Making Room by Gather
Hospitality. What do you think of when you hear that word?
For some it's old school 'stuffy' entertaining for others it's something to do with the hotel industry. One thing is for sure, as a culture we're not talking about it much.
Food * Design * Relationships have seemed to have taken a back seat to what our culture focuses on and values yet...we find ourselves in the midst of a loneliness epidemic. Something has to change, it's time to get back to our tables, and we're making room for it!
Making Room by Gather invites you into a new conversation on everyday hospitality. One that rewrites the way we approach opening your doors and filling your tables. Shifting the narrative from 'how does this make me look' to 'how does this make you feel' these buildable conversations aspire to inspire connection through everyday gathering.
Kayty's chic and a little quirky interview style will make you feel like you're sitting with a friend talking about how to grow in confidence as an everyday host. You can expect conversations from navigating challenging relationship dynamics to foundational cooking techniques and everything in between.
Whether you are a seasoned host or looking to develop new friendships and grow in your skills for the first time, there is a seat at the table. Join us weekly for new conversations with expert guests and with Kayty in her beloved Date with Kayt episodes. Continue the conversation @gatheritentionalliving
Making Room by Gather
Our Miracle House Story: A Conversation of HOPE for Anyone Believing for a Space to Call Home
Some new home stories start with spreadsheets. Ours began with a tired face at a graduation party and a nudge that wouldn’t let go. After six years in an 800-square-foot cottage that doubled as an studio and home, we were out of options and almost out of hope. We’d heard “you’ll never find it” from strangers and a realtor that reviewed our dream + budget on paper...
Then quickly things changed. We reconnected with friends, after something in our heart told us to send the text that answered a prayer 6 years in the making. Their prayers met ours, and the door opened. Walking through that house felt like seeing a blueprint of our calling: a kitchen crafted for cooking, design details we’d pick ourselves, a guest room to truly be able to live 'open door' living. Layer on layer of the story reveals that this plan was not something we could have planned on our own. Only faith. Only God.
We talk candidly about how living in limbo can affect hospitality, the myths social media sells about home, and the invitation to name your dreams, pray specifically, and keep setting the table while you wait.
If you’re navigating a cramped apartment, a damp rental, or headlines that say home is “not for you,”- this story is for you. Come hear how one gentle whisper, in divine timing, turned into a home that revived our work, rest, and welcome.
Finally, we're inviting you into our miracle house story. Come on in!
This Episode is Sponsored by:
Creative Crayons Workshop- Purchase your own coloring tablecloth for the holidays (Or to keep your littles entertained while you listen to the show!) Use code KAYTY at checkout to save.
Hey, hey, welcome back. Um, just let you know straight from the start, this episode is super different from our typical structure. If you've been around here for a while and listened, um, we're just hanging out, but this isn't even a date with Kate. This is really just um kind of like a conversation. Uh, there's been a lot of questions about our move and the miracle story. And I've talked a lot about it just being like exactly that, a miracle. And people are like, well, tell us more details. And it's so hard to do that in um just like a little story or a reel. And so I figured I would hop on here with an iced coffee and a cozy blanket and invite you to do the same. Um, and listen, my um, my hope in this is um the reason that I'm coming on to even just like share this story with you in such a long-form way is I hope that it gives somebody listening hope. Um but before I jump in too fast or too much, um I want to thank our sponsor for this episode. So this episode is sponsored by our friends at Creative Crayons Workshop. And we love Creative Crayons. If you followed from Wesley's first birthday party um or recently when I was trying to keep Wesley busy as I was getting work done, um, they have provided these amazing coloring walls and coloring tablecloths that are such incredible quality. The design is so beautiful and they keep kids busy for so, so long. You can get them personalized for an occasion, like a birthday party that you're hosting. We did that for Wesley's first birthday party, or with Thanksgiving right around the corner, you can get a Thanksgiving tablecloth and put it on the kids' table, or heck, even the grown-up's table and leave crayons out. And it's a way that just invites, naturally invites people to come together, linger at the table and create, put the screens down, stay busy, and connect with one another. So head on over to creative crayonsworkshop.com and use code Katie, K-A-Y-T-Y, when you check out for a savings. And I wanted to check the