Our Story, Part 5

A few weeks after Jason and I had our little non-date at the diner, I remember him coming over to me at House of Prayer as I was journalling, and he asked to sit next to me on the floor. We spent a little time journalling together, and a couple from my church came over to greet me warmly. I stood up and was talking to the wife when another dear woman from HOP came over and gave me a hug. "I love this girl so much!" she said. "Whoever God has for you to marry is going to wake up every morning thanking God for giving him this beautiful princess," or something like that. I blushed, hoping Jason was far enough away and engrossed enough in his journalling that he didn't hear.

By the time I sat back down to journal again, J had gotten up to worship or journal elsewhere. I was ok with that; he was my friend, I was comfortable if he wanted to hang around but fine if he didn't. I kept journalling.

Well That Was Awkward

I was doing Night Watch at this time, going to bed at 6am and waking up around 2:30 in the afternoon. Me and my darling cousin Hope were interns with 3 others who "kept the fire on the altar" and spent the night hours praying, worshipping, studying the Bible on our own, journalling, and keeping the doors open so people could come and pray in the night & early morning hours.

On Tuesday, I woke up and texted my best friend, Fee. "Jason's such a sweet guy. He journals just like me, and he wants to visit youth group to see Franki!" (Franki was one of our mutual friends at my church's youth group). UNFORTUNATELY, I was also texting Jason at the same time, about the next day's worship set, and I got mixed up and sent the text to the wrong person!! Jason got the message that I think he's a sweet guy!

I was SO embarrassed, I apologized to J, telling him what happened and he said it was no big deal, he's done that before, it's an easy mistake to make. I remember shrieking into my pillow at 2 o'clock in the afternoon, sleeping over Hope's house, waking her up and going ballistic. "I can't believe I just did that!!! Do you think he thinks I like him??" Hope was like, "You're over-reacting, Kristina, I'm sure it's going to be just fine," as she rolled groggily out of bed. It took me a while to get over it, but looking back, it really wasn't as big of a deal as it seemed!

The Call

The next day, Jason and I were there alone to lead the day time set again. I don't think anyone came. We sang together, and then I left for the mission where I volunteered (Wednesday was my volunteer day). I forget specifics about that day, but after a long day of waking up "early" (12:30), leading worship, and doing the after-school program at the mission, I took a nap around 9pm before heading into "work" at midnight for the Night Watch shift. (It was kinda a crazy season of my life. But I loved every minute of it!)

During my nap, I got a phone call from J, but I was too tired to answer. About twenty minutes later, I couldn't really fall back asleep so I listened to his voicemail. He said he had a question for me, and sounded like he was nervous and trying not to be. I felt bad for him, he sounded so sweet, I didn't want him to be on pins and needles waiting for my call. So I called him back... wondering if the question was what I thought it was, but also not really expecting it to be.

I told him I had been napping but got his voicemail. He pretty much got right to the question: "So, I was wondering, if I could take you to dinner sometime?" I was surprised how much I just took this in stride, since I'd never been asked out by someone I was actually really interested in before. "Well, what are your intentions?" I asked him. "I'd like to get to know you better," he answered. "I would like that. But anyone who wants to take me out to dinner has to get my dad's permission first. I'm kinda old-school that way." I was thinking, 'This is it; if he thinks I'm old-school, whatever, but he has to pass this test.'

He replied, "I'm up for that, that sounds great. When can I talk to him?" That was the first time I got a taste of J's "whatever it takes I'm willing to go for it" attitude. I really love that about him!

We tried to schedule a night, realizing Friday nights would probably be best - remember, I was doing Night Watch and a million other things. My family has Movie Night every Friday and it's always an open invitation to have friends over, so I felt like it was the least awkward way of having J meet my dad. He agreed. BUT, I had events going on the next 3 weeks, so it would have to be almost a month before he could ask my dad! He was ok with that, too.
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What would it be like to hang out with him in this in-between stage, when we weren't going out but we knew we might?

I'll be looking at the moon

One night a couple weeks ago, after recording until we were exhausted, J & I drove to his house in our separate cars. It was midnight, and a bright, nearly-full moon was out, accompanied by many stars.

It was brisk, but not cold. As I gathered my purse and keys from my van, J opened the door and ushered me into the still night air.

"I'll be looking at the moon... but I'll be seeing... you... " the mellow tones from one of our favorite old classics streamed from his open jeep door. "Care to dance?" he asked me with a whimsical smile, twirling me around.

We slow-danced to the gentle tune in the middle of his quiet street, telling each other how much we love and appreciate each other. It was very sweet.

The lake shimmered under the soft starlight. The moon had run away, but that didn't matter to us anymore. It was a magical time. J's sweetness and authenticity brought tears to my eyes.

"Where did you come from?" I asked him, shaking my head at the wonder of it. J smiled down at me lovingly. It was our favorite part of a wonderful day.

