Day 21- One of your favorite shows

OK. Laugh if you will. I actually have two favorite shows. Well, one show and one category. I love watching "How it's Made" on the discovery channel. I have a good reason, I promise. There is so much that I don't understand about the world, and when I watch the show, I learn something new about the world. And although I will never be able to make paperweights, or zippers, or a trumpet, I understand a little more about how things work.

My category of shows would be National Geographic. Since we don't have cable at my house, I survive on Netflix. So, lately, I've been watching National Geographic documentaries. It goes right along with the learning more about the world around us. I think that our generation is a little more aware of our surroundings. Generations before us haven't always been as conscious of how our actions not only effect us and the people around us, but the people that come after us. Our knowledge of the world is increasing every day, and the more we know the more we can attempt to care for the world and those around us.

Now that I sound like a hippie, I'll leave you with those thoughts.

Day 20- How important you think education is

I think that not just education, but knowledge is extremely important. Let me explain. There are plenty of people who go through high school, college, and even graduate school and still don't know enough to be able to do their jobs correctly. Then, there are people who may have a GED, but spend their time educating themselves about the world, While school is very important, there are plenty of geniuses in the world who didn't finish high school.

I do think that an important part of education and knowledge is interaction with other people, which is something that you can't get from studying on your own.

I have always loved school (laugh if you wish) and the best classes I had in college were those that were filled with discussion and differing ideas. Without the opinions of other people, our worlds would be black and white. But everyone needs a little gray.

Day 19- Disrespecting your parents

Oh, how sensitive of a subject this is. I don't like disrespecting my parents, even if they think otherwise. I have learned so much from them and am grateful that I have parents who love each other and support me in whatever I want to do. I know each family has their ups and downs, and I feel like ours has the average amount. The hardest thing for me to do is relate to people whose families hate each other. I know that is becoming more common in the world today, but I hope that this trend changes.

I love my parents and feel that they have prepared me for the future. I only hope that if a family is in my future, I will raise my children as well as my parents raised me.

Day 18- Your beliefs

How broad can you get? What kind of beliefs?

Well, first and more importantly I believe in Jesus Christ is my savior and died so I could live. I also believe that ultimately it doesn't matter what denomination you are, because God loves us all. While I may disagree with the minute things some people believe, the overall message is what is important.

I also believe that everything happens for a reason, and people may not be able to see the good in something until weeks, months, or years later. While it may seem impossible to overcome at the time, it will get better as long as you want it to.

Finally, I believe that good things come to those who wait. Which has been true in my life and people around me.

Day 17- Your highs and lows of the past year

This took some thought.

Highs: Graduating college

Deciding to stay at AU for an extra semester

Finishing my thesis

Working for PASSPORT and being pushed to the limit, but learning a lot about myself

Meeting David, Michelle, Dan, and Amber at camp...

...and getting hired by Yorkminster

Knowing for a fact that BTSR is where I am going to seminary (as long as I get in)

Seeing my first play at ECU, designed by my best friend

Jacob and Ariel getting engaged

Aaron driving home to have dinner

TeamKID Wednesday night

Lows: Having to leave my "home" of the past four years, and knowing I wouldn't be able to see my friends as often

Getting pneumonia at camp

Stressful times from the course of the summer

Not bad. Maybe I've blocked out more of the lows than the highs

day 16- your views on mainstream music

Umm...I rarely listen to the radio. If I'm in a store and I hear a song I like, then I may look it up. I have an iPod with all my favorite stuff on it, and that's enough for me. So, that being said, I don't dislike mainstream music, but I don't listen to it as my first choice.

Sorry for the short post. Not really much to say on this matter.

Day 15- Your favorite websites

So, since this came from a Tumblr account, this was originally favorite Tumblr day. I could easily have changed it to blogs. But since I'm not an avid blog reader outside whenever people post new stuff on Facebook, that wasn't worth it. So, I changed it to websites. Not that this will be a longer post, but maybe it will help. I guess this list is a combination of websites I go to a lot, websites that mean a lot to me, and just random things. So, enjoy.

www.d365.com (its how I start everyday)

www.passportcamps.org (love, love, love)

www.tomsshoes.com

www.playingforchange.com

www.wikipedia.com

www.youtube.com

www.orientaltrading.com (can you tell I work with kids?)

www.twitter.com

Facebook

www.cnn.com

I think that's it. There are others I frequent, but those are mainly for work things. What are your favorite websites? Are there blogs you love to read and feel like sharing?

