Baby, I'm amazed by you

I hate myself right now...I've said this before...I seem to mean it every time, and of course, every time it's for the same reason. I bet you don't even have to guess why. One simple word: schoolwork. That's right, big surprise. Katherine hates herself because of schoolwork. Go figure! This time I have four essays due before I leave England on Saturday...well, technically...they're not due until January 7th (I can send them in electronically). But who wants to leave school and then continue to do schoolwork over Christmas break? Certainly not me! But unfortunately...considering a change of location didn't change my work ethic, I have so much to do yet...Basically it's three 2,500 word essays (That's about 8 pages double-spaced) and one 750 word essay (2 1/2 pages).

So yes, right now, at this very moment, it may appear that I hate myself. I can say it and think it, but you know what...I don't hate myself! Never have I ever truly hated myself! And you know why? Because I am an amazing person! Now, I'm not saying this because I'm a conceited person. I'm saying this because sometimes you just have to look at yourself and say, "I'm an amazing person!" You laugh, but it's true. There is so much in the world that tries to put us down. Magazines telling us ways to improve our looks, models making us feel fat, the cinema making us believe happy endings only happen in the movies. Well, you know what! I'm sick of the world trying to make me hate myself...I love myself! And you know what, you should too! And here's why...

• For every one person who doesn't like you, there's ten more who love you
• God has great things in store for your life and they involve you being happy
• There's at least one person in this world who lives to see you smile
• Just when you think things couldn't get any worse...they get better
• You know that one part of your body you don't like? Someone is jealous of it.
• Your parents don't have to say that because they're your parents. They say it because it's true.
• There's always someone else. You're never alone.
• We all have faults, we all make mistakes. IT'S NORMAL!

You are amazing, and don't let anyone or anything make you think any different. Especially not yourself :)

Katherine

My Grown Up Christmas List

So this year I decided not to make a Christmas list to give to my parents like I normally do. However, since I didn't write a Christmas List for them, Marissa, Christina (Marissa's friend studying in Greece with her), and I decided to write a practical/impractical Christmas Lists to send to Santa. I admit it was a rather long list...but I thought that it's my first Christmas List to Santa and I've been an awful good girl. So maybe he could manage to take care of a couple things...impractical or not :)

1. Boyfriend/fall in love
2. Lose ten pounds
3. Continue to make the Dean's List every semester in college
4. For military to stop being deployed and for soldiers to come home
5. Stay best friends with my Royal Holloway girls
6. For grandpa and grandma to be healthy and pain free
7. Mini cooper
8. Clear skin
9. White Christmas
10. Become more involved at Miami University
11. Horse
12. New kitten (Come on, mom and dad! Stop kicking the kittens out!)
13. Slow last 1 1/2 weeks in London
14. Incredibly slow Christmas break
15. Dates to all three weddings I'm attending this summer
16. Beat the last level of Donkey Kong Country Super Nintendo
17. Someone to kiss at New Years
18. Continue to grow closer to my dad's side of the family
19. Get more sleep
20. To be more spontaneous and live life to the fullest
21. Get rid of writer's block
22. Grow in my faith/define my own beliefs
23. To like beer
24. Make new friends at Miami University
25. For my right ankle to get back to normal size

Of course that's not everything on my list, but it's a preview. I seriously recommend writing Christmas lists to Santa. It's not only fun, but hopeful. And you must mail them too! Apparently, if you write Santa Claus on an envelope and mail it there is an actual place the letter goes to. And the letter gets read (and sometimes answered!) By who, you may ask? By Santa, of course!

Christmas is coming :)

Katherine