Almost Famous

So, there were many wonderful things about the recent Kallam family trip to NYC, but among the highlights is the celebrity sightings that went down. I'm not talking seeing Johnny Depp and Megan Fox on Letterman (which we did). No, I'm talking "Oh my gosh! Is that?" and then I play paparazzi as these poor people try to live their normal lives.

First, we were casually enjoying our matinee show of Shrek: The Musical (which was awesome, by the way) when a woman on our row comes back from the bathroom at intermission and whisper-yells to her friend "NICHOLAS CAGE IS HERE. HE'S IN THE LOBBY." Well, immediately the entire Kallam family is on our feet on our way to the lobby acting as if we have a sudden need for Twizzlers. It took me a second to spot him, but finally I saw Ghost Rider himself towering above the crowd with his straw hat and sunglasses on INSIDE the theatre. Very inconspicuous. His little kids were clambering for his attention as he glanced around trying not to be noticed. Everyone around him did the whole I'm-not-gonna-act-like-I'm-staring-but-I'm-really-gonna-watch-his-every-move thing, myself included. As the second act began, I noted his seat right below us and watched as he tried to get his kids to behave and didn't clap or crack a smile throughout the rest of the show. There was a really awkward moment where he got up to leave right before curtain call, but his kid pitched a fit so he sat back down and EVERYONE noticed. Here he is:

Like I said, I was creepin' from the balcony. I should have asked him not to make any more National Treasure movies.

Ok, second scenario. I'm sitting in LaGuardia airport, watching the luggage while my parents check us in. This guy with a heavy New York accent sits down a couple of seats over talking on his phone. Of course I started eavesdropping on his conversation. He was talking about how his dog got killed by a pit bull, etc. Nothing too exciting. But then, he mentions that he is there to escort some VIP flying first class through the airport. I perked up at this. Direct quote: "Yeah, dis guy ain'ta celebrity so I'm not gonna break my back fah dis guy. I don't even know how ta say his last name... Doo-ham-ull? Yeah, Josh. So anyway, about my dog..." WHAT?! Josh Duhamel? Of Win a Date With Tad Hamilton and Transformers fame? The guy that's married to Fergie?! A B-rate celebrity is coming through this airport?! So, of course when he went outside to meet the black SUV, I watched through the window and just HAPPENED to go through security at the same time as them. He was really tall and kinda sweaty. It was kinda sad though cause he was looking around waiting for people to recognize him and no one really did. I "texted" in his direction and got some sweet iPhone pics of him. It was funny to watch him go through security with all the regular peeps. See, stars really are just like US! (I read too much Us Weekly). I also thought it was funny that this other guy had no idea who he was. 

Ignore the fat, old guy in the foreground. So there you have it, I have a future with People magazine.

Your favorite paparazzi,

Katie K.

children obey your parents in the lord, for this is right.

i spent this past weekend in new hampshire with all the navigator girls. the weekend was designed to provide us with a change of scenery, time to get to know one another on a deeper level, and time to dig deeper into god's word. truth be known, i was anything but excited about this weekend. road trips with 25 girls, entire weekends without showers, and the state of new hampshire in general don't excite me. to me, it was a "let's don't and say we did" type of thing. nonetheless, i am a woman and i am spending my summer with the navigators, so it was off to new hampshire for me. 

i will not discuss, at this point, the weekend in it's entirety because a lot of it was simply empty farm land, stinky cows, and cold new england weather...  but there was one very special moment for me this weekend. it made putting my poor southern body through some unforgiving "new englandness" definitely worth it. 

our study this weekend was on the book of ephesians. we, first, spent time alone reading and studying ephesians. later, we discussed questions and topics from ephesians in small groups, and we closed out the weekend by having a group discussion... yes, 25 girls talking. i didn't know what to expect from the large group time. ephesians has so many things in it worth discussing; i had no idea what form the conversation would take. like always, people were timid in the beginning. there wasn't much talking or discussing, so laura, our leader for the weekend, directed our attention to chapter 6 verse 1. "children obey your parents in the lord, for this is right." we read that section together, and then laura simply posed the question, "what are some things that you like about your parents as individuals?" people began to slowly open up. small statements about love, kindness, generosity, etc were made. this question was something i hadn't ever really sat down and thought about before. most of the time i think about my parents as a duo.  i think that is a wonderful way to think of a married couple... but they still are two completely different people. here are some conclusions i came to...

