Define home.

You know what—what is home?
For a person of displacement we can only ponder so much of what “home” really is.
What it means to us.
What actually defines “home?”
The place you live?
The place you came from?
Your home state or place of birth?
The place you grew up?
The place you feel most comfortable?
The place that holds your bed or where you sleep at night?
The place you feel your roots and heritage come from?
The place where your family live?
If that is the case from all of these questions I will answer them in the way these are given.
The place I live —- would be GA.
My home state/place of birth? - Raleigh, NC
The place I grew up? Virginia and Maryland.
The place I feel most comfortable? - Madison GA & Maryland. Different feelings of comfort.
The place that holds my bed and where I sleep at night - GA and MD
The place I feel my roots come from?? The south.
The place where your famliy live? MD & GA & NC.
I have unraveled this place.
I have discovered the whimsical charm it has to offer.
The trees blow in my direction,
the sun shines upon me.
The roads know me by name.
The animals and I….well, we share a bond.
So I guess you could call me a wanderer.
A person so spread out in connectivity it would make any traveler jealous.
A person who is trying to find “it.”
I found my place of comfort and happiness and that is Georgia.
I feel at home here and I feel like this is my home.
So if all of these questions held the true meaning of where home is to you… all of these answers above are spread between three states.
It’s not where I grew up, or where I lived for the majority of my life.
It’s where you are currently living or where you feel your heart and soul lies of comfort and true warmth. The warmth that comes from the inside and reflects on the outside.
It’s where you are happy and proud of being in said place.
Home is where your heart is.
So when I go “home” it is here, there and everywhere.
But in a deep reality, Georgia is my home. I feel this place to be my home.
This beautiful, magical, wonderful and beautiful place.
This place I call home.
I feel blessed to be able to lengthen my arms and touch the beauty in all states I travel to and from. I am excited to see where the Lord is going to lead me in the year 2011.

Shots of Georgia

http://www.flickr.com/photos/madisonpeach/

A farewell ode to my apartment.

My apartment is old.
An endearing type of old.
A beautiful old.
A type of old that adds on to my soul as being old fashioned and appreciate life's little simplicities that signifies much importance to me.
I love my apartment.

This I will hold dear to my heart.
For instance,
The glass door knob's that you just never see now-a-day's.
The off white door with the glass door knob that opens up to a large long convenient walk-in closet.
That's what I love about old houses.

Everything is so big and spacious and every nook and crane is special and detailed.

It's just breath taking.
The beautiful "french type" doors that lead out onto my back porch to oversee the trees that divide the houses and apartments in the back.
It also oversees a side glimpse of water street into Long Wharf.
So that on summer days you can hear the legendary long wharf concerts go on Sunday nights in August that bring back so many memories.
And even if you don't want to listen you are forced to unless you leave because the music seeps in through the side house walls into my apartment.
Beautiful and tough to get through at the same time.
I love how my living room opens into my kitchen and it is one big room only divided by half wall shelves.

Side wall for the living room and the other side are shelves for the kitchen.
I love my little stove. It speaks for the kitchen.
I love my bathroom. It's huge. The old fashioned tub with a convenient shower head draping over top.
The colossal sink that hold just about 50 of your beauty essential needs all atop the porcelain loveliness.

I love my hard wood floors. Now this took me a bit to love.

It's so much harder to maintain with hard floors.

Let alone hard old wood floors.
I have even grown to love the colonial type white and blue wallpaper in my bedroom.

Only on one wall it is plastered.

It evens out my so-called plain room with all white surrounding you. I hated it when I moved in, but it's so endearing and enchanting.. what can you do?

May a nights have I layed in bed studying the wall paper.
It's beautiful.
I love my two steps extending from my kitchen to my mini hallway.
Even though I have fallen a couple times and thought I twisted my ankle

to finally make my first trip to the hospital.

