My first post!

Posted on August 4, 2010 by Katie

Hi! I’m Katie, and we’re going to talk about FOOD.

I am not a professional in any way. I am an amateur cook, an amateur writer and a very amateur photographer. I love talking about food, learning new dishes and eating great grub.

You’ll see in posts to come that I can be a food snob at times, but eat at McDonald’s more than any real “foodie” should. I love to cook, but am often too lazy to even turn on the microwave. I love taking pictures, but really don’t know how to do it well. I enjoy writing, but for some reason can’t nail down the whole “i before e” spelling thing.

My kitchen is rarely exceptionally clean. I’m a little heavy-handed with salt sometimes. My dishes and tools aren’t the best (but I make do!). My photos are nowhere near awesome, but they’re getting better. (If you are wondering, these photos are usually shot with my little Kodak Z915. Some may come from the iPhone 4 though if I don’t have my camera on me.)

I live in Indiana in the rural Western part of the state. I was born and raised in Indianapolis, and return there quite frequently. Most of my restaurant reviews will come from here, although I will attempt to post reviews when we travel as well.

I don’t pretend to know all or do all when it comes to the culinary arts. I’m just looking to have some great conversation about food – cooking and eating!

Cheers,
Katie

>It’s 9:00 – do you know where your JOY is?

Posted on July 19, 2010 by Katie

>oh HAI! Remember me? Yeah, me either. It’s been a little crazy around here the past couple months – heck, the past 12 months! Another day I’ll fill you in, but today I need to speak about JOY.

Last week one of my veryverybest friends (seriously – one of those besties that you have once or twice in a LIFETIME) got to tell me that she was PREGNANT! I immediately started to cry, because it’s AWESOME news, and well, let’s face it – I’m over emotional ALL THE TIME. I mean, LOOK AT ALL THE CAPS EMOTING ON THIS PAGE! We’ve been super close since we met in 8th grade, and we’ve lived a lot of life together. It’s amazing to share this JOY with her as she prepares for the birth of her first child!

We talked about how they found out, how they told their family members, how her folks reacted, etc. She mentioned that her older sister was upset. Sister says she’s upset because she was the last of the siblings to find out (on a technicality – but someone has to be last, right?). What Sister is not telling Friend is that she’s upset because of how easy it was for Friend to get pregnant. Sister shuts down and sulks when Friend’s pregnancy is mentioned.

I get it a little – Sister has had some serious issues with her own fertility. After a LOT of work, she has one child and another on the way. Bringing these lives into the world has been a struggle for Sister. I UNDERSTAND HOW PAINFUL THAT IS! I totally get how much it hurts to want a child to add to your family and not be able to make it happen. How your ovulation is always on your mind, you schedule sex as if it were your job, and every time you turn around another friend is pregnant, holding babies, posting pictures of kids, etc. I really know the searing pain of knowing your period has come once again, signaling your continued failure in the baby-making department. I even know the pain (physical and emotional) of losing babies you were fortunate enough to make – just not fortunate enough to hold in this lifetime. I get it. It’s HARD. It feels lonely and desperate. It HURTS.

BUT – with all of that said, I have to say that I can’t imagine how much more it would hurt for me to miss the JOY around me. The world is PREGNANT with hope! My friends (and sister!) are PREGNANT with new life! I refuse to let my fertility issues rape me of the JOY that is to be experienced as my family is expanded through my sister, my cousins, my best friends. Every one of those babies has an amazing purpose, and I get to be a part of it! Isn’t that exciting?

Someday Matt and I will have children of our own – either through childbirth or adoption. When that happens, I know all these other women will support me and share my JOY with me. Until then, I am not allowing my hurt to get the best of me. I will do everything to have JOY when there is new life to be born!

>Can you be a Christian and gay???