dad, i love your sense of humor. the first thing i think of when i think of you is the way you make me laugh. you also appreciate my sense of humor which means the world to me. i also love the passion with which you do things. when you find something you love, you go at with all that you have. this is very respectable and is a great example for me. i also am inspired by the faith you have that god will work everything out. i don't say this in a careless way, but in an optimistic way. i love your worry-free approach to life.

mom, your organization is what holds our family together. i love your list-making addiction 

that i have shamelessly adopted, and the way you manage time, money, and every other part of life is beautiful to me. i look to your example in these areas because of the diligence you have. more than anything else, i love that in every memory from my childhood, you are there. everywhere from sitting in the car in the carpool line to sitting in the stands at the games i cheered for. i never felt forgotten. 

the next question laura posed was, "what would you change about your parents/childhood?" this question and the answers people gave are what really hit home for me this weekend. the group of girls here in vermont this summer is very diverse. we are from all over the country, all different religious denominations, and as i found out this weekend, very different upbringings. girls began to share about childhoods in non-believing families, childhoods without love, childhoods without fathers, childhoods with mentally unstable mothers, and the list goes on. i sat there in awe at the stories my friends were sharing. however, the thing that baffled me the most was that these stories were not shared as complaints. not one person told their story with resentment. their stories were full of love and forgiveness for the people that had hurt them the most. these girls ability to find the best in their parents and in their situations was astounding. i sat there and listened for a while, but there came a point when i couldn't keep quiet any longer... and this is what i shared:

i tried so hard to find similarities in my childhood to the ones being shared about, and yet not once could i truly compare. love was abundant in my house. my parents loved each other, and they loved my sister and i. communication was not an issue. never was i hurt physically or emotionally. my childhood was as close to perfect as my parents were capable of making it. the sad thing is, is that i have never thought of it that way. i always choose to focus in the negatives or, i my opinion, shortcomings. except in this case, my negatives aren't really negatives at all. they are all simply the selfish desires of my heart. the stories of my new friends were unbelievably humbling. i have a newfound respect for the parents god has given me and the childhood god blessed me with. 

this week is my beautiful parent's 25th wedding anniversary! i am so extremely happy for and proud of them. the example they have set for me is amazing. i know for years i have made sure my mom knows everything she has done and is doing wrong in raising me, but oh how wrong i have been! i am coming to realize that i would give anything to be for my kids half the mom my mom was and is for me. my parents are even spending their anniversary here in burlington just to be with me. i think that says a lot right there about who and what they truly value. 

i know this was deep... maybe a little too deep, but i needed to express in writing how blessed i truly am. the lord revealed this to me this weekend in a way like never before. i feel closer to my friends up here and to my family thanks to a weekend in piermont, new hampshire. who knew? 

be expecting a blog post soon covering my experiences in new hampshire. the pictures are plentiful... as are the stories! and if you get the chance, congratulate my parents on 25 years. that's a long time for a couple of high school sweethearts from birmingham, alabama. i can't wait for many more years to come!

respectfully,

b

Rockin' in the dance hall, movin' with you, dancin' in the night in the middle of June

I get a weird sense of deja vu when I come back to Tuscaloosa in the summer. All the places and sights are the same, but I realized the thing that makes me love this town so much is the people that inhabit it. When everyone's gone or busy with summer classes/jobs, it's just not the same. But being here in the summer is really nice in some ways too. I don't have any tours today, so I've just been killing time until the Capstone meeting tonight. I've been able to do things that I never really have time to do during school. Currently, I'm sitting in Panera with my empty bagel plate in front of me taking an entire table to myself while people give me glares because it's the lunch rush. Maybe I'll go to the pool later. 