, You just wouldn't see that happen, stairs, and I thank you for the graceful and not so graceful falls you provided.
I love my three stairs that accentuates my even more shelves in my mini hall.
Upon these lovely shelves sit many picture frames and cheap unique storage like Marshall boxes and my vinyl LP albums.
Color meets white.
I love my windows in my living room. So high up thanks to the high ceilings. I can therefore hang my long curtains and there is no need to take them in on the bottom.
They fit perfectly.
Even though only 3 windows can open without a fight.
One in the bedroom,
one in the kitchen-living room and
one in the bathroom.
I love my food pantry door with much space even a family of 4 would be jealous of.
On the top side of the inside door is an old pencil sharpener.
It is bolted in the door.
That's just too lovely even for words.
Very much music has flowed in this space of mine for two years. Through my
iPod,
CD player,
Record player
and DVD player.
My apartment was just not meant to be entertained the two years I lived in it.
Maybe in the future it will get it's spotlight.
No, only close very few people got to experience the gorgeousness in which I lived.
It could really only fit 5 people at the most.
Luckily it has been able to fit three cats in here.
A miracle I will say.
Everything about this apartment, I love.
I am thankful for this to be my first living in arrangement.
A little detail here, a little detail there.
My Magnum Opus.
So thank you apartment, for being so good to me when life didn't want to.
Thank you for being my security, and my place to go to at the end of a long day or to even stay in on a long day.
I couldn't have asked for a better, most beautiful first apartment.
I hope the next one is just as rewarding as you.
This excites me to think what the Lord has in store for me down the road after my experience in Georgia.
On to bigger and better things.
My apartment on 103 High Street Apt.3 Cambridge, Maryland 21613 is no way shape or form boring.
It speaks for itself and it holds so much potential.
As hard as it is, I release you.
Thank you so much!
Love, Katie Lin Blackmon

Right, Left; Up or Down..

I have been overly thinking my future these past few days. Forcibly the reason being as I do not work at the Law Office any longer. I am praying, harder and harder each day to hear God's direction for my life. Impatient I might add, but I clean my ears out every day in hopes to hear and realize what he has in store for me. I went to Chesapeake Woods on Monday and filled out the extremely long application; had my interview; and then left. I got a call on Tuesday for a second interview for today, Thursday at 1:00. I went over sample questions and typed all of my answers in Word. I thought long and hard of what could be asked of me in hopes that if this job isn't for me, at least I have tried.

Thinking of your future is an exasperating emotionally spent process. I wish it wasn't but because of the person I am this process is exhausting. I battle the do's and don'ts; the pro's and con's; the what if's and what not's. If this Chesapeake Woods Receptionist job does not fall in my favor, there is a reason for that. God has a plan for me and it's very hard to see that sometimes, but I know this to be true.

What would I do next? be a nanny. I have always wanted to go someplace else besides Maryland and nanny a wonderful family and share that wonderful and new experience that I have longed for for quite some time now. I found a uniquely fitted family in Texas. 3 girls. The oldest is 3 and a half; her name is Faith. And the two twins are 2 and a half; Hope and Hannah. They are a christian family with a live-in situation that would be wonderful for me. I honestly just don't know what my life's next step will be and I feel like I need to act fast if I want to save my apartment. My apartment is near and dear to me. It is my living space that sprouts my personality in every nook and crane; it is also my Independence. My apartment is me; and I share this with my three cats and it all feels like a wonderful and balanced home. I have been blessed to have such a gorgeous apartment for two years this coming July. And I have to keep reminding myself that if I am not able to keep this apartment, there is a reason. Something new and wonderful will come along for me, and it will not be the end of the world. It seems like that to me as I type this but I just have to tell myself, it's not.

God has a plan for me.

I wish I knew what it was, but that is the joy and frustration of being a human that got her life saved from the magnificent God above.

I ask you to please pray for me. Pray for God's direction for me and that I may listen with both ears and take his commands lovingly as he knows what is best for me. I thank you.

What is my next step this time?

I am unemployed.
I need a job.
A place to live.

any suggestions?

Where will my life go this time? I am excited to see what the Lord has planned for me.

What Is To Be Expected.

I went to Wal*Mart last night to get a pack of water. I have been dying for some water, and sadly my fridge is still broke and is unable to have some nice cold water. Therefore, I took a trip to the unwanted. I hate Wal*Mart. Every time a trip is made to this superstore there are certain things that are always to be expected.

(1) being the fact that you will always see at least one person there that you know, and you are forced to put on a smile and make polite small chit-chat, because that is to be expected.
(2) there are always some weird high school "gang" wearing all black; walking about the isles making strange noises and acting totally their age. Just in and out of isles, because really; what else is there to do in Cambridge?
(3) Couples crunching to get everything on their list in a matter of minutes. Wife spots Husband browsing at a coffee maker and she asks, "did you get the, fill in the blank here, and he dumbfoundedly looks at her and replies, "What?" Which then aggravates the Wife most likely thinking, why did I bring him here with me?
(4) Everything you want, is most likely going to be out of stock, so that is a trip wasted to be totally honest.
(5) People see other people in the isles and decide to talk for about an hour blocking the only thing that you really need.
(6) A very odd looking couple from high school walking extremely slow, and not to be rude, but it just makes you think, if they are seriously a couple, then why am I not in a relationship?
(7) Running into people you really don't want to see, so you avoid them at all costs, to only bump into them in the next lane and they awkwardly smile or make a gesture that clearly states, "get out of my lane."