Day 14- Your earliest memory

Wow. I'm really digging through some cobwebs here. I have seen videos of my life as a child when we lived in Kentucky, but can honestly say that I don't remember anything from when we lived there. So, my earliest memory. I would have to say it was when we moved to Winston Salem. We had met a family from down the street. The parents were divorced, but dad live 4 or 5 houses down, and his 2 daughters would come visit. I don't remember their names, but I do remember that they had a dog named Lucy. Lucy was a big huge collie. She was as sweet as could be. I would walk to the tree line in our front yard (because that was as far as I was allowed to go) and yell "LUCY" at the top of my lungs. I would stand and wait, and then, Lucy would come trotting up the road. She would lie in the yard while Jacob and I played outside. If we got tired, she would let us lie against her while we took a break. That family eventually moved away, and I don't know what happened to Lucy. But I'll always be grateful for her and her gentle watchdog mentality.

Day 13- Somewhere you'd like to live or visit

These are two very different questions. A lot of the places I want to visit I wouldn't want to live in.

As far as living, I would like to live in a medium sized city that has a historical feel to it. I would love to be able to raise a family in Danville, VA, or Winston-Salem, NC, or Birmingham, AL. I think if I had to pick a city to live in though, it would be Charleston, SC. I loved visiting there when we went for a conference a few years back. It had a great energy, and think that it would be so neat to be able to live there.

For visiting, the places are endless. Greece is definitely at the top of my list, as long as I can share it with my BFF. But I would love to be able to go anywhere in Europe, seeing as I've never been. I would love to be able to take a trip to a country in Africa and do mission work. And I would always go back to the Dominican Republic if I was able. Anyone planning any trips and have an extra ticket? I'll go in a heartbeat. I have traveled more than everyone else in my immediate family, but its not enough.

My inspiration for travel is Meredith Schwane, a girl I knew from college. She has traveled more at the age of 23 or 24 than my grandmother has at the age of 80. Any chance she gets, she goes. She doesn't worry about the little details, she just does it. Thanks Meredith, for inspiring me to see the world, even if I never actually get to do it.

Day 12- Bullet your whole day

Sunday is a good day for me to bullet. It makes me feel productive since its a really busy work day for me. That's ministry life!

*Woke up at 7:30

*Hit snooze button 3 times

* Finally got out of bed

*Took shower

*Dried hair, got dressed

*Went and boiled water for hot chocolate

*Put on makeup, curled hair

*Made hot chocolate

*Gathered items and walked to car

*Got in car, put on "The Rescue" audiobook, and drove to church

* Went into building with every intention of going to Sunday School

*Got stopped by lots of people, and didn't make it to Sunday School

*Finished up some things for Advent Event

*Went to worship where I sat with the Reed family and their cute little girls

*Prayed some, read the Bible, sang, listened to sermon

*Started setting up for Advent event at 12:15 (event starts at 2)

*Attempted to figure out how to set my computer up to the fancy sound system

*Had John Thomas come and fix everything by the touch of one button

*Greeted families as they arrived for AE

*Played with children and read them a story

*Mingled with family members and looked around, still realizing how much I love my job

*Cleaned up from AE

*Drove home

*Warmed up BBQ and egg roll for dinner

*Went to Churchland Baptist for Hanging of the Greens

*Laughed with Richard and Stephanie and made faces at youth during service

*Had cookies and hot chocolate while playing with more cute kids

*Hung out with some youth and parents

*Played piano while waiting for parents to be ready to leave

*Went to Kroger where I go awkwardly started at by 2 redneck guys while waiting for Mom in the car

*Came home

*Changed into PJs

*Watched Peyton Manning suck at football

*Ate cereal

*Came to room and got into bed

*Wrote this post.

Whew. I hope you're as tired as I am just by reading this post. Good night!

