Hello! My name is Katie and I’m 26 years old (but only for a few more months, yikes!). I am an Oregon-grown girl but currently call Milwaukee, Wisconsin my home. I have an amazing family – my dad is a wonderful example of what it means to be Christ-like, my mom brings life and fun to everyone around her, and my brother is one of my best friends and the most gifted artist I’ve ever known. I am so thankful that I have their support and excitement for this trip!
I am a graduate of University of Alaska-Fairbanks (go Nanooks!) with a degree in Psychology. I LOVED living in Alaska…yes, even when it was -65 degrees out with ice fog and only 2 hours of daylight to look forward to. There is so much raw beauty in Alaska and the northern lights are probably one of the most spectacular sights I’ve ever seen.
I am a huge fan of adventure, especially when it involves the great outdoors. I enjoy camping, hiking, backpacking, kayaking, rafting, geocaching, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, fishing, running, rock climbing/bouldering, and whatever else comes along. My biggest adventure so far has been skydiving – what a rush!
I also love food. I love spending time in the kitchen cooking and baking. There is something so satisfying about being covered in flour, feeling dough between the fingers, hearing the sizzle of garlic hitting the hot oil, or opening the oven to take in the aroma of something delicious roasting. My favorite part is how food has a way of bringing people together so that conversations, laugher, and memories can be shared.
Some other little tidbits about me: my favorite color is blue. I am a morning person; I love that quiet, peaceful time before the rest of the world wakes up. I enjoy every season that the year brings, but I find fall the most refreshing. I love animals. I love to laugh and be silly, but I also appreciate deep, meaningful conversation.
The past year has been the hardest year of my life. My husband and best friend of 7 years, who I expected to share a lifetime of adventures with, chose to abandon our marriage. I can’t even begin to describe the pain and brokenness my heart has felt. I felt overwhelmed by the sorrow and struggled with feeling unworthy, like I wasn’t enough. But God did something beautiful in my life – He showed me the extent of His faithfulness and the depth of His love. And it has created such a stirring in my heart to seek a deeper relationship with God. To not just have Him as a part of my life, but have Him as the center of my life. It has been such an amazing journey allowing God to be my strength, my comforter, my joy, my peace, and my hope. For that, I can look at this trial in my life and say amen.
And so here I am – ready to go on this amazing adventure around the world and see how God is able to move through me, in me, and probably more often than not in spite of me!
