Today: Seattle. Tomorrow: Somewhere over the Pacific Ocean. Sunday: Cambodia. We are on our way!my new year
A year ago at this time, I was in a bit of a panic. The number 25 loomed over my head. It looked a lot like that stink cloud Pig-Pen always traveled with. By most standards, it is definitively the ¼ mark of a lifetime (if you’re lucky). It is the rounding of the corner, after that you are on the fast track to 30. And 30 seemed to be a lot older last year than it does from my current vantage point.
The highpoint of this momentous day one year ago was the repetition of a tiny little phrase said to me in passing “25 was the best year of my life.” I decided to latch on, to make it my beacon leading me onward.
Without a doubt, the past year has been a favorite. It was filled with surprises. I did some incredible things. I also did some dumb things. And there are a few things I did I am still trying to categorize.
Allow me to bring you up to speed, and to share with you some of the reasons a new year (whenever it falls) is not to be feared.
1. It snowed on Christmas!
2. I rented my first car. (and immediately drove it in a terrifying foot of snow)
3. Dana, Sinamon, Jenny, Merridith, Natasha, Julia, Laura M., Laura H. Susan, Allie, Liz
4. Liza’s noodle bar
5. Rooftop worship in Phnom Penh
6. Pumpkin quiche @ Sugar ‘n Spice (and the brother who served it gleefully)
7. Prayer walking through the alleyways of Phuket
8. An invitation into a home
9. I made some daring transportation choices in Thailand.
10. 30 days of challenging nights
11. The book of Psalms
12. Lunching with new friends
13. I rode an elephant.
14. My opinion of India was so changed from the beginning to the end of my stay.
15. The second hour of every day
16. Precious children of a RLD
17. Sweating more in one day than the rest of my life collectively. But it was a good day. And worth it.
18. szechuan wraps
19. Christy, Mama G, and a Wellspring welcome
20. learning to see Atlanta through the eyes of a Savior
21. a mermaid birthday
22. A Stone Mountain refuge
23. Reunioning with family
24. My wedding fiasco #1 (*extreme allergic reaction)
25. A last minute summer job
26. 22 new people near and dear to my heart
27. PHILADELPHIA!
28. Rebecca @ Journey’s Way
29. New York City, the Jersey Shore, and Ocean City, Maryland (1 ¾ trailer included) all in one week.
30. There is a long list of people I spent only a week with but will forever cherish.
31. Valley Forge. Actually, a conversation I had in a van while driving around Valley Forge makes me laugh to this day.
32. God pointed me in a new direction. Forcefully.
33. A Greenville weekend with Jenn, and BAM! A new favorite city
34. A bachelorette weekend to remember
35. My 1st 5k! Under 30 minutes, here I come.
36. Team Awesome reunites!
37. Picking up a broken heart
38. A friend’s generosity and a trip to Wicked
39. Summer friends in close proximity
40. Wedding fiasco #2 (*”Anna, why is your dress a different color than mine?”)
41. FINALLY, a visit to the Whittaker household.
42. The passing on of Mimi the Echo – hello Clara the Patriot!
43. A grueling trek across the country
44. Staying with friends and seeing new sites (always say yes to Jackson, WY and no to Butte, MT. Always. )
45. Over 160 hours straight spent with my little sis
46. Day 3 in Seattle: a motorcycle cop pulled me over
47. I live in a park on Lake Washington.
48. Moving furniture is not easy with only 2 hands.
49. God speaks through people who seem the most unlikely.
50. The Hallows Church
51. Every hill of Seattle affords a breathtaking view.
52. Netflix and Hulu may be remedies to not knowing ANYONE in a city.
53. The genius of video chatting
54. Inexplicable laughter
55. Lots and lots of mail
56. Becoming an adult is not an easy process.
57. Trials and comfort… sometimes they coexist.
I may have gotten carried away with my list. I wanted to write 25 things about what made year 25 so great. But I could just keep going. It wasn’t even that the year wasn’t to be feared. Because the past year has included a lot of scary things. Things that I am still struggling to comprehend, and things I am still recovering from. But it was good. So good.
This year, I am trading in my cloud. I will let you know when I figure out how to define its replacement.
Read More
The highpoint of this momentous day one year ago was the repetition of a tiny little phrase said to me in passing “25 was the best year of my life.” I decided to latch on, to make it my beacon leading me onward.
Without a doubt, the past year has been a favorite. It was filled with surprises. I did some incredible things. I also did some dumb things. And there are a few things I did I am still trying to categorize.
Allow me to bring you up to speed, and to share with you some of the reasons a new year (whenever it falls) is not to be feared.