Day 11- Put your iPod on Shuffle and write the 10 songs that come up

Well, I used iTunes, and I used my Good Stuff playlist because I have way too many songs that I don't listen to that don't represent my taste in music fairly. Here's what we got:

Faith In Love: Reba/Rascal Flatts

You Belong With Me: Taylor Swift

Reach Out (I'll Be There): The Four Tops

Just My Imagination: The Temptations

Hundred: The Fray

Hold Me Now: Jennifer Knapp

Fergalicious: Fergie

Nine in the Afternoon: PANIC! At the Disco

Faithfully (Glee Cast): Glee Cast

Over the Rainbow (Glee): Glee Cast

And for fun, the most played songs on my iTunes:

Baby: Justin Bieber (I can honestly say I am ashamed by this)

You and I: Ingrid Michaelson

Hey Soul Sister: Train

Sweet Caroline: Neil Diamond

Its My Life/Confessions: Glee

Up Around the Bend: CCR

Ain't No Mountain High Enough: Marvin Gaye

Party in the USA: Miley Cyrus

Pound Sign: Kevin Fowler

Mmmbop: Hanson

I think the 2nd list has a lot to do with camp/youth events. I hope it does. So, there you have it. My musical selections fated by iTunes. Enjoy

Day 10- Talk about your first love and your first kiss

This will not be a very long post. In response to the first half of the assignment, that's easy. I have never been in love. I have said "I love you" to a guy before, but didn't mean it. It wasn't even like I felt pressured to say it. I just did. So, I've never been in love. End of story.

The second part is easy too. I got my first kiss my sophomore year of high school from a guy named Adam. He went to my church, and I was star-struck when I met him. (I really hope he doesn't read this post.) He drove a Camaro and he drove me home after spending the afternoon at his house. We stopped in the cul-de-sac a the end of my street, and he kissed me. Nothing fancy. I didn't expect it, but it was awesome. So, how's that for a precher's daughter? Getting kissed in a Camaro from the "bad boy" of the youth group.

There you have it.

Day 9- What you hope your future will be like

The future. The excitement...the nervousness...the unknown. I used to be able to answer the question "Where do you see yourself in four years?" fairly easily. Now, that's not the case. Sure, I know things that I would like to accomplish, and I have a general road map with a destination in mind. But, the exact left and right turns that I will take to get there, not so much.

Right now, I am almost perfectly content with my life. I have a fantastic job that I love. I have close friends that I don't see as much as I wish, but I love them to death. I have a roof over my head, currently with free rent. I am looking to getting an apartment soon and starting my adult life. That's the present and short-term future.

The long term...you may have to wait for that answer. I know what I'd like to happen: seminary, find work in a great church/religious organization, find the right person for me, cure cancer (well, not really). However, I don't know where I'll be in the next 9 months let alone the next years of my life! I used to think I had it all planned out, but God has a way of showing me that he still knows better than I do.

So, what I'd like my future to look like (eventually): At least a master's degree, possibly doctorate, a happy family with a loving husband and a couple (or more) kids, a great job that I love waking up to every day, a happy and full like surrounded by people I love.

I really just want to be happy. Whatever that looks like.

Day 8- A time when you felt most satisfied with your life

This is a hard post. I've always been generally happy with my life, and grateful for the things that I have. But since I've been happy the majority of my life, its hard to pinpoint a time when I was most satisfied.

I guess perhaps that time that I was most satisfied/grateful was the summer of 2009. I had agreed to be a bible study leader for the Passport youth team based in Macon, GA. I spent the summer teaching Bible Study, working on mission projects, and helping people see God's love for them in little ways. Macon is a very interesting town, and is my favorite Passport site. The amount of work that can be done for people who deserve it is phenomenal and may never be completed. It was awesome to see youth stepping outside of their comfort zone to help a person or family they didn't know. I loved hearing the stories from the homeowners we were working with, and to see the smiles on most of their faces when they came outside to see the work the youth had done. But, it broke my heart every time we finished a project, and were about to leave, to see the tears streaming down the homeowners face, because they were so thankful for the work we did. The first house I worked on was Ms. Dinkins. We had a big project to do. We needed to scrape, clean, and paint her entire house. It felt like the hottest days of summer, and no matter how much water we drank, we could never get enough.

That house changed my life. Ms. Dinkins had a granddaughter that stayed with her. She had no air conditioning, and for those of you who haven't been to Macon, the average temperature from June-August is about 98 degrees, with heat indexes in the 100s and 110s. Despite the fact that she had so little, she managed to bring a snack out to our group every day, whether it was fruit snacks, granola bars, popsicles, or fresh fruit. A few of my youth would go in and eat lunch with her every day, and out up with the heat inside her house. Despite it being indoors, it was almost hotter inside than out because of the lack of breeze blowing through the open windows.

