Last Two Weeks in Pictures

3oth Birthday and what not




Leigh and me



Josh and my awesome s'more!



Nicole


Brad and the fire...


Karen, me, Lisa


some of my 30 roses


ben, me, dean

Jennie's Wedding Weekend


Laura, Jennie, me


Laura and I



beautiful bride...and me

It's Offical, I am 30...

“I think I’ll take a moment, to celebrate my age. The ending of an era and the turning of a page…” Having just turned 30, I thought I’d see if I have done 30 exciting things in my life. (And yes, I’m going to try and make my life sound as glamorous as a girl from Mayville can)

Rode the MRT around Singapore
Tried out to be on Wheel of Fortune
Been to the top of the John Hancock building
Finished a ½ marathon
Rode horses in the ocean off the coast of South Africa
Have seen the Cape of Good Hope
I’ve stood in Nelson Mandela’s old cell
I’ve been ziplining through the Belize rain forest
I’ve gotten drenched in Cozumel, Mexico
Played with monkey’s in Honduras
Visited a straw market in the Bahamas
Seen over 1,000 students come to know Christ in Guatemala
Been privileged to watch four young woman walk/work through high school
Sang the National Anthem at a Spurs game
Sang the National Anthem while pulling away from the Pearl Harbor Memorial
I have eaten from a Ukrainian McDonalds (where the food actually looks like the picture)
Volunteered in homeless shelters in Chicago, Grand Rapids, and Nashville
Graduated High School
Graduated College
I’ve seen 4th of July fireworks with the Washington Monument as the background
I’ve been in airports in Tokyo and Amsterdam
I’ve been to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
Received an “honorable mention” in a national photography contest
Taken many “senior pictures”
Have had 18 different roommates since the fall of 1996
Visited Vineyards in MI and TN
I’ve worked for First Priority
I do not have just “one” best friend…I think I have 8 or so.
Been a camp counselor
Lead the song worship for a coffee house ministry, and now teach there

There are many other hopes/dreams for the future, and so many more things I could have actually listed here. I am thankful for these and the opportunities to come. The next 30 years should prove just as rewarding as the last have been…

LOTR

In the 3rd Lord of the Rings movie, Gandalf and Pipen are awaiting a battle. (which one I cannot specifically remember.) They are on the balcony looking towards Mount Doom and Gandalf says "it's the like the deep breath before the plunge."

I have always loved this line. It is suitable for so many situations! Again I find myself in a position where I am on cusp of being moved. My spirit is anxious and ready for whatever is next. My mind is slightly freaking out and my emotions have many unsteady moments.

I find myself wondering how long the deep breath is. How long until the plunge? How long until the battle begins and the next chapter is started?

In the last three years I consistently hear God whisper "dream big, baby girl...dream big." I wonder if this, this next whatever, is what I've been told to dream big for. As I continue to find my identity through the voice of my creator, I continue to be anxious to be me..24/7. I am my spirit is ready to constantly use "new" gifts and talents, instead of just outside of work.

Yet, in seemingly a contradictory fashion, I also hear "enjoy this while it lasts". "It isn't going to always be this small and this simple." I think He says this so my mind can ease into the "next whatever".

I have never really felt the dicotamy of spirit and mind before, or at least this intense. I will be excited when they align themselves again. Until then I will enjoy where I am and be faithful to what I have in front of me today.

Birthday-Palooza and Randomness

It's September again. This is hard to believe, it seems like just yesterday I was in the middle of tax season praying it'd be over soon. With September comes Birthday-Palooza. There are a handful of days in September that I do not know someone who has a birthday and some days are doubled, even tripled up with the opportunity to celebrate the life of my family and friends.

For example it's the 4th of September and this evening I'll be attending my 2nd birthday party so far this month. Growing up, my mom's side of the family would have a "September Birthday" party. We'd gather one night, instead of 8 different ones, to celebrate. This needs to be instituted in my adult life. And sometimes it is. My friends Rachel, Lisa and I are going out to celebrate our respective birthday's together.

I love September. It used to be because that is when autumn started; however this is not true in the south. It has now become a very reflective, yet hectic, month. The reflectiveness may have started in college with the new school year, etc.

So...here's to September. Happy Birthday Everyone!