This is all to be expected every single trip you take to your local Wal*Mart. I am switching to Target, full time.

With my own two eyes.

I was driving to work this morning. The weather has been nice to us today so not only was it feeling different but it was looking different. Every day as I cross the Burger King bridge the water and its surroundings always look different. Even on certain mornings one side of the bridge looks completely different then the other side. But this morning it was peaceful, breath taking, calm and gorgeous. The fog/mist had made the colors of the water and the air and the trees so soft and pastel like. As I was driving across the bridge trying to savor every look I could glace at to embed in my mind what a wonderful scene had taken place, I wanted to just turn around, and park my car, walk and stand on top of the white concrete median that divides the roads in two; with a camera in hand. I don't have a nice camera that could take the kind of picture that I was given the ability to see through my eyes what I saw, nor do I have the gumption to even stand on top of that concrete median with cars flying by at high speeds. Someone would have thought I was crazy. But it was beautiful none the less and I thank God I got to experience such a sight.

A new thought in a new day.

It is a beautiful fall day. October 2nd. This month is already looking up. When the month starts out smoothly, it will most likely go that way throughout the month. And for that I am grateful. So I have been pretty addicted to Grey's Anatomy lately. It has taken my life away pretty much. Not a good thing, or really a bad thing. But it has put me in a different perspective about life and how things have been thrown at me in wierd directions; catching me off guard. I have been having a rough year. I'll just say that. No need to go on with the details. But one thing that I have always hated hearing is, someone has it worse than me. I don't like to hear that when I am at my lowest. I really don't. I want to wallow in my feelings and feel like I am the only one who is breaking, suffering, depressed, having a bad day in the whole entire world. Even though I know that that is not true, it's just the way that the feelings come most of the time. This week has been a pretty good for me. Because I have MADE it a good week for me. That really makes a big difference. Something that I have not really done before. Always waiting for my day to get better by unexpecting things. I need to make that decision myself. If I want it to be a good day, than I make it a good day. Things will bring me down, but that is just a part of life. I know that.

I was watching Grey's this morning and there was this one episode where this married man had been asleep for about 16 years. A disease that he didn't realize but he was asleep for 16 years. I can't even fathom that. His wife had married someone else, and was pregnant and due in December. He awoke for the first time on Thanksgiving day. And their only son was about 16, had no idea who his father was, and had no real impact in eachother's lives at all. When his family realized that this man, that was once apart of their family, could be woken up again they were not at all excited. He was the Richard Gilmore type. It made me really sad to see this situation happening, and my heart went out to him. I couldn't even imagine! Well when he awoke, his son came in and said a few words and than left. The man decided to go ahead with the surgery, knowing that it might end his life. But after he realized that his life was not the way that it was when he went to sleep for so many years he knew that nothing would really change. He also called his mother earlier on the day before going into the MRI so talk, and realized that she had passed away 8 years ago. If that doesn't get you all teary-eyed.. I don't know what will! He than later on died in the surgery. I was litterally a basket case. Now, I know that this is just a tv show. Nothing more, but it will tug at your heart strings and slap you real good in the face showing you something that you may have wanted to see. And not have been able to see before. It made me realize really... that people have it so much harder than you do. And it made my problems seem as little as a grain of rice. Which is fine.. I needed to get out of my funk. I am grateful to be alive, and to have the friends and family that I have. I am grateful for the Lord Jesus Christ, and the fact that he will always forgive me when I mess up; because I will. I am grateful that I have a job right now, even though I need another one. I am grateful for a lot of things today. And I am realizing that I do have a place in this world. And I know what I need to do. Pray for me.

weekend.

It is finally the weekend and I am so happy! These last few weeks at work has been painful for me; especially yesterday! I just woke up and it's 8:00. Hoping that I could sleep in, but that never really seems to happen. Today is my landlord's wedding, and I got a phone call last night to babysit because they forgot about a wedding that they are attending. Hopefully I can babysit, because they hadn't called me back. I should probably get ready and go on to the grocery store and than wal*mart. Hope all of your weekends are as great as I'm hoping mine will be! This picture is Philly! When I went to go and visit Kyrie one weekend. I wish I was there again, visiting and having fun.

Valentines.

Today Is Valentine's day and I am so happy and excited to see my new banner up and beautiful! Thanks to my dearest friend Kyrie Anna! :) I told her it gives me a great inspiration to write a new blog, since she has informed me that I hadn't done a post in about a year.