When we finished Ms. Dinkins' house after working on it for two weeks, I definitely realized how privileged I am. I would leave every day, and go back to Mercer's campus. I would walk into an air conditioned apartment, take a cold shower, and then maybe take a nap. I would walk to the dining hall and eat amazing food (for a college campus) and then head to another air conditioned building where we would get ready for worship.

I learned a lot from Ms. Dinkins and from Macon, GA. I realized that racism isn't dead, and probably never will be in some parts of America. I learned that some of the happiest people that I met that summer were ones that had the least amount of possessions, but had the biggest hearts. I was forever changed by that summer, and the summer that followed when I worked camp again. I felt guilty coming home to a room full of clothes, a comfortable bed, and thought twice about complaining that our house was too hot and that we needed to bump down the thermostat. Since then, I have felt that I have a new appreciation for my family and our position in life. I would gladly give Ms Dinkins the chance to live in my shoes for an entire year, but she wouldn't want that. She is happy where she is, and is just grateful that she has a house to live in and enough food to feed her granddaughter.

Thank you Ms. Dinkins, for impacting my life in many ways. I will be forever grateful to you.

Day 7- Your zodiac sign and if it fits you

I am a Virgo. And I think that I really am one. It sorta freaks me out a little bit that I am so alike what the description says.

According to psychicguild.com, the Virgo's life pursuit is to do the right thing (I agree with that); and my secret desire is to love and be loved in return (I agree with this too). Most Virgo's can be found serving others (definitely something I do) and that no matter how many times life and love turn sour, they don't become cynical (I may get slightly cynical, but it doesn't last long). Virgos can often be taken advantage of in relationship, especially with a dominant person (something I definitely saw at times this summer) and their goal in life is to make sure that their friends and family are taken care of above their own needs (something that I do at times; see pneumonia summer 2010). They are the first to offer a helping hand or a shoulder to cry on or a person to vent to (something I've definitely done at times). Virgos also like to be organized, and list making is something very important to them (yah, yah) and not only is the list important, but the paper and pen that are used to make the list are equally as important (maybe that's why I have SO many pens).

So, based on this description, I definitely think that I have characteristics of a Virgo, and think that people around me will agree. While I don't read my horoscope everyday and don't generally believe in stuff, sometimes its hard not to when it lines up so perfectly.

Day 6- 30 Interesting facts about myself

Can I think of 30 different things? Hopefully...
1) I would rather read the book than see the movie, but I usually don't have time to read so I succumb to watching the movie instead.

2) I tell people that I am allergic to strawberries, but I'm really not. It all started in 6th grade when we had Neapolitan ice cream, and I didn't want strawberry, so I told my teacher I was allergic so I could only have chocolate and vanilla. I have been living a lie for 11 years.

3) I was the first brown eyed child on my mom's side of the family...ever.

4) I am realizing that I am more of an evening person than a morning one. I like to go to bed around midnight and wake up at 7:30.

5) My BFF read my palm last weekend, and even though I don't believe in that stuff, when she told me that she didn't see any "child" lines I got really freaked out.

6) Despite the above comment, I'm not giving up and my first daughter is going to be named Melissa after my sister.

7) I have never been in love. I feel like I will only be in love once in my life, and its going to be with the person I marry.

8) I have a list of things that I am waiting to tell my parents once I am officially living on my own.

9) I LOVE PASSPORT CAMPS! I think its a great organization and think that there are endless possibilities that can come from attending a camp like that.

10) There is a guy that in the back of my mind I always thought I would marry. But now he is married and I miss him terribly.

11) I'm pretty sure that Channing Tatum is the hottest guy alive. For now. Maybe its because I just watched She's the Man and he's shirtless in that movie.

12) I have a weird way of remembering the most random comments that people say, and will bring them up in conversation and freak people out.

13) At first, I was afraid of the future and what it holds, but now I'm not as freaked out. I learned a lot about myself this past year and I think that has made me more comfortable in the uncertainty of life sometimes.

14) I hate the word moist. It freaks me out.

15) My favorite word is one in Hebrew- ko-kah-veem, which means stars. I love being out in the country where I can look up at the sky and see the stars.