I am getting in some excellent people-watching. These two guys to my left just conducted a full-blown, official job interview with a young woman, resumé in hand. I must admit, I took out one of my headphones to observe her interview skills and try to figure out what job she was vying for. The guys next to them are in a heated conversation about Alabama football which I am admittedly less interested in.

Last week was a good family week. We went to a wedding of a good friend from Atlanta up in north Georgia. The wedding was beautiful, and it was really cool to see someone I've known since I was born get married to the girl he's been dating since the 5th grade. It was fun to reconnect with childhood friends, too.

After the wedding, we headed to the beach. As usual, we commenced our annual Monopoly game, complete with 3 bowls of M&M's. Things were initially not looking too good for me as I only had 3 properties: Park Place, St. Charles, and Connecticut (compared to my dad's 12). Somehow, though, I was able to make some deals, and ended up getting second place to Ben. I've come a long way from the days when I would burst into tears because I couldn't understand the rules. I also read The Time Traveler's Wife and watched 4 movies on my "You Haven't Seen That?!" list of movies to watch this summer. And I didn't get sunburned. All in all, a successful week. 

Yesterday's tours went really well. I realized that I've missed showing people around the good ol' U of A and after a few nerves, I got right back in the swing of things. Despite our wonderful summer uniforms, I felt the Alabama heat in a big way. I learned my lesson to drink more water. 

Well, I'm going to repack again tomorrow to leave town again. Ben is flying out of NYC for Italy on Monday, so we're getting in a few days in the Big Apple before we see him off. I'm finally gonna get to see Letterman live! The guests? Johnny Depp and Megan Fox. I'm just a little pumped. We were going to see Guys & Dolls with Lauren Graham (see previously blog posts for my love of her), but it closed. So we're currently weighing our options for what will replace it. I don't really care; I will love anything. And I'll find some other way to meet Lorelai Gilmore. 

Having a wonderful summer,

Katie K.

mmmbop

last night, we had a "thrift store" dance. everyone went to consignment shops around burlington and bought outrageous outfits. we all had such a good time! i wore a swooshy dress and felt like the world should get to experience it through this picture...  

last night, i was reminded of how much i love to dance. 

i'm a novelty.

the longer i have been in vermont, the more i feel like an outsider. this statement is not in reference to the people i am living with. i love them and am establishing some incredible friendships, but instead, it has more to do with the state of vermont in general. i came to vermont with the crazy thought that all the differences between the north and the south were simply a myth. i had decided that movies like "sweet home alabama" were people's sole basis for the idea that the north and the south are two separate worlds. my first few days in the green mountain state seemed to prove my theory right, but as time has worn on, i have discovered that it is impossible to take in an entire culture in a short period of time. it's been about 3 weeks now, and i should be entering the "feeling at home" phase. i know my way around the city, i've seen all the big attractions, and i've already found my favorite coffee house, but everyday i feel less and less a part of what is going on around me. and i couldn't be happier about that!

if i have learned anything up here, it is that i am a southern girl, and it shows. maybe it's the boots or the over usage of the word yall, but it never gets old to these new englanders. i was at the mall just yesterday, and in 2 out of the 3 stores i went in, i got this strange look from the person ringing up my purchase followed by the question, "where are you from?" when i answered them, they both responded with, "ahhh, i knew it." they then went on to tell me every person that they have ever come in contact with from the south. "oh, i had a customer one time from south carolina; i think her name was sue." or " my second cousin married a guy from arkansas." they tell me these meaningless facts as if i should know every person who has ever ventured south of the mason-dixon line. 

i've been trying to compile a list of differences between the north and the south. living in this foreign culture, it is very easy for me to see the differences, but i have found it extremely difficult to put into words. so much of the gap between the north and the south is abstract...  but here is my best shot at the top ten tangible differences. enjoy.

1. only in vermont would you witness a nude anti-war protest. as long as you leave your house naked, public nudity is legal. 

2. only in vermont could you decide to see a brand new movie on a friday night, go to the theater in the middle of town, arrive 5 minutes late for the show, and still get tickets. 