Posted on April 23, 2010 by Katie

>Matt and I just finished watching Jennifer Knapp on Larry King Live. The premise of the show was “Can you be Christian and gay?” Jennifer has recently revealed publicly that she has been in a serious relationship with a woman for the past 7 or 8 years – confirming rumors that have been swirling about for the better part of the last decade.

First, I want to say that I have LONG been a fan of Jennifer Knapp. I remember seeing her for the first time many years ago when she opened for DC Talk in Indianapolis. I had never heard her music before, but as soon as she came on stage, I was instantly taken. Her music is powerful, but her lyrics are even more so. That woman can really string some words together! Her sound is raw and soulful, and her songs have always seemed to speak to my life in a very real and authentic way. I always get the feeling that Jennifer is who she is – no apologies. Through her music she seems to be so honest in both her praise of her savior and her questions about her faith. It’s a beautiful thing…

I am surprised to see her on Larry King Live. I know her public revelation about her sexuality has really become big news, but I guess I always feel as though “Christian” artists are quickly disregarded by the mainstream. I suppose it’s a good thing that this topic is becoming more and more prevalent though.

I have never watched Larry King before, and let me say this: I WILL NEVER WATCH AGAIN. He is so bad about interrupting people! It was really frustrating to watch. Plus, how many breaks do we really need in one hour? I joked with Matt that he must be having prostate issues because of all the potty breaks he was taking. (That’s so mean…but it’s funny, right? Just kidding…prostate issues aren’t funny.) Besides the interrupting and the breaks, he really seems to only hear what he wants to hear. He would totally twist people’s words into something dramatic to try to cause conflict. I’m sure that stirring up drama is good for his ratings, but it’s rude and dishonest. I felt like a skeez just watching that show (and I watch some crazy TV people!).

I became a Christian when I was 16 years old, and have been struggling with the issue of homosexuality ever since. Someone who I love very much is gay, so right away the question of whether homosexuality is a sin was addressed in my soul. I have to say that 14 years later, that question remains unanswered. Now, I have not spent scads of time debating and researching and praying about this or anything. It’s just always something that’s in the back of my mind, and it comes out to stretch its limbs once in a while. As I have continued in my life as a Christian, I have met and loved others who are gay or who question the sinfulness of homosexuality. I have had some really enlightening, inspired conversations with these people, but I still have yet to make up my mind about it. The question still remains for me: What does God think about homosexuality?

The question I want to raise tonight is this: Can you be a gay Christian?

I am a follower of Christ. In an attempt to be totally open and real with you, I will tell you that I sin in a myriad of ways. I could list them, but I won’t. These sins are either being dealt with now or have been already. The victory has been won either way, and that is between me and God. What I will tell you is this: My sins – past, present or future – do not keep me from loving God or receiving his love, grace, mercy or salvation. I fully understand that sin separates us from God, but I also understand that Christ came to bridge that gap my sin created. By accepting Christ into my life, and by continuing to seek forgiveness and redemption every day, I now enjoy an awesome relationship with my creator.

I am a heterosexual woman, married to a man. Not once in my life as a Christian (or before for that matter) has it occurred to me that my sexuality has anything to do with whether or not I can give love to or receive love from God. I know that God has created marriage, and that he created sex within marriage to be a gift. Trust me – I appreciate that on a fairly regular basis! 😉 I don’t know that if I were a homosexual woman in a serious relationship with another woman that my relationship with God would be much different. I just don’t see how my sexual orientation blocks out the love and salvation that God has for me. Obviously I am only speculating. Maybe things would be totally different. I will never know.

What I do know is that GOD LOVES US ALL. Gay or straight. White or black. Male or female. American or not. Let’s not get all caught up on who is a sinner and who isn’t, because WE ALL ARE! Instead, let’s get caught up in loving one another and supporting each other in our walk. There’s so much more that needs our attention folks. Satan is at work among us, and he’s using crap like this to divide us even more. Kick him in the face and love the crap out of each other!

What do you think?

(P.S. Jennifer? You are FABULOUS! So glad you’re back!)