16) I wish that I had learned to play the piano or the guitar. I feel like it could be very useful.

17) I don't have a favorite movie. I love too many. So don't ask.

18) I can kick Anna Foltz's butt in Jeopardy, and it makes her so mad. But I still love her.

19) My favorite book of the Bible is Ruth. I think this is because of Anna Stainback.

20) I have really started to like classical music lately. It I'm not listening to an audiobook then I am listening to classical music.

21) I can't work in an space that is completely silent. Unfortunately, the 2 women that I work with like quiet spaces.

22) I'm definitely a daddy's girl and am realizing the longer I live at home the more and more I'm like my father.

23) In every phase of my life since I've been 4, there has been someone I'm close to named Anna....and it hasn't been the same Anna the whole time.

24) Although I have grown up in the church, I feel like I don't know a lot about the Bible, as far as memorization of scripture. But I want to change this in the near future.

25) My biggest pet peeve is the sound of nail clippers.

26) I graduated high school 30 years after my parents, went to the same college as my parents and graduated 30 years after they did.

27) I graduated 1st in my degree from AU.

28) I also graduate last in my degree from AU. I was the only religion major who graduated in May 2010.

29) My favorite color is purple, even though I never thought it was. But after having my friends in college buy me purple stuff because they associated me with the color purple, I just started liking it.

30) If I'm ever on death row, my last meal will be ALL of the following: steak, artichokes, soft broccoli, sweet potato casserole from Sticky Fingers, a Maple Butter Blondie from Applebees, a burrito from Moe's, and chicken sandwich from CFA, fried zucchini sticks, a pina colada, and a chocolate malt. I will probably die from high cholesterol.

Day 5- A Time when you thought about ending your own life

Sorry to those of you who have been loyal readers. I have not been a loyal writer. This past week was a crazy one in the life of the church, and I don't see it slowing down anytime soon. But, here are a list of posts for your reading enjoyment.

I can honestly say that there has never been a time when I have wanted to end my life. Sure, I've had rough spots where I thought I would never see the sun shine in my life again, but even in the hardest times have I ever thought about killing myself. There are definitely moments that I would go back and do differently. I don't like hurting people, and have never done anything to specifically do harm to someone, but there have been times when I have hurt someone.

So, that being said, I have had a generally good life. I few hard spots, but nothing that I have not been able to overcome or learn from. I love my life, even in the hard times, and I want to live it to the fullest of my ability. I hope you do too.

Day 4- Your views on religion

Ooohhh. The religion question. Also an easy one to answer.

I have been raised the daughter of a preacher man. :-) And it was a pretty good life. My parents weren't religiously conservative or liberal, and once I was old enough to make decisions, my parents let me choose where I stood with church. And I always chose church.

In college, I was a church hopper- I didn't commit to one specific church, but had 2 or three i visited regularly. I also worked for a camp that was extremely ecumenical (open to all religious groups, and incorporated them all in worship. So, I have a religious smorgasbord. I don't have a problem with denominations, and I think its great to have options for people to find what they like. What I don't like is when people get caught up in the nitpicky details of denominations, or fight with other groups and cause huge divides between people. The basic teachings of Jesus were simple enough for people to understand. The rest is important, but is what adds to the drama.

So, I am a Christian who believes that my actions will affect people more than quoting scripture at them. Jesus hung out with the outcasts of society, and just loved them for who they were. People end up becoming hypocritical most of the time when you throw the other stuff in.

And that's it. Love God, love people, any questions?

Day 3- Your views on drugs and alcohol

This topic is really easy for me to comment on.

Drugs- Not a huge fan (unless they are legal, of course) and even then I don't like taking them. Unless I feel like total and complete crap (which happens rarely, with the exception of my lovely dose of pneumonia this summer) I won't really take it. I have been around people who don't abuse medicine, but will pop a pill for any little ache in they have. There are times when I think that people use medicine just for the sake of using it. So, that is also something that I don't agree with.

Now...onto the topic of alcohol. I will be honest and say that there were a few times in college when I partook in some alcoholic beverages. However, I got it out of my system, and now I don't really drink. Every once in a while I'll have a drink with some friends, but definitely get more frustrated with drunk people than I ever did. Even when I was in college, I didn't like the party scene. I would go because my friends were there, but I gladly volunteered to be the DD 97% of the time (and that's a legit statistic).

