My name is Kimberly, and I live in Sacramento, California. Sacramento may be the capital of California, but it doesn't seem like a city at all. It seems more like a big town to me, and I really like it here.

I was born on August 1, 1965, am single, no children, own three cats - Jasper (my great white brat), Riley (the cutest cat in the world!!!) and Blossom, a little black kitten that I found on July 6th who's cute as can be - and have never been married.

Many people have verses from the bible they try to live their lives by, and here are mine. I have more than one, because there are so many good ones, it's hard to choose just one!

Phillipians 2:3-4

Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

2 Timothy 2:24-26

And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.

Romans 12:2

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

And finally, my favorite verse

1 Corinthians 16:13-14

Be watchful, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love.

I attend Capital Christian Center (CCC), which is part of the Assemblies of God. The pastors teach sound biblical doctrine, and I've learned much over the years. The senior pastor of my church is Pastor Rick Cole. Pastor Rick is wonderful. God has gifted him with wisdom and insight, and a great sense of humor. Hardly a sermon goes by when we don't laugh, intentionally or unintentionally, and I always learn. Pastor Rick is very real - the man you see behind the pulpit is the same man you meet in public. He's a man who stands firm on his convictions, and treats others with kindness and compassion. One neat thing is that Nate Cole of Plus One is his son :)

I've had the opportunity to serve in leadership in the singles group under the former singles pastor and his wife, Tim and Kim Clements. If you ever have a chance to be under their ministry, take it! I guarantee you will be blessed and challenged. Pastor Tim has a shepherd's heart, and you will learn so much from him. Kim is spunky and funny, and challenges you to step outside your comfort zone. They're a wonderful team, and I miss their leadership. The've moved on in their ministry, and our loss is the gain of the congregation they now serve.

I've been to Mexico on a missions trip twice with Pastor Tim, and have been blessed by it. Someday I'll write about those trips and post them here, along with some pictures I have.

I've also led a singles bible study group for a year, and then for another year, I was a co-leader of a bi-weekly women's bible study.

My church has a new singles pastor now, and I'm finding out what I need to do in order to become part of the volunteer leadership for that ministry. I'm hoping to be able to lead a single women's bible study as well as help out in any other areas needed :)

I love to read, and could easily spend most of my time reading, if I tried hard enough One of my favorite places to be is a library or a used book store. There's just something about books that I love - the imaginary worlds they take you to, and the treasures of knowledge they contain. Some women love jewelry - give me an old book any day (flowers are good, too :)

I'm a volunteer host in the forums at Crosswalk.com, and really enjoy my time there. I've made some wonderful friends in the 3+ years I've participated in those forums, and in May last year as well as this year I was able to travel and meet up with some of them. Last year I went to Colorado at a church camp near Colorado Springs, and this year I went to the outer banks of North Carolina by way of Cleveland, Ohio and a day and a half drive through 6 states I've never seen before with an overnight stay in Richmond, Virginia :) God has blessed me with some wonderful friendships through the CW forums!

A favorite hobby of mine is working on my website, and creating webpage sets. It's been fun, and this site has been through many different looks. One of my favorite things about my site is sharing the neat links and info I've found. I love finding information and sharing it with others. When I started this site, I didn't have any goal in mind. With time, I realized I could share my poetry, and just make this spot on the web an encouraging, warm, fun and friendly place to visit. I'm always thinking of new things I can put here. One of my favorite pages is the seasonal/holiday page. I love the different holidays and seasons, and I enjoy sharing poems, stories, and anything else I can find with the people who visit my site. This also gives me the opportunity to use a variety of graphics, and to let my creativity run wild.

Other things I enjoy doing but don't get to do as often as I'd like are gardening, fishing and camping.

I occasionally write poetry, usually when I'm writing in my journal. The poems are really my prayers to God, and express how I'm feeling at that moment. When I write poetry, a song or hymn often pops into my mind, along with a verse that reflects the topic of the poem, so I decided to include those in my journal and on my poetry page as well. I'm really a very simple person - the things that matter most to me are character and integrity. I don't want to be rich or have lots of things - I want to be content with what I have, and to enjoy each day. I love waking up and hearing the birds singing, and seeing the squirrels run across my lawn and drive my cats wild with their chattering. I enjoy relaxing at home with all the windows open and enjoying the fresh air. In the summer, I like to go out back and lay in my hammock reading a book. My favorite time of day is twilight, just as the sun goes down and the sky is changing colors.

The stillness is a perfect time for reflection and sharing. Sometimes I go into my backyard and sit on the edge of the porch and just absorb the stillness, letting it soothe my soul after a long and hectic day. The breeze, stillness, fading sunset, deepening night and brightening stars... When the night is warm, sometimes I lay in the grass in my backyard, watching the stars and think about God and how grand this universe is.

