15 November 2012

fragments.

i. I blatantly stole this from Kendall. I guess that's what true internet friendship is, borrowing and creating and being okay with it.

ii. I haven't blogged in two months. Life has been happening since then. For instance:

iii. I got a haircut. See?


iv. My family moved to Colorado. This weekend, we're permanently moving to the town where my mom grew up- in the mountains. I love the mountains more than I could ever say, and yet, I miss the cornfields in Indiana and the fall sunsets where it looked like someone took a match to the sky

v. Stephen Chbosky. Do you know him? You might recognize his book. I sent some writing to him a month ago. Two weeks after I sent it, I received an email from his assistant. He called me a few days later. "Oh my god," he said, and I recognized his voice from watching interviews with him and Emma Watson, and the whole moment felt unbelievably surreal, "Oh my god, you are a natural born novelist. I was blown away." And then we talked for 15 minutes, and then he told me to call him whenever, and then he wrote me a letter of recommendation to...

vi. Pratt. Last night, I entered in my Social Security number, updated the essay portion, uploaded my writing portfolio, and submitted my application to Pratt in Brooklyn for creative writing next year. I want to go there more than I've wanted anything in a long time. If I can get in, if I can pay for it, I'll move to New York next August.

vii. My best friend is having brain surgery in a month. I am so scared and so worried. 

viii. "When it's time to go, you need to go because you're going to find something new." -Pat Cleveland. In July, the one year mark came and went, and now I've been in America without leaving for well over a year, and it is so beyond time to leave. I've been researching tickets to Paris for the summer, dreaming of spending the summer writing, trying to convince my parents that I can sleep on the floor of Shakespeare & Co. But Paris and Europe are familiar to me, and I want to go somewhere new, somewhere different. Does anyone want to go on an adventure with me? 

ix. "All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know." Even though I haven't written anything here in awhile, I've been writing all the time, and I'm learning that Mr. Hemingway was right- the important thing is writing, and writing honestly. 

x. "What has God been teaching you lately?" I texted Jillian earlier this morning after someone asked me that same question and I stumbled out something about contentment. And because Jillian is kind and smart and important and maybe most of all, self aware and articulate, she responded with, "That is a very good question. I really have to give it more thought, especially because I forget to listen to God a lot. Mostly though, to live in THIS now, not yesterday's now, or tomorrow's now. And to stop trying to control situations. That I am not responsible for the choices or mistakes of everyone I love. To stop being so cynical and just love people. Love is inefficient and all that." She followed it up with asking me what God has been teaching me, and a text about a boy, and I smiled because that's the kind of friendship we have. And I said, more articulate than the first time I tried to say it, "Me...I think I'm learning how to be content. That even though I don't want to be in Colorado, I can still learn and grow here. And I think I'm learning how to trust and how to be vulnerable, even when it's hard and scary." What has God been teaching you? 

xi. This post came at the request of my brother Joseph and my friend William. It won't be so long between this and the next post, okay? 

ps. here is something I wrote, and here is an interview I did. 

17 comments:

  1. I know I'm probably just a name with a picture to you, but I've been following your blog for some time now and I'm in such awe. You're incredible and are going to go FAR in life. The whole Stephen Chbosky thing is amazing, and I hope that all of your plans for Pratt work out as you'd like them to. :)

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  2. I love this all so much. I'm blessed by your heart, blessed by your words, and blessed by you. Crazy thankful for your friendship. :)

    Also, I love your haircut -- so cute. You are beautiful. :)

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  3. i'm sorry but you just can't be this precious in one post. seriously it's not legal for one girl to be so beautiful at one time.
    also this is delicious and i am devouring it and i am so PROUD to be your friend! dedicate a book to me, yeah? ;)

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  4. When I woke up five to go for a drive, I checked your blog and smiled. Took me awhile to collect these, thoughts, and staring at the sunrise hitting the buildings, making everything golden, certainly helped.

    So much of this post I've watched happen, and I love that. You are an amazing friend. You deserve Stephen Chbosky and Pratt too.
    Go to Pratt, Kates. Take photographs and meet people with stories wildly different from your own, fall in love with a city so diverse, beautiful, gritty and raw. Become a Human of New York :)

    Your hair looks so amazing like that, your seventh grade self knew what was up.