So, drugs= not a fan of legal at all, and most of the time legal ones either.

Alcohol= I don't mind having a drink now and then, and am in favor of drinking, as long as its in moderation. As long as you drink responsibly and realize the consequences of your actions, then don't be stupid. Always make sure you have a DD and don't do it just to try and fit in.

Day 2- Where I'd like to be in 10 years

I'm not a big fan of this question. Although I am a type A person who likes to have everything planned, I am also an indecisive person. Not a great combination at times. I will say, that in 10 years I will be 32 years old. I will like to have graduated seminary with my master's degree, maybe working on a doctorate degree. I would love to be married, and maybe have one or two kids. Definitely a dog. I would like to be working in a great church, or religious organization, that will support having all types in ministry.

If I could pick a place to live, it would be either in North Carolina or Virginia, but I wouldn't mind anywhere else. Just as long as I'm able to drive to visit my family, wherever they are. Surprisingly, I would love to move back to Danville, VA, where I was in college. I think that the town is going to come a long way in 10 years, and have a feeling that I wouldn't mind raising my family there.

So...that means that in order for all this to come true, I have to start seminary, meet the man of my dreams, get married, have a kid, and find a job in the next 10 years. I better stop typing this blog and get started. Which will I tackle first?

Day 1- Your Current Relationship

The second part of this post says "If single, describe the single life." So, that is what I will be doing. I am currently single, and have been for a little over 3 years. I dated a guy in high school, and a guy in college, but both of those ended, one on good terms, and one that I wish I could go back and end differently. I hurt this person more than I ever wanted to, even though I knew breaking up was for the better for the both of us.

So, that being said, I enjoyed being single in college. I had quite a few guy friends that meant a lot to me. And I was so involved with college activities that I didn't miss being in a relationship (most of the time). I would be lying if I said there were times when I wish I had a guy around, but didn't resort to the "different guy every weekend" approach that I witnessed some of the fellow students taking.

So, where does that leave me now? I am living with my parents, have a new job, and want to star grad school in the next year or so. I don't keep in touch with any of my friends from high school, so going out on the weekends has not been something that I've done. I'm not brave enough to go to the local hotspots on my own, and don't think that I'm going to find my future...whatever...by doing so. However, even though I am in this weird transition place, I feel like I am more ready than ever to find that person. But, without joining eHarmony (and I don't think I'm at that stage yet) I'll just have to take it one day at a time. Sunday through Friday, I don't mind my single life. Fridays and Saturdays are a little different.

So, stay tuned for a later post that will have what I look for in a significant other. Who knows, maybe it will catch someone's eye!

Until next time fellow blog readers...-KK

30 day Challenge

I borrowed this from my best friend's Tumblr account, but liked the idea. Maybe if I get in the habit of doing this challenge, I will blog about more serious things in the future. So, here's the assignment for each day.

- Your current relationship, if single discuss how single life is.

• day 02 - Where you’d like to be in 10 years.
• day 03 - Your views on drugs and alcohol.
• day 04 - Your views on religion.
• day 05 - A time you thought about ending your own life.
• day 06 - Write 30 interesting facts about yourself.
• day 07 - Your zodiac sign and if you think it fits your personality.
• day 08 - A moment you felt the most satisfied with your life.
• day 09 - How you hope your future will be like.
• day 10 - Discuss your first love and first kiss.
• day 11 - Put your ipod on shuffle and write 10 songs that pop up.
• day 12 - Bullet your whole day.
• day 13 - Somewhere you’d like to move or visit.
• day 14 - Your earliest memory.
• day 15 - Your favorite websites.
• day 16 - Your views on mainstream music.
• day 17 - Your highs and lows of this past year.
• day 18 - Your beliefs.
• day 19 - Disrespecting your parents.
• day 20 - How important you think education is.
• day 21 - One of your favorite shows.
• day 22 - How have you changed in the past 2 years?
• day 23 - Give pictures of 5 guys who are famous who you find attractive.
• day 24 - Your favorite movie and what it’s about.
• day 25 - Someone who fascinates you and why.
• day 26 - What kind of person attracts you.
• day 27 - A problem that you have had.
• day 28 - Something that you miss.
• day 29 - Goals for the next 30 days.
• day 30 - Your highs and lows of this month

Don't forget to breathe...

