening to me babble on and on about nothing, and for always pointing me back to Christ. I'm SO excited for our next semester and year together!

Emily and I have been friends since the sixth grade...can't believe it's been 9 years!!? It's kind of sad that we still go to the same school (which I didn't think was going to happen!) and hardly ever see each other, but when we do hang out it's like nothing has ever changed, which I'm sooo thankful for! Emily is definitely one of the people who really knows how I operate, haha. She has been my friend through awkward middle and high school and everything that involved: band, prom, silly crushes, ridiculous music videos, inside jokes, etc. Emily, I know I have a friend in you forever, and that makes me incredibly happy :) I can't wait to see where you, my super-talented friend, ends up, and I hope I'll be right by your side the entire way!

 

I don't know what I would've done without my Bible study. My sisters from Powerhaus and I share some wonderful memories together and I could go on and on telling stories about things that have happened with these girls. They are some of my best friends and sharing life with them has been an incredible blessing. Kelly, Talley, and Alison, thank you for loving on little freshman Kayla like you did, and continue to do everyday. Y'all immediately pointed me to Christ and helped make the Gospel such a real thing in my life and for that I am forever grateful!

To my "family" - You guys are hilarious, wonderful, sweet, incredible, my fave, awesome, and my best friends. Thanks for loving me and making sure I spend my time doing fun things...instead of just living in the library. I love how y'all continue to open yourselves up to anyone and everyone. Our family continues to grow and change, but that's what makes it just that much better! I am so blessed to have friends like you and I'm excited to see where the next 90 years takes us (because we're going to live and be friends forever, obviously).

Sorry I got a little picture-happy in this one! Thanksgiving will continue all week for me (probably because I actually have time to blog...and it's a wonderful study break) so prepare yourself for more!

Love love love,

Kayla

Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! Psalm 95:2

blessed and oh so thankful | part one

A few days ago I had the privilege of reading a dear friend's testimony about how God worked in her life through King's Domain this summer. It brought tears to my eyes as I caught such an awesome glimpse into her heart and was reminded of the sweetness and goodness of God that He allowed me to experience alongside her. It got me thinking about what I'm truly thankful for and why. I know it's a tad cliché around this time of the year to get all sappy and talk about what you're thankful for and couldn't live without, etc. But seriously, what's wrong with that? Maybe we all need this holiday to be brought back down to reality, to take a break from our stressful lives, and to be reminded of how blessed we really are. I definitely think my eternal perspective is revived around this time of the year - something I've been needing recently!

I can't talk about being thankful without immediately thinking of my family. Though we have our rough patches for sure, they are ones I can continually come back to when I'm in need of love and encouragement. and lots of hugs :)  My parents do incredible things for me, something I often take for granted. Now that I'm in college I am so thankful for those late nights in high school when my mom would stay up with me as I finished a paper or project or even just the ridiculous amounts of homework we were assigned. She would edit my papers, listen to me rehearse speeches, make my lunch everyday, drive my siblings and me to school and then to ballet class and then to basketball practice, and to everything in between. My dad, too, has just been supportive of anything and everything along the way. He sat through countless boring ballet and flute recitals, was the best basketball coach ever, and never stopped telling me how proud of me he was. My parents put up with me changing my major 4 times in 2 years, they helped me buy a plane ticket to visit my best friends in January, they supported me during my entire Summer Project journey, and so much more that this one post cannot contain. Phone calls with my silly brother and sister never fail to make my day, and the excitement on Thomas' face when I come home to visit makes me SO happy! Emily has always been and will always be my best friend. Having a sister is something I know I don't value enough, but I am slowly realizing the blessing that she really is. Growing up with her by my side will never be forgotten and I cherish her friendship so much.

 I could go on and on all day about these people, but fortunately for you, I won't do that :) Have a very happy Thanksgiving (Eve)!

Love, Kayla

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:17