Hey friends! It's certainly been a while. When last we left off, I was working on graduating early. Well, that has occurred. On June 10, 2011 I walked across the stage at the Bren Events Center in my cap and gown. Well, actually my cap and Samantha Paul's gown, but you get the idea. My family came down to see me walk, even though they actually announced my name as "Kathryn Whyte". Wow. ;)
I'm not back at home, and I have finished the online class that stood between me and an actual diploma. It's crazy to think that at this time last year, I was blogging about the end of project--about how frustrated I was to have two more years of school left. Now here I am, graduated. God is crazy good.
At the beginning of July I got to spend 2 1/2 weeks with Corey Tindall. It was an excellent time. I flew to Indiana after he was done with Keynote Summer Project and got to see some of my favorite staff people: my family, Lindsay, Shawna, Dana and the Bongards--not to mention the students I got to see: Corey (obviously), Trevor (our drummer from Project), Mike (drummer from Swerve 2010), Derek (bassist from Young Isaac 2010), Jessica (my Project roommate), Nathan (percussionist from Young Isaac 2010), and Joey (Jessica's boyfriend and my cousin's best friend). It was an absolutely wonderful time.
After Indiana, Corey and I drove to Missouri where we stopped and stayed with his friend from Cru, Sarah. She's fantastic, and I had been dying to meet her. She took us to an excellent restaurant, let us jam on her family's instruments, and took us to church the following morning.
Then Corey and I finished the drive to Kansas where we spent 5 days with his family. They're all great, and his mom makes the best enchiladas I have ever had. I'm still dreaming about them. His sisters are tons of fun. We watched Pride and Prejudice one night together and had a great time laughing at Mr. Darcy's Pride...or is it Prejudice? ;) Either way, I don't like Mr. Darcy. Sorry for those of you who are fans of him.
While we were in Kansas, actually the night we got there, we ended up having to drive back to Warrensburg to see this woman:
Natasha Jackson! How I had missed her since Christmas. Oh my goodness, it had been too long. I teared up when I gave her a hug. She and Corey swapped Project stories, since she had just returned from a 7 week Project in Suva, Figi. We also got to meet her boyfriend, Kory.
Corey and I also went to Kansas State where he showed me around the exciting town of Manhattan. Haha. :) We went to one of the only coffee shops around--Ridina's. We also went hiking at the Kanza Prarie. It was beautiful.
On Friday of that week, Corey and I flew back to California. That was quite the trip. Very little sleep and no breakfast due to an early flight. It was a nightmare. I'm glad I was not handling that situation alone.
We got to hang out with my family for a couple of days before we drove down to San Diego for Mikala and Aaron's wedding. We stopped in Brea to meet up with my friend (and old Bible study leader) Sharalee. She was kind enough to let us stay with her so we wouldn't have to drive back to Bakersfield after the wedding. Here we are all spiffed up:
The wedding was absolutely stunning. As you can see, it was right on the water: 
Corey got to meet a lot of my friends. I was so happy to see them greeting him like they'd known him for years. :) That warms my heart. Here's a picture of us at the reception. And no, I do not know who that guy in the background is...
After the wedding, we drove back to Brea and stayed the night with Sharalee. The next morning, Corey got to meet Dano before we headed to Irvine for the day. There he got to have Kean coffee. Erin took us, which was very fun. :)
And then we got to go to Newport Beach where we just happened to run into Emily my friend from home) and her dad. What are the odds? Emily was very happy to show Corey all the ocean creatures and how to make a "drip castle". :)
She also took fun pictures of us. I like the one above. :)
The rest of our trip was spent at home. Corey got to meet Bean, Shem, and their son-to-be! We also went and saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 with my brother. I was pretty stoked about it.
Corey left about a week and a half ago, and it's definitely been hard having him gone. God blessed our time together, and I miss him a lot. Prayerfully, we will see each other again soon. And until then, I thank God everyday for Skype and cell phones. :)
The transition to moving home and having no school ahead of me is definitely a strange one. I finished my class, and now I'm looking for a job--just while I'm here at home. I'm not loving the process, as it feels like nobody is hiring. However, I know God is faithful to provide.
I've also started filling out my Keynote staff application. That thing is a lot of work. It's definitely been exciting and scary filling it out. God is definitely teaching me how to trust Him with my future.
It's strange to look into my future and see...nothing. Well, not nothing, but at least no idea how or when I am going to get where I am going. I'm excited for what God has planned for the future, but I'm also thinking it's going to be a hard year. I would appreciate prayer for peace and continued trust in the Lord. :) Also, there is a job at my church's pre-school that they don't know if they can give me due to low enrollment. Please be praying that God would open the right doors.
Also I have a lot of friends who are currently raising support for missions related interships and summer project. Could you please be praying for: Corey, Erin, Desery, Arggi, Rachel, and Nate as they trust God with their finances?
Thanks to all of you for reading this entry! I apologize for the long wait. I hope it won't happen again, but I cannot guarantee anything. :P
--Hannah