1. It snowed on Christmas!
2. I rented my first car. (and immediately drove it in a terrifying foot of snow)
3. Dana, Sinamon, Jenny, Merridith, Natasha, Julia, Laura M., Laura H. Susan, Allie, Liz
4. Liza’s noodle bar
5. Rooftop worship in Phnom Penh
6. Pumpkin quiche @ Sugar ‘n Spice (and the brother who served it gleefully)
7. Prayer walking through the alleyways of Phuket
8. An invitation into a home
9. I made some daring transportation choices in Thailand.
10. 30 days of challenging nights
11. The book of Psalms
12. Lunching with new friends
13. I rode an elephant.
14. My opinion of India was so changed from the beginning to the end of my stay.
15. The second hour of every day
16. Precious children of a RLD
17. Sweating more in one day than the rest of my life collectively. But it was a good day. And worth it.
18. szechuan wraps
19. Christy, Mama G, and a Wellspring welcome
20. learning to see Atlanta through the eyes of a Savior
21. a mermaid birthday
22. A Stone Mountain refuge
23. Reunioning with family
24. My wedding fiasco #1 (*extreme allergic reaction)
25. A last minute summer job
26. 22 new people near and dear to my heart
27. PHILADELPHIA!
28. Rebecca @ Journey’s Way
29. New York City, the Jersey Shore, and Ocean City, Maryland (1 ¾ trailer included) all in one week.
30. There is a long list of people I spent only a week with but will forever cherish.
31. Valley Forge. Actually, a conversation I had in a van while driving around Valley Forge makes me laugh to this day.
32. God pointed me in a new direction. Forcefully.
33. A Greenville weekend with Jenn, and BAM! A new favorite city
34. A bachelorette weekend to remember
35. My 1st 5k! Under 30 minutes, here I come.
36. Team Awesome reunites!
37. Picking up a broken heart
38. A friend’s generosity and a trip to Wicked
39. Summer friends in close proximity
40. Wedding fiasco #2 (*”Anna, why is your dress a different color than mine?”)
41. FINALLY, a visit to the Whittaker household.
42. The passing on of Mimi the Echo – hello Clara the Patriot!
43. A grueling trek across the country
44. Staying with friends and seeing new sites (always say yes to Jackson, WY and no to Butte, MT. Always. )
45. Over 160 hours straight spent with my little sis
46. Day 3 in Seattle: a motorcycle cop pulled me over
47. I live in a park on Lake Washington.
48. Moving furniture is not easy with only 2 hands.
49. God speaks through people who seem the most unlikely.
50. The Hallows Church
51. Every hill of Seattle affords a breathtaking view.
52. Netflix and Hulu may be remedies to not knowing ANYONE in a city.
53. The genius of video chatting
54. Inexplicable laughter
55. Lots and lots of mail
56. Becoming an adult is not an easy process.
57. Trials and comfort… sometimes they coexist.
I may have gotten carried away with my list. I wanted to write 25 things about what made year 25 so great. But I could just keep going. It wasn’t even that the year wasn’t to be feared. Because the past year has included a lot of scary things. Things that I am still struggling to comprehend, and things I am still recovering from. But it was good. So good.
This year, I am trading in my cloud. I will let you know when I figure out how to define its replacement.
15 January 2011
Today: Seattle. Tomorrow: Somewhere over the Pacific Ocean. Sunday: Cambodia. We are on our way!
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05 July 2009
just another day in paradise
What is it about immersion that causes you to become like your surroundings?
You know, the "when in Rome" syndrome of needing to blend in to your habitat. Go to Mexico for 3 weeks and you start thinking you can speak Spanish like a native. Live in Africa for awhile and you look at everyone around you with disdain for all of the crazy things we do here in America, like everyone driving a car. Hang out with high schoolers as your job and suddenly you're thinking about egging houses and rolling cars all over again.
Being individually unique and all that does not seem so appealing when it feels like you're the only on. Being called to stand out is no fun when you are standing naked on a stage in front of your whole world.
Why does mediocrity scream of appeal and courage diminish with every step we take in that direction?
Read more
You know, the "when in Rome" syndrome of needing to blend in to your habitat. Go to Mexico for 3 weeks and you start thinking you can speak Spanish like a native. Live in Africa for awhile and you look at everyone around you with disdain for all of the crazy things we do here in America, like everyone driving a car. Hang out with high schoolers as your job and suddenly you're thinking about egging houses and rolling cars all over again.
Being individually unique and all that does not seem so appealing when it feels like you're the only on. Being called to stand out is no fun when you are standing naked on a stage in front of your whole world.
Why does mediocrity scream of appeal and courage diminish with every step we take in that direction?
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23 March 2009
bea-u-tiful
I wait for snow.
Each winter, especially around Christmas while singing all about it with Bing, I plead with the chilly air and promising skies to throw me a tiny little gift. Just a little snow will do.
And sometimes I wait for years and years and years. Snow days no longer effect me, but knowing someone, somewhere is joyous about 8 extra free hours added to their youth puts me in a glorious mood.