website. Yep, creative crayonsworkshop.com. Um, you will not regret it. We have been using Wesley's tablecloth for like a solid week now, and it's not even close to being full. And we fold it up and we take it out when friends come over or when I need a few minutes to be in the kitchen, and it is such a gift. So, without waiting any longer, let's go into the conversation. Um, I'm actually not even gonna do the intro today. I just feel like this conversation is um just different all around, and I'm probably gonna cry. So um just you've been warned. Um, but okay, so where does it start? So Colby and I uh got married 10 years ago. We just celebrated our 10 year. And when we um three months after we got married, we moved to Thailand. You guys know that. And when we lived there, um, we lived in a beautiful house. I am not complaining. Um, we were full full-time volunteers, and for$400 a month, we got a three-bedroom family house. And it was just like a really sweet way to kick off um, kick off life together. Uh, with that though, even though it had space and it was super beautiful, our my kitchen was bright green and the floors were like green and blue tile, and it very much was not um, it didn't always feel like me. Like I learned how to design in a way that did feel like me, but um, there were constant reminders, like, okay, this is not forever family home. Um, and uh so we welcomed a lot of people in, learned hospitality, used the space really well, and then we were excited for whatever was next, um, just because you know how important home is to me. And uh we moved to the state, back to the states. And when we first landed, again, we were volunteers this whole time. So um that came with a lot of sacrifice and just like unique, uh, unique situation or circumstances. And so we moved back to the states, and um I remember we had this like very, very limited budget, and we were trying to figure out what life was gonna look like. And I'm not gonna disclose numbers today just to honor and respect everybody involved in the situation, just because some details aren't necessary, but um, it was very, very limited. And I remember we put on a Facebook group, um, hey, in the town that we were looking at, hey, this is our budget. Is there any chance anybody has a standalone house for this amount? And um, we have screenshots of it. I almost got a pit in my stomach. People were so nasty, and they were like, You're not gonna find anything. That's ridiculous. What are you guys thinking? Like, you guys need to be making more money if that's all you can afford. It was horrible. And um, I remember thinking, like, oh my gosh, we just sacrificed so much and we worked so hard and we had this beautiful house, and we're coming back, and what does this mean for us? Anyways, um, this amazing couple reached out and they said, Hey, we have this cottage, standalone cottage. We've never rented it to non-family. We would love to rent it to you. And it was exactly our price. And actually, when it started, it was like they offered it under our budget, and then over time it raised a little bit, but it was fully furnished and it was 800 square feet, itty bitty, but super charming, very safe. Um, and it was a good landing place for us. So, anyways, we thought we were going to be there for three months and then move to New Hampshire, another state, and doors just kept um closing. And when I look at the situation, at the same time doors were closing for us to like move, they were opening in the business. And so it was this super weird tension of like tons of workshops and connections happening in Connecticut, but doors closing every time we tried to leave. And um, if you've ever been in a state of limbo where you're living in a place that doesn't totally feel like you and you're trying to leave or you know it's not forever, man, it could feel um just like exactly that. It could just feel like feel like attention and feel like limbo. So, you know, year one, year two, COVID happened, we made the best of it. We didn't have Wesley, we just had our puppy. Um, and as we got more business equipment and turned our kitchen into the studio, the house was filling with more things. And um it got to the point where while the house was fully furnished, and that was amazing because we sold everything, it started to become more and more obvious that this space was not ours. And, you know, the content creation space is so interesting because I have such a um just like awareness of home and it's the language that I speak and um my hobby, my interest, my heart language, all of those things. It's how I show love and welcome. And so, as much as I learned how to um use what I have, and we hosted like literally hundred person birthday parties at this 800 square foot cottage just because I didn't want it to limit us. Um, it just yeah, it became um, it became really difficult. And in this career space, everyone was like, man, I wish you would like show more, record more. And uh it just was hard on my heart, and I am the first person to say, use what you have. And we did exactly that. But I just found it hard to fully rest um and then hard to create in this space. And so again, year one, year