COM 399 Post 1

Hi COM 399 Friends!

This is so long, I am sorry. I just started writing and never really stopped.

My name is Kati...just Kati, no "E" and it's not short for anything! I am not really sure why my parents decided to go with Kati, but I do know they were throwing around the idea of Katrina...and boy am I glad they chose just Kati. Can you image the jokes I would have endured when Katrina hit?
My email is knharvey@mail.bradley.edu ...since there was another Kati (e) Harvey at Bradley my e-mail has my middle initial.
I am not really from anywhere...my dad was in the Army when I was born and for the first 15 years of my life we moved every 3 years. I was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina. I have also lived in Italy, Georgia, Maine (2 blocks away from Stephen King!) , New Hampshire, Korea, Indiana, Colorado, and then we finally settled down here in Illinois when my dad retired.

My family consists of my mom, dad, brother and me. My parents were high school sweethearts, got married at 19, had me at 21 and have been married for 25 years now! They are still grossly in love, and I think that is so wonderful. After 25 years they are still head over heels in love. haha, so cheesy, I know. My brother is 19 years old, I hate that he is growing up. I still call him baby brother and I love him more than anything; he means everything to me. And he has the most amazing girlfriend that I already call sister! I know they are still young...but my parents did it!

There are a lot of things I will take from my family but one thing for sure...is game nights! Over Thanksgiving I brought my boyfriend home to meet them, and of course my parents whipped out the games. It is so fun because we are all really competitive. Playing games (catchphrase, loaded questions and balderdash are our favs.) gives us a chance to just let loose, have fun, and make fun of each other. My family is very close and I hope to have a family of my own that can have fun like we do.

One thing I will leave behind...hmm...maybe cussing in front of my children? Like I said I grew up around Army men, I have had a potty mouth every since I can remember. My mom always told me I was too pretty to swear, but it's stuck now. So maybe I will try and control my use of foul language in front of my children. But maybe...it will be hard.

Three adjectives that describe me...
1. Driven. I am an incredibly hard worker and I want to be successful at everything I do.
2. Girly. I am so incredibly girly. I love to get dressed up, go shopping, paint my nails, play with makeup, etc... My parents tried to get me to play sports when I was younger but my hair was always to perfect to wear the hat, or I would  not dive in the grass to catch the ball. I'm a little prissy, and I love it.
3. Compassionate. I have been through a lot in my life, which helps me to recognize when others are having a hard time. I try to always understand where someone is coming from. My friends usually come to me with issues/problems/when they want to talk because I am a great listener and a good shoulder to cry on. I may seem like I have it all together but I spent many years battling depression and having the lowest of low self-esteem. So I want to be there to help others whenever I can.

My favorite social activities are...Dancing! Oh boy do I love to dance, I am terrible at it. I kind of just move in an awkward way, but I love it! I also love to play games, and go to sporting events.

As for the riskiest thing I have ever done...I don't think it has happened yet. I am not a risk taker. I usually play it safe, go by the book if you will. But I think I am in the process of making a risky decision...trying to decide what my career path will be. Will  I go to grad school or be an insurance agent? This decision will be a risky one for sure!

My most unforgettable experience still gives me goosebumps and makes my eyes well up with tears. The day my dad returned home a year in Iraq. I was 15 years old and I will never forget sitting in the Field house on the Army base in Colorado with the biggest butterflies in my stomach. The soldiers marched in still in combat gear. Helmets on their heads, guns on their bad. Ruck sacks out back. They had to stand there for an hour in front of us, doing some ceremonial thing to official end their tour. I remember frantically gazing over the crowd to find my dad. I found him and just wanted to run as fast as I could to him, but I couldn't. I  had to wait and wait and wait for what seemed like a century. But then they were released. And this daddy's girl finally ran to her dad. Gosh it still kills me. I remember I got to drive him home from the field house back to our house, and then waking up in the morning and having him home again. AMAZING. That is something I will never ever ever forget.