JandKay.com revamped and other updates

It's been an extremely busy couple of weeks for J & me at our jobs, and this weekend we are playing at 3 venues to boot!

Friday night we are performing at Rock the Mountain Cafe, an open mic hosted by Scott Carmichael. This is always a fun event, with free admission, free food, and great music!

Saturday, Oct. 22, we will be at the 3rd annual "Night Music," doing some of our own stuff and collaborating with Scott Carmichael and Nick Padovani. The evening starts at 6:30 with a silent auction, then continues at 7:00 with contemporary, country, folk, and classical music. Wanna come? You should!

For more info on these events, visit www.JandKay.com/#!gigs.

Then from Sunday-Tuesday we are once again leading the worship for Young Life's Staff Retreat. It's such an honor that they have asked us back!

J and I have been working on our new website format, vamping it up. Check out www.JandKay.com and let us know what you think. We also have mobile formatting so check us out on your smart phones!

Things are going swimmingly for J & me in our personal lives. However, last week was a very difficult week for us: because of work, we didn't get to see each other for 8 days straight - I think that's a record! But we've made it a point to schedule a date night on Monday (tomorrow), which we are both super looking forward to!! :-)

Blessings!

~ Kay

Travels and Adventures

J & I have been busy with four gigs in 2 weekends! Last Saturday we played for a wedding reception party, then on Sunday we played at the Ethereal Lineage El Salvador Benefit Concert. Last night, we played ukulele music for a luau at Bald Eagle Commons, and tonight (8/21/11), check us out at Mountain Creek Waterpark’s Christian Concert! The concert is from 5-8, but we will be performing from 6:15-6:45. Hope to see you there! There is a $5 cover charge.

J and I have been travelling the country! He got to meet my very dear Verity friends at Bekah and Cameron's wedding in Illinois. Then a few weeks later we traveled across the country to Washington State for his friend Ryan's wedding. Ryan's family rented out a mansion with a medieval theme so all of his visiting friends could stay there. It felt like we were living in a castle! The first few nights, I got to stay in the "tower room," all the way up at the top, and J stayed in the "wizard room" all the way down in the dungeon. It was so much fun! One night, everyone in the house dressed up in the costumes provided throughout the castle and we all took pictures. There were around 30 people staying there all told. The place was called Woodhaven Castel and you can find it online at http://woodhavencastle.com/.

One day in Washington we took a hike in the mountains with Ryan and some of our friends. What an amazing experience! The rich evergreens, the steep drops, the snow-crested peaks all told us we weren't in NJ anymore. Along the way, we crossed many glacier streams, explored a cave, had an icy snowball fight, and discovered the wreckage of an airplane! The twisted fuselage looked SO out of place among the natural beauty of the Granite Mountains. We also did a decent amount of rock climbing and boulder-jumping.... I discovered that I have a fear of descending off steep rocks - i'm not afraid to climb up them, but it's hard to climb down safely! No one was hurt, thank God - besides a bunch of mosquito bites from the hoards around the wreckage! Lol, that was the only place we saw bugs anywhere – probably because they were all gathered in that one boggy place!

It was approximately an 11-mile hike round-trip, over steep terrain, but all 8 of us did it, and did it well! Becky and I were the only girls who braved the trails :) It was a trip we will never forget!

Our most recent adventure was in St. Louis visiting J's sister, Sam, and her new baby. She and her husband suggested J and I check out the Loft Museum downtown, and let me tell you, if you are ever in St. Louis you HAVE to check it out!!! That museum is like nothing we had ever seen in our lives. It's basically a humongous playground for kids and adults! It's laid out more like a shopping mall than a museum, 11-stories tall, and once you buy your day pass you are on your own! Exploring is not only encouraged but a necessity as you discover something new around every corner. Besides the expected artifacts and antiques of any museum, this one also has a skateboard-less skate park (kids were going crazy everywhere, running and sliding on half-pipes and ramps!), with a labyrinth beneath it! You enter standing and end up kneeling, then crawling, and even sliding your way around twists and turns, taking forks in the road and wondering if the next opening will get bigger or smaller.

Another huge attraction is their outdoor "jungle gym" - like nothing you've ever seen before in your life! The spiral ladders and stairs lead higher and higher several stories to an airplane suspended in the air, a truck cockpit, and several steep and awesome slides.

One of the main attractions is a 10-foot slide… which J and I actually found quite uncomfortable. It was a spiral slide made out of old metal from the shoe factory the museum used to be. You end up kinda awkwardly helping yourself along, trying not to let your shoulder or hip get bruised by the side of the slide. But hey, can anyone else say THEY have gone on a 10-foot slide?? I think that’s an awesome thing to be able to say. And if YOU can say that, too, send me a comment and tell me about it! 

The best part of the slide, though, was that you exit smack dab in the middle of indoor caverns! J and I spent quite some time trying to find our way out of the caves just to get back to the museum! It was super-awesome, we felt like real adventurers.