two, year three. Um, by the time we ended, you know, we ended up being there six years, I would say year four, year five, um, we started to get really, man, I mean, you could just like straight up call it depressed, um, heavy hearted, a little bit hopeless. And what was happening was uh to be totally transparent, we felt like God was the one that told us years back this is the new path for you guys. This is what career is going to look like and what I'm calling you to and what you were created for. And um, every time we prayed, God, do you have something else for us? Like, are we supposed to be doing something else? The answer for me specifically was always no. And I was like, man, well, this doesn't line up. Like, um, or we're not in a position to be able to buy a house. And the reason I'm sharing this so transparently is um because it could be so easy to look at socials and just feel like everyone's building custom homes in the suburbs, you know, and living in mansions and doing full renovations. And so I I really just hope the story um and sharing, you know, transparently helps um somebody feel seen and not alone, but we were not in a position to buy a house, um, even though we were working on exactly what we felt we were supposed to be working on. And so there were some health things. The house um just held a bunch of moisture and our lungs were really, you know, sensitive to it, and it was an older house. And um having Wesley there too was like, man, I just it felt um felt suffocating. It felt really suffocating. And uh I had started journaling over the years, Lord, please. I'm you know believing you to open a really unique door, just like you did with this house when we landed back from Thailand. I don't know why it's taking so long. I'm starting to wonder if you even care um and if you're even going to move. And uh towards the end, so when was that? It was like June, July. Um, I just remember Colby and I had this conversation and I was like, I don't know how this is going to work. Like, I do not know how we are going to be able to thrive in this space and um just exhale and breathe lightly and create. And, you know, again, I share all of this because I know some of you are in similar situations where you're living situation, you're just like, I don't know, I don't know what the options are. I really don't know what the options are. And um, there are so many complexities to our story, but um that is just where where things um where things landed for us. And um I was like, okay, well, God, the last time we went through this, um, you kind of prompted me to reach out. And um I was like, okay, I'm gonna start just like reaching out again. And I reached out to a realtor who had come recommended, and uh, same thing. I I told our budget and I um in faith just told him what we were looking for, and I got a very similar response. And he said, You're not you're not gonna find anything. And um he started to send me a few more listings, and they were very, very different than the types of houses that I was believing for. And now listen, I know that a roof over your head is a roof over your head, and it's always something to be thankful for no matter what it is, but I just didn't believe that that's what was next for us after such a long season of waiting and seeing how God had moved in the past. And so I actually told him, I said, you know, please stop sending listings. Um, I appreciate it, but I don't think this is the direction that I'm supposed to go. And we showed up to um actually, there was uh one more detail in between. Um a friend of mine in Thailand, we were missionaries, volunteers, expats, like the whole community. There was a whole slew of us, like all different situations, but most of us on support, um, just working in a volunteer capacity. And uh one of my friends um who was a quite a few years older than me, maybe five years, had a few kids, you know, ahead of me and married longer. She was going through a season where they were on the field a lot longer than we were. And she was like, Man, my heart just really needs home. And um, she was like, I'm just praying specifically for a list of things that I would like in home. And none of them were like luxury, like heated floor towel warmers. It was just like space for the kids' play set, or you know, things like that. Three bedrooms, a guest room, whatever it was, things like that. And um, I remember being in a small group with her, and as time went on, you know, this very unique house situation opened. And I just remember her crying, saying, It is everything we asked for. And I just remember thinking, wow, like she believed in bold faith, she waited. Um she uses her home so intentionally, and like, wow, look at this incredible way that God moved. So, anyways, I started to um to pray that way and to believe that way. And even though I was in this position of just really having little hope of what could come, to be totally honest, um, I did. I I created a list. I said, Lord, I I'm really believing for something that's turnkey. We've lived in, you know, very, very foreign style housing that wasn't ours. We lived in this very, very small cottage that felt at times