I am writing enough? Jeeze. Sorry for the novel here.

Top 5 things I want to do  before I am 30...
1. Get Married
2. Go back to Italy
3. Show my husband every where I lived.
4. Have kids
6. Be successful

Something I have done that no one else has done would probably be going to Korea? Generally people don't just go to Korea for family vacation. But I would definitely recommend it. Korea is such a neat place, I for sure want to go back.
I want to have lunch with Heidi Klum. I think she is not only amazingly gorgeous but she is also a great wife, mother, and business woman. I would love to hear how she does it all.

I love to read, so there are many books that have "shaped" my thinking in some way. First off The Time Travelers Wife proved that anything is possible. My favorite quote also came from this book, "I love you always, time is nothing." It makes me think that love doesn't end when life does. (Cheesey, I know.) I also really love the book Project Everlasting. Two bachelors go on a cross country journey to find out why relationships work. They talk to people that have been married for YEARS and get their secrets. It is really romantic and sweet. I am a hopeless romantic, can you tell?

Almost done..hang in there.

I came to Bradley because I moved to IL my sophomore year in high school. I didn't know much about the schools around here, except that the U of I was ten minutes from my house and I did not want to go there. I was talking to a teacher of mine and told her that I wanted to study communications of some sorts and the only school she recommended was BU. I came on a campus visit and fell in love. It was my only choice for college.
My three favorite courses here were, BMA357; Leadership and Behavior. It was so much fun and Dr.Robin was the professor and she is just amazingly wonderful. I also loved ELH486; Leadership Practicum with Nathan Thomas. This class was mostly discussion based on our own leadership ideas. We didn't learn any new theories or memorize flow charts of leadership. This was based on our leadership styles, thoughts, ideas and that was cool. And COM393; Small Group Communication. While the class was fine, enjoyable, interesting...the real reason is because I met my boyfriend in this class, and that made it the best class ever. Again...hopeless romantic here. 
My least favorite classes were BMA352. I had a terrible teacher and it was just a miserable Monday night class that was absolutely pointless at the end of the semester. I also hated MTH111, mostly because I HATE math. And I did not enjoy ECO100. Sitting through that class was torture.

What do I want to be when I grow up....good questions.  I am currently deciding. I have two options.
1. Go grad school and get my masters in high school guidance counseling. My compassionate side shines through here.
2. Become a State Farm Insurance Agent. I am a licensed insurance produce at SF right now, but in the next upcoming weeks will be going through the steps towards being an Agent.  I have already passed the preliminary personality test (which only 48% of people pass) and the background/credit check.
So we will see where my future goes, its all up to me now.

What is the biggest challenge you have ever had to overcome in life so far?
Definitely moving so much and moving in high school. Moving has scared me for life, but has made me the strong person I am today. I wouldn't change it for the world but I don't think I would ever wish it upon someone else.

WHEW. Thanks for reading....I love writing if you can't tell.

Happy Wednesday!

*Angela,

I have had my blog for almost a year now. I used to keep a lot of journals but with the move towards digitization I knew this was something I could keep forever. I don't do it for the followers or even for other people to read it, but if people do read it and like then I think that's cool. For me writing in an outlet. I have anxiety issues, and writing calms me down. This is just a place for my thoughts and silliness.
As for keeping up with school and work it is definitely a struggle. I let my grades slip a little bit, but I had to realize that a perfect GPA isn't everything. I still have a worthy GPA, but most importantly I have a job that has opened the door to so many opportunities. I work A LOT. But to me it is all worth it. I don't go out as often as college kids do, I don't sleep in late or go to bed late, but that's me. I am an a grown woman stuck in a college students body. lol.

I am usually cracked out on caffeine. I survive on Pepsi Max and Coffee...lots and lots of both.
I also have so  much support from my family and the people closest to me. They are so proud of me and keep me going. A lot of days I just want to quit and sleep or cry, but they get me through it...then I crack open a Pepsi and all is right with the world again.

<3 Kati.