Yeah… J and I are just big kids at heart, and for all you never-gonna-grow-up types out there, remember the St. Louis City Museum! It’s a blast. You can check it out at http://www.citymuseum.org/about.html

Keep visiting the site to hear more J & Kay adventures, coming soon! J

Our Story, Part 4

On another Wednesday, Jason asked me and Richie if we wanted to go out to eat, but neither of us could - I needed to go tutor at the after-school mission I volunteered at. But I told him, "maybe next week." I was half only being polite, but I like going out to eat, too, and sometimes I'd do that just as friends with guys - once or twice, not very often. NOT as a date.

So the next week he asked again, and this week, Richie wasn't there, and the Mission was closed, so I didn't have an excuse. I thought about it for a second, and said, "ok.... I know a good diner around here."

And so, we went to the diner. We talked all about our dreams and goals and what we were doing in life and my volunteering and how we each came to know God in a real way - and I knew he liked me then. I'd been putting it out of my mind before. And then he paid for me! At first, I was like, "Jason!" but he insisted.

As soon as we left, I called Fee. "What does that mean?? Was that a date?? What am I gonna do??" She was like, "Do you like him?" and I was like, "I don't know!" and she was like, "No, it wasn't a date, I pay for people all the time; if he didn't call it a date, it wasn't a date. If he hasn't asked you out or said anything yet, don't blow it out of proportion - just wait and see." "Ok...." I responded, hesitantly. I did not want to mess up in the area of relationships - I'm just that kinda person. I wanted God's best and God's best only!

So I chilled out. But.... I was kinda excited, too! I didn't feel ready to start a relationship at the time... or so I thought.... but, with Jason, now that might be a different story... if God had that in mind. :)

To Be Continued.....

Satisfaction

Why do I feel dissatisfied?

God, if You are all that I need, why do I feel like what I’m looking for is slipping through my fingers? I have so much, so very, very much that makes me happy, that brings me joy. Why is there still a “more” that I’m after?

God is all I need. When I have Him, I never need to thirst again. I never NEED to. But sometimes, I choose to.

Sometimes, He lets me feel dissatisfied. He does this for two reasons: 1) to purify me from “idols” in my life that I’m letting become more important to my heart than God is, and 2) to whet my appetite for the amazing joys of heaven!

Think of how boring life would be without anticipation. Part of the awesomeness of Christmas is that it only comes once a year - and there’s so much anticipation building up to it! Marriage is like that, too – you meet someone, then you’re friends, then you’re in a relationship, then you’re engaged, then you get married! Sometimes, it’s an awfully long journey to get there – but that’s part of the awesomeness, isn’t it?

That’s how it is with heaven, and the great Marriage of the Lamb. He’s anticipating it, even though He knows the end from the beginning, and His Bride – us – we are anticipating that day, too! It’s a great thing.

Do you ever just long for heaven? Sometimes I long for heaven… for justice… for joy to fully come to the brokenhearted… for things to be as they should be… and, most of all, to see Jesus, face to face, in His majesty and glory, reigning as King! How awesome will it be when He comes to reign on the New Earth?? So awesome!!

As for Point Number One… yes, sometimes I get distracted from the truth by lies, and by “idols” in my heart that I turn to more than I turn to God. Sometimes I forget who I really am, who my Father really is, that I have EVERYTHING I need, right now. Sometimes, I forget that Jesus said “whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14, NKJV).

So why do I “feel” like I thirst, when I have Him? Do I only have “part” of Jesus? NO! I have all of Him. “…to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Eph. 3:19). What a cool verse, right?? ALL the fullness of God – we have it, because we know the love of Christ, through accepting His payment of His death on the Cross in our place!! (Check out the passage in context, it's super awesome!)

The reason I feel like I thirst is that I don’t swallow. He has given me His Living Water (see John 4:10), and I NEVER need to thirst again, but sometimes I don’t drink it! I’m so used to going thirsty, sometimes His water is, like, too much for me. Sometimes – I don’t know why, it’s delusional – I like feeling icky. I need to renew my mind – I need to remember who I really am in Christ and what He’s really done for me and how I can change the world through Him for good! I never need to feel thirsty again!

So...... Drink Up! :)

“Any time you start to want Me, know you’ve already got Me, all of Me in you!"

 - from Living Water, by J & Kay

Music Night at the Pavilion Lounge, June 17th!

You are all cordially invited to the sensational J & Kay Music Night, June 17th, at the Pavilion Lounge in Budd Lake! Featured artists include Ethereal Lineage, Wendy Dransfield, Maggie Mae Gallman, Brynen Sosa, Matt Russo, Corey Perez, Christina Limos, and of course, J & Kay. To cover the costs and support the bands, there will be a $10 suggested donation at the door. The Pavilion Lounge is a great place to relax, destress, and enjoy live music and great food! So come on out and see us live!!!!

Lookin' forward to seeing you there!

- Kay