more like a storage unit because of all of our stuff than a house. And so many house sitting and temporary in-between, and we just really were craving home. And um, I prayed for a guest room because we haven't had a guest room in years, and it's so important to me to be able to welcome people into our space spontaneously, um, and whatever that room needs to look like just to have it available. And um, in our last house, a lot of people didn't realize this. My bedroom was also my office and my Peloton space. And again, nobody could say that I didn't use every square inch of that house and um and use it really intentionally. But it's like, Lord, just like an office. I'm at the beginning of this book writing and podcast um type space. And uh just being able to build that out was just going to be a huge, huge gift to me when I thought about it. So I remember praying that and um really just thinking, like, okay, yeah, but how the heck are you gonna do that? Like, there's no way with our situation. Um, and then as I'm saying this now, I look back to our um the house that we found in Thailand and then the Facebook post that led to really unique opportunities. And so we went to this graduation party um right around this time, and I look back at a picture of the graduation party, and I just cannot believe what I looked like. I just um if you've been in seasons of just like feeling depleted, and you know yourself and you know your face, like you could see it. It's like, man, I really do. I just I I really see it on my face. And um, you know, we're talking to people and Wesley's there, and we love the people that were hosting it, and so we were enjoying being with them and all of that stuff. And um friends of ours that we haven't seen in a while, but we were in like a Bible study group with them on a small group a few years ago. We reconnected, and um Colby and um the husband were talking, and we get in the car, and Colby said, Hey, remember that house that they were building? Um, you know, they said that they were building, you know, they had said that kind of I'm going to use just like a few details here, but essentially, um, they're not using it right now, and I really feel like we're supposed to ask them to rent it. And I was like, Are you out of your mind? Are you crazy? Like, this house is brand new. There's no way, even in a really unique situation, that it's going to meet our budget. Like, what are you talking about? And then in a very quick second, um, he said, Kate, I really feel like in my heart, in my spirit, in my gut, like in my soul, that like we're supposed to ask. And so um he was driving, and before we even got home, I I sent a text and um the response, um I'm getting choked up already. The response was so healing for us and so surprising because it was something that they were praying about and we were praying about, and um it was it was the right thing. And one conversation led to another, and we walked through the house, and um, you know, before more serious conversations happened, and there was this really unique situation where Colby gets to work on some of the projects in the house, or they they had mentioned projects that still need to be fixed or finished because it's a new build, and Colby gets to work on those projects or offered to work on them to help them as a part of this arrangement. And, you know, it they might have thought at one point, or someone else might have thought, like, oh, what an inconvenience, but Colby has not had the ability to work on where we've lived for years because we've always been in these rental spaces where the landlords were really involved, and he's such a handyman and a creative in that kind of way that this actually is a gift of a layer to the situation for him to be able to create that way. And so we were like, Man, are you kidding me, God? Like he gets to work on a little bit of construction and creative, like handy projects. And, you know, we're walking through and there's all of the things. And um they no sooner walk us into the kitchen, and I think in a second, oh my gosh, for the book that I'm preparing to write, we won't have to rent a kitchen. I've had to rent studio kitchens for years for different work stuff. This kitchen is so beautiful that it could just be shot here. And oh my gosh, that light is a light that I would have chosen if I was building this house myself and went to the store. That's the light I would have chosen. And this bathroom, I've never had a tub that I could soak in and just relax in. And um, you know, the conversation happened very, very, very quickly. I think within a month of the initial conversation, uh, maybe it was closer to, but either way, we were moving in, and um I there was one point where they had referenced the um the date that like kind of they started building this house. And in a split second, God brought to memory that that was the first day almost five years ago that I'd had my first I found my first journal entry praying for a different house. And I just cannot, well, listen, I can't believe it. I can't believe it. But at the same time, I'm like, man, how did I, how did I ever doubt? Why did I ever doubt? But God was