I just arrived home from some training I had to do over at the Bank. We started at 9 and I just got out around 2:15. I learned some stuff but it's well informative anyway, but totally exhausting! We are learning this brand new system and it's like we are all being trained again. We are supposed to convert to this new system sometime next month. Whether it runs smoothly or not is another thing, but they are trying to get every piece of information in our brains in just one day.

So tonight on my plate I am babysitting for a family that is new to the area. I have never even met them yet so I go over at 6:00 and am pretty excited. One boy that is not even one year old yet and I believe a girl around the age of 3.



Looking at the huge mess that my cat, Vienna has left me in my kitchen. She tore up my whole paper towel roll and all the pieces are scattered about. I better go and clean this up.



Happy Valentines Day!

Money & Women

Hey everyone! Last night on my Thursday night of spring break I was laying in bed. About to go to sleep, kind of tired about playing Donkey Kong for a while, but I turned on the TV. I was flipping through the channels to see what was on and I went to PBS. It was Suze Orman doing a conference for a ton of woman about financial situations and comments like we do not need to be mad at money. Now, I don't know a lot about Suze Orman, I have never really heard of her until last night, but that comment seemed to set for truth in my mind. Being angry at money, because we don't have enough or to spend on things that we(I) really don't need, really makes sense. It's things that are like, if we are angry at money, our financial situation than we need to go out ourselves and do something about it. Not sit there and wait. Possibly get a job, most of us already have one. But finding one when you don't, can really be hard! A 29-year old woman got up to ask a question, all teary-eyed and what not. Talking about her financial situation, and how she has a house and she has started her own business, and she is feeling overwhelmed. She has like 6,000 dollar credit card debt, 60,000 dollars of student loans she has to pay off, just things are totally overwhelming her. At the end of the conversation, Suze told her that if she is feeling that way, than she needs to get rid of something if she is in the hole like she is. She said, pay off the student loans little by little, and than she told her to sell her house. And that 29-year olds really don't need a house. But a house is something that we live in, something that we call "home", is wonderful to us, and being in that environment is more calming and relaxing than any other place imaginative to us. Our home is important, but to hear her comment, may have lifted off some weight. Maybe she really sold her home, and is now living with her parents, paying off everything and her current bills. Maybe it really wasn't a bad idea, but to me, selling your home because you are in the hole, just didn't seem that right to me. Like, maybe selling her business, and getting a better job with times that were convenient to her.. I don't know.

But than she talked about how money is very important to us, which it is! And what significance does money bring to our lives? The woman she asked, did not get the question right, but it was to help us in our lives. Like keeping us alive, is what I had said. We need food, and necessities that we need to keep ourselves alive, and that is where money comes in the picture. I agree with Suze when she says to not be directly and angry at money itself. Money is a good thing, which it is when you look at it in different perspectives, but what is really troubling you, evaluate it. Sit down and think about it, and than go out and do something about it. Get a job or sell things that you really don't need anymore. Like a big spring cleaning. But don't be mad at the money.

Lastly she talked about our names. She said when she talks to woman and asks them their names, they say what name? Like their maiden name, their divorced name, or their married name? But than I got to thinking, oh my goodness! Like I have said for years, and I know many others have as well, but men really get it easy. I could go on for a list, but not really necessary. But their name does not change. For anything. They are, who they are. So she asked for everyone to stand up and say their name to the person in front of them, and beside them. At this moment it was just loudness and names ringing from wall to wall. Kind of enjoyable. But than she asked a woman to come up to the microphone and say her name. And she said something like, Betty --- something. But anyway she didn't say it with depth, according to Suze. She than told her to close her eyes, and all this stuff, and than to say her name again. She did so, with more attitude. But the point I believe is to be proud of WHO YOU ARE. Your name is valuable, and when someone asks for your name, say it with pride and boldness, because you are, who you are! Than at the end of her conference, pretty cheesy comment, but it worked. She said something about money and than about our names, and than said, "And ladies, I AM Suze Orman." And that was the end of that. But I wanted to share with you what I had watched, and what I thought, and agreed and didn't agree on some things that Suze Orman said.

Always remember, that our names are very important. Don't ever be afraid to say your name, or to say it so you know you are proud of it.

And friends, and family, and who ever else is reading this post... I am Katie Lin Blackmon. (Hahaha)

My Spring Break

My spring break is this week. Nothing but laziness! It has actually snowed here in Cambridge, and Church and PM activities were cancelled for the night. I was pretty dissapointed about that one, but there will be others!I actually upgraded this blogger thing, so hopefully it'll work with this new blog. Kind of a test run.

Have a great night!

Happy Valentines Day!

I hope everybody had a great Valentines Day! And I wanted you all to know, that I love you! I will fill you in tomorrow about what my big plans were!

Sad news.