3. only in vermont would you feel like you are going to hell because you have never recycled in your life. 

4. only in vermont is there a maple-flavored option for everything. 

5. only in vermont is ice hockey discussed with the same intensity as football in the state of alabama. using phrases such as the iron bowl, bear bryant, houndstooth, bryant-denny stadium, the quad, tailgating, and bbq create much confusion.  

6. only in vermont would you find the number of subarus on the road equivalent to the number of pick-up trucks in alabama. 

7. only in vermont would the coast of the lake be a lame excuse for a beach. they have no idea!

8. only mid-summer in vermont would you find yourself cold in your unair-conditioned dorm room.

9. only in vermont would you find yourself applying for a job at hollister when you don't even own one item of clothing from that store. (this one has more personal relevance.)

10. only in vermont am i a novelty. 

 

along with all of the cultural differences, i am also adapting to a new diet. here at the program, one of the student's job is to be the cook for the summer. our cook is harmen. he is a student from holland. he studied "abroad" in boston last year and got hooked in with the navigators during his time there. the leaders asked him to come be a part of the program this summer and to also cook for us. he is really funny, and his accent adds a lot... however, he cooks some off the wall dishes. i realize we are on a budget but still. the things he comes up with sometimes blow my mind. jalapenos and curry are his favorite ingredients to cook with. that right there poses a problem for me: i hate spicy food. thankfully, there are others that share my feelings in this area, so harmen has had to lay off the dang-spicy flavoring. nonetheless our meals are always a surprise. so far, my favorite dinners have been the moroccan finger-food dinner of couscous and other weird things, and last night's breakfast for dinner complete with dutch pancakes. i feel like i am having a taste of so many cultures here in vermont this summer!

i would like to also discuss my hollister interview for a few minutes. you may be wondering why hollister is even in the picture because i have been so vocal about my glamourous job slicing meat in the deli of the price chopper. sadly enough, the price chopper is not giving me enough hours, so i have decided to pick up job number 2, and naturally i went straight to hollister. well, not really. lizzie worked there last summer, so i decided to give it a shot since it is semi-familiar territory. yesterday was my interview, and in getting ready for it, i came to the understanding that nothing in my closet is either from hollister or even resembles the hollister style. the sad ensemble that i put together was my sister's american eagle shirt that somehow ended up with me in vermont, my kaki shorts from target that are i don't even know how old, my old navy flipflops, and my anthropologie bag. it was anything but a winning combination. still i raved about hollister's stellar style during my interview. my favorite thing from my interview was learning what hollister's catch phrase is, and boy is it original. "hey! what's up?" apparently, if you don't say that to every customer who walks through the door, you are not doing your job. 

in conclusion, i am going to leave you with one excellent reason why you do not want me to assist you with your deli meat needs. at work on wednesday, i had a sweet lady ask for a pound of kosher turkey shaved. now mind you, my knowledge of things kosher is non-existent. still, i wanted to look like i knew what i was doing when in reality, i had no idea. i ended up opening the turkey with a regular meat knife... apparently a big no-no. however, i went ahead and sliced the meat on the "kosher slicer" and gave the turkey to the lady anyways. i am a terrible person. 

hope all is well down in alabama and all the other places my friends and family are this summer! forgive me if i haven't called in a while or written; life gets busy. still, i love yall.

helping the south to rise again,

b

a quick update

this blog post will be short. i simply want to point out that in my previous blog post i miss spelled meat. no, i don't slice meet. oops... thanks cal for teaching me to spell. 

secondly, i must also acknowledge the the video messages that katie k and i have going. they are epic... and yes, they will be rewatched upon my return to the heart of dixie. no, you may not watch them with us.

and thirdly, last saturday i climbed the tallest mountain in vermont: mt. mansfield. although hiking/rock climbing is on the absolute bottom of my list of favorite things, it really was amazing on top of the mountain. here is alabama at it's finest...

(feel free to be proud of me)

missing yall (i find any excuse to use that word these days!),

b

Old habits die hard, when you got a sentimental heart.