like, no, no, no, I hear you, I hear you. I just, I need you to wait because everything you're praying for, I hear, and I've given you your heart for hospitality because it's my heart, and I want you to have this space. Um, I'm working behind the scenes. And again, guys, I know this is such a different conversation than uh you're used to hearing me talk about, but listen, wherever you're at, I'm not trying to sway you one way. I'm not trying. Listen, my hope here is to restore faith and hope in home and living situations because we are flooded on social media, on the news, financial, whoever you follow financially, like the housing market, this, the crash, this, the economy, this. And, you know, here we are saying, let's be a people of open doors and full tables, and hospitality and security is a real. And I will always encourage you not to wait and to host where you are. But I really believe that God cares about home and wants you to have the desires of your heart in a space, and um that it is worth praying for and believing for and asking specifically for and waiting on because unlike what we are taught on social media and taught, you know, whatever, like I said before, your financial gurus, whoever you follow, like he does work miracles and he does work in really unique ways that have nothing to do with like our abilities or how talented or skilled or whatever we are. It's just um the nature of who he is. And listen, I don't understand all of the ins and outs of miracles, but I do know that he cares about home and he wants um unique situations for us. And so one more story I wanna just share because um, you know, it is so difficult sometimes to look at social media and think, wow, how do all of these influencers and all of these businesses and all of these pages just get to buy all this new stuff for their house all the time? And we were moving into the house, and like I said, we, you know, had just left a um fully furnished house. And so we I owned a coffee table and essentially a coffee table and our bed because someone a few years ago was getting rid of their bed and we put it in storage, and it was a beautiful bed, and so that's why we why we did that. I was like, man, how in the living heck are we going to furnish this house? And um you guys know, like I've been connected with Ramsey over the years, and we love like the Ramsey financial method. So we're like, we don't want to go into debt over this, we don't want this blessing of a house to become like a financial curse. And so, um, but I also don't want it to take 10 years to fill this house, and so what does that look like? And um, I say all of this, guys, I I probably don't need to keep saying this, for no other reason except to encourage you that unique situations are possible and to not let despair kind of like be the lens that you see everything through. But um, even though, even though I was there and I get it, so we had friends that helped us move, right? And if you followed on social media, you might have seen our friends from Virginia, who we lived with in Thailand, like lived in community with. They came up here to help us move, and that was so sweet to us because they were the friends that flew us to the airport on the way out of Chiang Hai when we were leaving. And they said, Katie, you of all people can't not have a dining room table. And they were like, Find one on marketplace, we'll get it for you. And um man. So we found one and um and uh it was so beautiful, so beautiful, and a little bit more than we had kind of like talked about um for the the gift. And I messaged the people, I said, Hey, like if we just take the table, if we just take the table and don't do the chairs, um, would you be okay at this price? And they said yes. And I was like, Yeah, we'll just put folding the table's so beautiful, we'll just put folding chairs up to it, that'll be totally fine. So Colby and um our friend Mike um yeah, uh yeah, my friend, our friend Mike went in Colby's truck and they get to this person's house, it's only table. And um, man, guys. Um they said, uh, hey, we want you to, we want you to have the bench and the chairs. And Colby was like, have them, and they were like, Yeah, yeah, just take them. And then they said, you know, we just got this area rug. It's such and such a size. Do you want it? And Colby looked at it and he remembers thinking, that's exactly the rug that Katie would pick. And then they said, Hey, how about a weight set? Do you need weights for the gym? And Colby looked at them and he remembered a conversation that I had with him that for our gym section of the house, that I was specifically looking for weights with rubber, not totally metal, and for these specific sizes, and they were not only the specific sizes, but the weights that Colby would also use if he was working out. Um, because believe it or not, he's stronger than me. But um, anyways, and then I'm not kidding, guys. They said, Do you want the coffee table? And do you want um the hutch? And I feel like there was something else. And Colby sent me a quick picture. I said, Yeah, but like how much are they asking? And he said, No, no, no. They're giving it to us, they're giving it