This article is about the two little boys who live next door to my family. As you read this story, please share the message of prayer! Please have people you know, or family, pray for the Robinson Family, and the rest of the development, who knew and loved these two boys! This is something that is going to take a lot of time! Thank you!




Sunday, February 11, 2007 · Last updated 10:25 p.m. PT

2 brothers die after falling through ice
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
CAMBRIDGE, Md. -- Two brothers, ages 8 and 12, died Sunday after the younger boy fell through a sheet of ice covering a pond and his brother tried to rescue him, authorities said.
Jarris Robinson, 8, and Aaron Robinson, 12, were pronounced dead after they fell through a sheet of ice covering a shallow pond at the housing development where they lived, Cambridge police said.

According to police, Jarris climbed a fence, walked onto the frozen pond and fell through. Aaron ran onto the ice in an attempt to save his younger brother but also fell into the water.
Jenise Robinson, the boys' mother, said she warned them not to go over the fence, but Jarris didn't listen, and Aaron went after him.

"He went out there to try to save his brother. They must have been underneath the water for about 10 minutes," Robinson told WBAL-TV.
Three other children ran for help. Dive teams pulled the boys out of the water, but efforts to revive them were unsuccessful.

Eight responders were treated for mild to moderate hypothermia, said Cambridge EMS Director Bill Watkins said. "All that could be done was done," he said.

Cruise Pics from Mom's camera.

Old & New

New family Picture done during Christmas. This one is just Gracie and I.

Back in the day. A Gracie Jean & Katie Lin Picture.

Start of the Cruise pics!

Well the cruise pictures will all be coming soon! I promise. But these are just glimpses of the excitement! :)

Me on the last night for the dinner. Gracie and I had so much fun that night!
Gracie and I in Cozumel!

Gracie and I on one set of the stairs in the ship.

More will come! and I promise!

"Have a Happy Hair Day!"

Thanksgiving at Grams house in North Carolina.

Random.

My new hair dryer! Hello Kitty! I got it this weekend! I love it! It's not as powerful, but it's great regardless! On the hair dryer it says, "Have a Happy Hair Day!"

So that is my wish for all of you!

Saturday in the park....

These are my desirable collectors items. I love my records. It is a growing collection in progress as well. This past weekend me and my mom went to the monthly book sale at the library. I enjoy those very much! I left a huge hole in the sociology section. A lot of great psychological books, how excited am I! We also went to LMS, and Salvation Army Thrift store. I got a few more records to add to my collection. Some old ones like The beach boys, and a Barry Manilow I don't have, and some more musicals to add. I just love music so much, I could not function without it. Literally! I could go on and on about music, and my beloved records, but I wanted to share with you my saturday with my mom. Books, clothes and music, are the big top 5 on my list of life. Haha.. lets see.
1. God.
2. Family than friends.
3. Music.
4. Clothes.
5. Books.

oh how I love life. Amen.

New job!

Okay. For all of you who may not know, I have a new job! or I should say, another job. I am currently employed at Mullaney Insurance in Cambridge, and Hollister in Salisbury. Oh how fun! I am soo excited, considering that this is my favorite store! however, there has been some bumps as some new stores have. Well.. people may categorize this as a blonde moment, I call it leaving information out. When my boss was hiring me, he failed to tell me the job positions and what they meant. Now, here is what was opened, a model or an Impact team. Now, a model is just what it says, so I thought. Silly me, it's not. It's actually the job that I wanted. The interaction with all of the customers, and the cash register, and the, "hi how are you, my name is Katie Lin and I am here for all of your Hollister shopping needs. Please let me know if you need any help, or a shirt size. Have you felt our fleece today? man you have got to feel it! by the way, have you met Malika and Jake?" I mean come on! I am fit for this wonderful position! As many of you know, I am a customer service kind of person, not an inventory girl. Now, on to the impact team. This is where you #1, stay in the back unless told to come out in the front. #2, tend to everyones needs, including the models. #3, fold all the clothes, clean up, and get all the clothes out of the dressing room. Oh my goodness! are they serious?! That is sooo not me! I belong in the outside world, with the Jukebox, not the Brittney Spears burnt cds. Well I talked to my manager about it like a week and half ago, and he said that he would let me be a model, and I am a devoted worker. Example : I worked today, b/c I signed up to work from 6-11 on fridays when I got hired. Turns out, I wasn't even on the list to work tonight. Soo I didn't even have to work. I got a "thanks for coming in anyway." haha.. not really. So anyway, I really love the atmosphere though, and it's my favorite of them all! so yes indeed I am excited. A very busy girl, but also very excited.

Pretty Hollister beach logo.

Makes me happy.