I’m Katina. Overall, I’m a bit of a collage of many things I love, abilities, experiences and some stuff I’m not so good at… I’m a work in progress created by the Master Artist.
Below are a few things I love…
JESUS – I learned of my desperate need for Jesus as a child and have spent a lifetime growing to know and love Him more and more. Don’t get me wrong, my life with Jesus has had its ups and downs. I’ve pondered many challenges in life in light of our creator. However, in the end, I’ve come to learn He is faithful. He is my redeemer. He is powerful. He forgives me. He loves me. He is the mighty one and I am overwhelmed by His love and desperate for Him.
MY TWO GIRLS – My girls bring BIG smiles to my face every time I think about them. My oldest is my quiet, outdoor girl who has a healthy addiction to books, writing and learning just like her mom. Our adopted daughter, joined our family at the age of 5. She’s our spunky, loving, social kid. They are very different girls with different strengths and various challenges who have both taught me MUCH about life, kids and Jesus!
MY FAMILY – God was good to give me an amazing God loving family to grow up in. My parents and younger sister are an integral part our life. We love to sit on the porch and debate life together, create new projects and much more. You might find articles written by them as well because I think they are really smart too.
LEARNING – At the heart of everything about me is education. I come by it genetically… both of my parents are educators. My degree is in Human Studies and Education. I also have enjoyed ongoing studies at Dallas Theological Seminary. In addition to this, God let me complete lots of training from various smart people on Brain development, writing, Children’s Ministry conferences, Biblical counseling and more. I LOVE to figure out how other people learn and help them learn. For over 20 years, God has allowed me to engage children and adults in a variety of venues, including leading after-school gospel clubs, teaching in public and private schools, homeschooling, offering educational and creative summer camps, sewing and decorating classes, and directing and pastoring children’s ministries in churches large and small. God gave me the gift of teaching and I think that rocks!
All THINGS CREATIVE – I’ve also spent 15+ years working in the Interior Design industry. My love is fabric, color, and art of all mediums! I LOVE utilizing the creative arts to teach kids and adults!
PONDERING LIFE – A love to learn about and contemplate how life works, what makes us people do what we do, the reality of a Sovereign God who involves Himself in our daily lives and more…
ENTREPRENEURSHIP – I’ve owned an Interior Design company now called Ally Lane Interiors and my summer camp business for over 10 years. I’m a strategist who is always trying to develop out a new idea. When teaching, I like to push kids to think entrepreneurially, creating projects and activities to push them in that direction.
WRITING – I write… lots of stuff, but mainly academic and biblical curriculum and resources for kids and adults.
CHOCOLATE – Let’s face it, life would be very different without chocolate.
BOOKS – We are a book loving family with a house FULL of bookshelves stacked high. You can find just about any genre on our shelves. Books broaden our minds and thoughts.
And then there are the other things I love like… fun family and friend hang out times, sing alongs, vacations, skiing, walks and runs with friends, laughter, games and more.
And then there are some things I’m not so good at…
COOKING – Ok people. I can sew you a beautiful drape. I’ll post some fabulous art projects and teaching tools, but you will NOT find a recipe posted here by me! I’m not a cook. It’s a miracle my family stays fed.
SPELLING – I’m sure you’ve already found some spelling errors somewhere. I have my mom edit my papers still!
REMEMBERING THE DETAILS – I’m a creative. I’m a visionary. I’m a teacher. Those types aren’t really good at the details. I’ve had to learn to be in order to be successful in business, but it’s a LOT of work to remember the details for me!
In all, God has blessed me with a wonderful family from childhood until now. My years have been full of joys and challenges, but through it all, God is faithful and good! I count it a privilege for God to use all he’s poured into me through the good and bad times to help push other families to Jesus.