Now in March, I still see all of the effects of Snow Storm 2009. Huge trees uprooted, branches broken, dead flowers and gardens, some revived creeks and streams. Those few inches left their mark.
When the roads and the field were blanketed in snow, it all looked so peaceful. Serene and pure, like our part of the earth had been wiped clean, and we had a chance to do it all over again.
Whether or not you like the cold or desire the snow, it brings a cover of beauty.
But ordinary land cannot take the pressure of that much beauty. Trees crack and break, the ground turns to mush, man made surfaces become death traps.
There is beauty to behold.
And it takes more than an earthly power to hold it in place.
Read more
Each winter, especially around Christmas while singing all about it with Bing, I plead with the chilly air and promising skies to throw me a tiny little gift. Just a little snow will do.
And sometimes I wait for years and years and years. Snow days no longer effect me, but knowing someone, somewhere is joyous about 8 extra free hours added to their youth puts me in a glorious mood.
Now in March, I still see all of the effects of Snow Storm 2009. Huge trees uprooted, branches broken, dead flowers and gardens, some revived creeks and streams. Those few inches left their mark.
When the roads and the field were blanketed in snow, it all looked so peaceful. Serene and pure, like our part of the earth had been wiped clean, and we had a chance to do it all over again.
Whether or not you like the cold or desire the snow, it brings a cover of beauty.
But ordinary land cannot take the pressure of that much beauty. Trees crack and break, the ground turns to mush, man made surfaces become death traps.
There is beauty to behold.
And it takes more than an earthly power to hold it in place.
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22 March 2009
DVR will mess with your mind
Prior to my current situation, I have never really watched a lot of TV. I would (almost) never give up "the Office" (except for Madagascar), but anything else I generally lived without. Call it a result of growing up with only rabbit ears on the roof that need to be adjusted for wind variations.
But these days I have a lot of time on my hands.
My time in front of the glowing box is still relatively small, but a new element has been added to the equation.
DVR (TiVO for some) seems to be a lifeline for some families. No more fighting over which show to watch or "I have to stay up to watch this episode." And no more unwanted commercials: backwards robes, knives, sham wows included.
The trick is, obviously, to start every show you want to watch 20 minutes after it actually begins. Then you can be as commercial free as you desire to be.
But beware. It only works in certain situations; you have to record and maneuver just right. And only on the TV.
If you are in a movie theater and think you may have missed something important, no rewinding for you. If you are stuck in an awkward situation, there will be no fast forwarding. When you are riding along in your car and wish to slow the view down and take it all it, no such luck.
DVR may have the capability to make TV life a little easier. But everything else is just as complicated.
Read more
But these days I have a lot of time on my hands.
My time in front of the glowing box is still relatively small, but a new element has been added to the equation.
DVR (TiVO for some) seems to be a lifeline for some families. No more fighting over which show to watch or "I have to stay up to watch this episode." And no more unwanted commercials: backwards robes, knives, sham wows included.
The trick is, obviously, to start every show you want to watch 20 minutes after it actually begins. Then you can be as commercial free as you desire to be.
But beware. It only works in certain situations; you have to record and maneuver just right. And only on the TV.
If you are in a movie theater and think you may have missed something important, no rewinding for you. If you are stuck in an awkward situation, there will be no fast forwarding. When you are riding along in your car and wish to slow the view down and take it all it, no such luck.
DVR may have the capability to make TV life a little easier. But everything else is just as complicated.
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13 February 2009
time marches on
Okay, you got me. I am in fact no longer in Madagascar. My time on the island drew to a close. I would like to make it known that I was not voted off. No indeed, I made it until the end.
You might call me a survivor. But I would prefer the term thriver.
So I'm back in the states and looking for a job. I'm not dead set on a career, but maybe developments will happen.
But I am terrible at looking for a job. In every application I send out I either sound really depressed or extremely arrogant. There is no real in between for me.
Read more
You might call me a survivor. But I would prefer the term thriver.
So I'm back in the states and looking for a job. I'm not dead set on a career, but maybe developments will happen.
But I am terrible at looking for a job. In every application I send out I either sound really depressed or extremely arrogant. There is no real in between for me.
Share this post!
12 December 2008
Goodbye to Madagascar
Friday, December 12
Tomorrow I fly out. I am headed to mainland Africa for a few days, and then homeward bound.
And it is a weird feeling. My time here in Madagascar has felt like 4 months. Not any more or any less. Right now it feels like it is the heart of summer, but somewhere within I know I am in the middle of the Christmas season.
I am still saying my goodbyes. And the more that happen, the more real they all seem. I am actually leaving.
I have loved my time here. Thank you all for you encouragement and prayers. And your love. I love you all back. And I would love to tell you more about this part of my life spent in Africa. Chances are, I will try to find the time to do just that.
But for now, I am signing off.
Would it be too cheesy to say "good night and good luck."?
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