One day I plan to have a big garden of flowers and vegetables. Unfortunately, with working full time, I don't have the time to devote to gardening that I'd like. I love having the yard filled with flowers, and having bouquets in the house. Gardening is relaxing and rewarding - I like getting into the dirt and getting dirty and seeing a seed become a plant. I love being outdoors (even though I'm not very athletic). I like being where I can see trees and mountains, and I love being near a lake or a stream.

The little things are important to me, and people matter far more than any object ever will. I don't want the people in my life to think that they don't matter to me, because they do. Each person brings something new and unique into my life, and I enjoy knowing them. I consider myself richer for having known them, and try to accept them as they are, while encouraging them to be their best and to pursue their dreams. God has such wonderful things in store for them, and I'm always happy to see His plan unfolding in their lives.

If you haven't guessed yet, part of me has always been a dreamer - I'd rather sit and drift with my thoughts and imagination or be with two or three of my closest friends than be with a huge group of people.

I love laughing, and I try to look for the humorous side of life. Life really is a funny, wonderful thing, and getting through the hard times is easier when you can laugh.

I enjoy visiting museums and state parks, and have even had the chance to see Phantom of the Opera in San Francisco in 1995. What a great time that was!!

I enjoy watching TV in the evenings, and some shows I like to watch are Law & Order, Law & Order SVU, Law & Order CI, CSI, CSI Miami, Trading Spaces, Animal Precinct, Animal Cops and America's Funniest Home Videos. As far as sports go, I like to watch baseball (love those New York Mets and Yankees!!!) and NASCAR - they're good background noise while I'm reading or messing around online. I don't like soap operas or talk shows - I just don't have the patience for them. I love to watch PBS - my favorite shows there include Victory Garden, This Old House, The Antique Roadshow, The New Yankee Workshop, an occasional episode of Masterpiece Theatre, many of the cooking shows and some of the specials.

On satellite, my favorite channels to watch include The History Channel, American Movie Classics, C-Span I and II, The Discovery Channel, The Learning Channel, Disney, Home and Garden Television and Animal Planet.

As you can see, I'm not the most exciting person when it comes to television I enjoy having it around to watch, but don't need to watch it.

My favorite movies (subject to change, of course)

Braveheart Anne of Avonlea Anne of Green Gables Chariots of Fire Last of the Dogmen The Sound of Music What About Bob While You Were Sleeping It's a Wonderful Life Last of the Mohicans Ever After My Dog Skip The Princess Diaries Journey to the Center of the Earth      (The version with James Mason) Tora! Tora! Tora! My Big Fat Greek Wedding The Count of Monte Cristo (2002 version)

12 Angry Men The Scarlet Pimpernel Princess Bride The Best Years of Our Lives Return To Me Emma Dragonheart The Mummy (1999 version) The Mummy Returns Lady and the Tramp Bambi Any Shirley Temple or Roy Rogers movie The Parent Trap (both versions) The Journey of Natty Gann The Patriot Jonah, a VeggieTales Movie Sweet Home Alabama

Quirks

I prefer medium point blue ink pens

The toilet paper should go OVER the roll

I always squeeze my toothpaste from the bottom

Glasses in my cupboard should be lined up by height

I have my alarm clock set 15 minutes fast, under the theory that it helps me wake up on time and get out of the house on time. (it doesn't work, though. LOL!)

Hopelessly addicted to Fruit Punch flavored Gatorade

I'm easily enticed by new types of food at the grocery store, and buy them. I usually end up giving away over half of what I buy, because I didn't like it. One of my more memorable disasters was the Tamari Seaweed flavored rice cakes I bought - ended up throwing those away

The legacy I want to leave

I want to be sure everyone I meet knows they are loved and accepted as they are, and that they are important to me, and to God. I want to leave people feeling encouraged and strengthened, and knowing more about what matters in life. Hopefully everyone I meet is a little better because they met me - not because I'm some great person, but because of God, who is in me. I want to leave them knowing that they matter to Him, and that His love is greater than any sin they may have committed. He is always there for them, no matter what. As a friend of mine once said, "God's grace is a prayer away."

I want them to know that there is hope in the blackest night, and that the sun will rise again. They will suffer, but will overcome if they persevere. They will lose family and friends, but they are richer for having known them and loved them.

God is faithful, and He will take our pain and suffering, and make something beautiful out of it. Life is bittersweet - the sorrow mixed with joy, the tears with laughter. We need to embrace it and be thankful for it. He has given us life, and the greatest gift we can give Him is to live each moment of it.

Love is never wasted - it enriches our souls and gives us a glimpse into the heart of God. Don't close your heart off to loving others and to being loved because you are afraid of losing them - you will lose them, but by opening your heart to love, you are becoming the person God wants you to be.

Always strive for holiness and purity in your life. Pursue God, and lay aside whatever He asks you to. He will always give His best to those who leave the choice to Him. He is worth following, no matter what the cost. The things that seem so important to you now, the things that are hindering you in your walk with God, are nothing when you look at them in light of eternity. How foolish it is to hold on to them!!

Feel free to email me at any time - I love to make new friends, although I'm really bad about prompt replies

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