    Be strong for Ali, okay? Even though that's incredibly difficult, I know.

    Writing sentences and sewing them together like a quilt, slowly finding where each piece of the puzzle fits into the larger picture.
    That's all stories ever are.

    Ha, I'd argue with articulate, but thank you. A lot of things we seem to learn together. Honored to appear in this post :)

    For some strange reason I'm wanting to go somewhere noteurope either, even though I've never actually been.
    Let's hit up NZ or Australia, 'k mate?
    And Nola in spring '14 too :)

    Love you so incredibly much.

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  5. Katie, you are such an extraordinary young woman! You have and will continue to do great things with your life no matter what path you take.

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  6. erm, I really like this all a lot. and I think I've already told you this before, but you're really really pretty. the end.

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  7. Subconsciously I renamed my blog after this post. I did not even mean to.
    In any case, you are amazing.

    It has been cool to watch you grow through the lens of your blog.
    To watch your thoughts shift along as your life does.
    To see you and Jills suddenly (it seems through the lens) be such close friends.

    It is beautiful.
    Thanks for sharing.
    And letting us watch.

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  8. Dear Sara,

    I want you to know that you are the reason.
    You helped adjust my life lense in so many ways.
    You've inspired me to write novels and to listen to great music and find God outside of religion.

    Love,
    Jills

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  9. Sending prayers and love to your best friend, Katie!

    It feels so strange sitting here and typing from halfway across the US, I haven't even met you and yet I'm saying, "So proud of you for applying to Pratt!" but I hope you know I'm rooting for you anyway. =)


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  10. Katie, I am so honoured to call you my friend. And I'll hit up Paris with you, and then come and live in New York with you in a couple of years.
    Also your hair your face you're beautiful.

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  11. You're really beautiful, this post was wonderful, and I'll be praying for your best friend and that you get into and can afford to pay to go to Pratt.

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  12. Katie, I think it is a sign of your interestingness or something that every time I read one of your posts I have to sit down and reorganize my thoughts, because I have so many things to say. I guess I'll start with, I'm so glad I was able to help you overcome your blogger's block. :)

    I'm so proud of you for applying to Pratt! I'll keep my fingers crossed for you! About Ali, also. I'm sure everything will go well, but I'll try to keep her in my thoughts, too. That would be scary to go through.

    I hope you are able to travel next summer, even if it's not Paris (though that would be the best thing ever, just sayin'.) Of course I'd go on an adventure with you.

    And finally, what has God been teaching me? This really caught my attention because I feel like I've been learning and growing a lot this year. I've found that getting out of my comfort zone and trying new things and mostly just getting out and doing something, anything, is always worth it. There are more things, too, but I've not quite grasped them enough to translate into words, you know? It'll come. But I'm happy, and I think that's what I've been learning. What makes me happy. I don't know.

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  13. You've been missed in the blogging world!
    You really are a novelist. I am super jealous.
    And I love the hair...love.
    LF

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  14. Yay! :) Very happy for this.

    Perhaps if you move to New York I will come visit you someday.

    And I agree with Stephen...you are a natural-born novelist.

    We discussed the what-has-God-been-teaching-you question recently, I think, didn't we?

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  15. It sounds like God has a lot of goodness and adventure out there for you, Katie! We would sure love to have you in CHINA... it is an amazing place, and I would be glad to answer any "travel" questions very honestly, for there is much NOT to like about China! It is a world away from the lovely CO. mts.! If you came, you'd see our city, Suzhou (google it!), an ancient city with well over 6 million people living a very modern life, Shanghai- about as cosmopolitan as you could get, and we could probably manage the overnight train to Beijing so you and Annie could hike the Great Wall! Pooh on Paris! Praying for you and your family as you all adjust to your new home (your Dad emailed me a new address... if there a new NEW one? I have a Jones family photo to send for Christmas). Love, Dina

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  16. so.

    i. this whole post. I LOVE IT.

    ii. still cannot believe Stephen Chbosky called you and complimented your writing AND wrote you a letter of recommendation. so so crazy excited for you. :]

    iii. your haircut? digging it.

    xo.

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  17. you blogged! Your writing exceeds anyone I know of your age and reading posts are joy.

    And please take me to France with you.

    p.s. I'm still amazed by the whole Stephen Chbosky eal....

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go ahead. make my day.