Ok, I've been putting this off long enough. It's only June 9th and already I feel like I have had a whole summer full of experiences.

I'm going to sum up my trip to Haiti in as concise a manner as possible. I have a tendency to ramble on this thing. The keywords that I seem to be using over and over to describe it to people that ask are eye-opening, humbling, convicting, and shocking. I think those fit. I came back with a heart for the country, a love for the people, a desire to make changes in my life, and a new-found perspective. If you want to know details, just ask me. Trust me, I can ramble about that trip for longer than I was there. My new language to learn is Haitian Creole. Sak pase?

I just got back today from visiting family in Charlotte. I really love that city and could totally see myself living there one day. I wish that Charlotte and Birmingham were closer. I just love spending time with my aunt, uncle, and cousins. We don't get to see each other often enough. I leave again for a wedding and the beach again on Thursday.

I'm barely in town for June, but July is a gaping hole with not much to do. I'm open to ideas to fill it. I also would just like for everyone to know that my roommate and I are staying in touch over the summer through sending video messages back and forth on facebook. I plan for us to sit down together at the beginning of the year and watch all of them and laugh at how funny we look.

New obsession = She & Him, thanks to Shane.

Jet-setter for the month of June,

Katie K.

just a little blog-o-doodle

greetings from the northeast!

just thought i would give the blog a little run down of my first few days here in burlington. i got here on sunday with minor flight problems. i navigated through the philadelphia and burlington airports all by myself, so i gave myself a pat on the back. hooray! i was welcomed at the airport in vermont by my "team" for the summer. my team is made up of me and three other girls involved in the program. erin is the team leader. she is from california, and we get along so well. we laugh at everything together... and she loves the bachelorette, too. we always collaborate after watching the show online. heidi is one of my other team members. she is a vermont native and actually attends the university of vermont here in burlington. she is sweet as can be! the final member of my team is my roommate, melanie. she is from penn state, and god bless her for putting up with me. she has been a very good sport because all i do is talk her ear off in my southern accent and then keep her up late at night because i am such a night owl. ha. 

i just love the diversity of the group and can't wait to get to know everyone better. and side note, this won't matter to any of you, but i'll include it anyways. before i arrived, there was a big team scavenger hunt all over the city. the winning team won extra money for "team weekend" that happens later on in july. "team weekend" is where you and your team can basically travel anywhere and do anything you want within budget. so guess whose team won. yep, mine!! i'm very proud. yippie:)

now i will move on and discuss the job i will be doing for the summer. gms (that's the name of the program i am at) requires that everyone get a day job to keep people busy/make some money. i got a job at a grocery store with 12+ other kids from the program. it really is a wonderful situation except for the fact that i have found myself assigned to the deli. doesn't sound too bad, right? welp, i slice meet and cheese all day. it's pretty bad. i will know all types of meet and cheese upon my return to the south, and how to slice and package them. however, don't try to find me behind the deli counter in tuscaloosa... i won't be there. ever.

on a positive note, i really enjoy the people i am working with. because i am in the same place all day and there are lulls at times, i am hoping to build friendships with these people and potentially form witnessing opportunities. we shall see. 

to conclude in humor, i will now enter the world of the southern accent. it's a big deal. i've got one, and it is apparently blatantly obvious. one guy from the program honestly could not understand what i was saying, and i had to repeat it. others just automatically ask where i am from. but the most humorous encounter happened yesterday at work. i was dealing with one costumer who had a couple different orders... turkey, bologna, cheese. you know, the whole nine yards. i kept forgetting what he had told me, so i had to keep asking him how many pounds he wanted, etc. i felt bad for this, and he was a really friendly nice guy... so i jokingly apologized by telling him that my brain had already turned off for the day. in response he said, "did you leave it down in georgia?" i was so caught off guard, all i could find to say was, " alabama actually." 

i hope everybody is having a wonderful summer... i feel like everyone is out on their own little adventures. i can't wait for everyone to be back together in the fall! 

until then,

b