to us. And um I just remember thinking, God, why do I why do I question why do I question you when I could look back in my life and remember so many times that you have moved so clearly, and that this burning passion and desire in my heart for hospitality, something that you gave me, of course you would make a way. And of course, when you move, you move. Like we don't have to be filled with like fear and worry and um and doubt. And guys, listen, I'm not a theologian. Uh theologian, I'm just gonna let that be, however you say that word. That's I'm not that clearly. Um, but I am someone that has walked faith and wrestled with faith and seen God move and also weighted with um a heavy heart and seasons of depression and wondering. And am in a season now where I've seen him move again. And, you know, in this season, I am committed to praying over specifically people's house, like housing situations. Because, um, like I've said a few times, I just believe that hospitality is more important in culture now than almost ever before, as we're dealing with division, as we're dealing with um just conflict, as we're dealing with this massive loneliness epidemic and increased working hours and crazy family schedules, like it is more uh uh timely than ever that we get back to the table and um prioritize community again. And I know that a huge part of that is people feeling confident in their living situations. And so um, if you are listening to this, I already have a list that every single day there are people in my life that I know are believing for a change in their housing situation, and I am just committed to praying over that for the long haul until there's change. And so if you're listening today and listen, I don't really care what situation you're in. If you're like, I am in a teeny tiny apartment and I just am dreaming of having a space with more windows, or you know, I am in a house and there is mold right now and my family is suffering, like whatever it is, um, please send me a DM, head on over to our Instagram at gather intentional living. And I would love to just add you to that list and believe with believe with you that um God's working behind the scenes and that your situation, your circumstances are not defined by the stats that you're seeing on social media or what the news reports say or your finance guru is reporting. Like there are unique, there is, there's, there's hope. There's hope. And I think a lot of us with food costs and everything, we're thinking, man, how do we, how do we like what does hosting look like? And I'm I'm just afraid that with insecurity in our housing situations and finances and all of these things, that we very quickly can be persuaded to um put hospitality and community at the very, very back of the list, um, very, very bottom of our priority list when really I think it needs to be the front. And so whatever we need to do to equip and prepare and to change narrative and um instill just like confidence and readiness, like that's that's my heart, that's my hope. And so um this conversation is about um home and believing for home. And there are I've seen it in my own life too many times to count. And this time it happened to take six years of. Um of waiting and wrestling. And so if that's you, I see you. But I am here to tell you that change is coming. Change is coming. And when it comes to the house that we're living in, I don't take it lightly. And I'm so excited to invite you into it with um just different ways we capture content going into this new season with our family. And hopefully the um all the photography for the book is shot here. And for however long God has us here, um this is a rental. It's not our home, but it is an incredible next season. But for however long we are here, um I'm so excited to share it with you. And um again, I know this conversation was different, but I hope whether it's for you or maybe someone you know, um, I hope that this is encouraging. I hope that this restores something and um yeah, makes you feel just hope and less alone. And please, please, please, I hope that my list is filled with a hundred people at the end of this. Shoot me a DM and just say, hey, uh, can you just be praying over my my housing situation too? Um, you better believe that Colby and I and sweet little Wesley as he eats his morning pancakes will be um believing for big, big change, big, big change for you. Well, guys, um love you so, so much. And I'm so grateful for all that's to come with uh this podcast as we build out our in-home podcast studio and prepare for the book and um just prepare for ways to use the space that we have longed for for so long, um, with helping you feel more equipped for everyday hospitality from wherever you're at. And um if you love this episode and think that it would encourage someone, please feel free to share. Uh, as always, leaving a review helps people know that they should listen to the show. And the next few weeks, you will not want to miss because our um guest lineup is so powerful um in so many different ways. And um, we're so excited to fill your car or your living room or wherever you're listening from, your kitchen. And we will see you next week.