Whew. What a day. But first, a life update.

Last Sunday, I got a call from the chair of the search committee at Yorkminster Presbyterian Church, a church that I had interviewed with for the position of Director of Children and Youth Ministries. Bill (the chair of the committee) offered me the job...and I accepted. Last week was filled with excitement, and nerves, and lots of "What am I thinking?" and "I can't wait for what's ahead!" I enjoyed my last days of quiet around the house as my parents got back into their regular routines with church and school. And I prepared myself for what I had signed on to do.

This morning finally arrived. My alarm was set for 6:30am (the earliest it had been set in...a really, really long time). My dad had made enough coffee for me to take some on the road. My outfit was hanging in the closet, and I was ready to go. As I drove the 30 minute commute to Yorktown, my stomach was filled with butterflies, but more because of the excitement about all the people I was getting ready to meet than because of nerves. As soon as I walked in the door, I saw some familiar faces from the search committee and lots of new faces. People welcomed me, and once I introduced myself expressed their gratitude and appreciation about me being at the church.

Two worship services and one Sunday School kick-off later, I met more people than I could imagine and my cheeks hurt from smiling so much. The church had a Fall Festival after the 11:00 service, that unfortunately had to be moved indoors because of the weather. However, as I sat and ate my lunch with the Associate Pastor and his family, and a few more families from the church, I looked around and couldn't help but smile. I listened to the conversations around the table, learned things about families and started to pick up on some of the things that give each church its personality.

As I drove home, I rode in silence for the first few miles of my trip and thought about the morning I just experienced. Even though the morning was full of new faces and I was on mental overload, I was full of excitement for this new journey I am headed on. So, I head back across the water on Tuesday and will start to learn about and do this job I've signed on for. But I am so excited. :-)

Save the earth...or your ears?

I watched the Today Show for the first time in a long time the other day. There was a story about the new Sun Chips bags, which are completely biodegradable. However, these new bags are loud and some people find them annoying, despite their positive outcome. 3 1/2 mins were spent talking about how enough people are complaining that it is causing Sun Chips to change their bags to a more "user-friendly" one while still trying to keep the bags biodegradable.

For some reason, this really got under my skin. Maybe its from working camp all summer and having campers come up with ideas about ways to start changing the world, or seeing a campus in Massachusetts that provides recycling in each room for students, or just being a part of an organization that tries to do as much as it can to lower its carbon footprint. I don't see how some people can be as shallow as wanting their bags to not make a little extra noise, even at the expense of increasing pollution. Although this is just the first attempt at Sun Chips to help clean up the earth a little more, I for one think that it is a great one. I would rather listen to the rattle of a potato chip bag, then have to swim around in environmentally unfriendly potato chip bags in 20 years.

Sorry if I have offended anyone, but I needed to blow off some steam about these people who have taken the time to make YouTube videos of their complaints. I hope that eventually everyone can be happy and there will be silent, biodegradable chip bags at some point in the future. Enjoy your evening.

And so it begins...

OK. It's that time. The time that I have been waiting for and preparing for since last November. Its time to go Barefoot. I arrived in GA yesterday afternoon and hit the ground running. Britt (our Director) and I had a delicious meal at Chick-fil-a. I'm pretty sure that CFA tastes better in GA than it does anywhere else, purely because this is where it was founded. We then drove to Macon and met our campus contact person and started settling in.

Then the fun began. After we grabbed a quick dinner, we went to meet the tractor trailer to unload the truck and move things to our side of campus. Mind you I am wearing flip flops during this process. Bad idea. So, we lift up this heavy (as in probably 80 pounds) metal ramp to put over the gap from the truck to the loading dock. I am assisting in this process. The ramp is put into place and one side is raised up higher than the other. In an attempt to level out the ramp, a fellow Passport employee pushed the ramp....right onto my big toe. I look down and my first thought is "Crap. My pedicure got messed up." I then see blood start pouring out from under my toenail and realize that my toenail is only hanging on by one corner. Surprisingly, it didn't hurt. We continue to unload the truck and I assist when I can. Once we get back to the apartments I rinse off my foot and realize that more medical attention than my ability to put on a band-aid is necessary. So Laura (our Pastor) and I drive to the hospital. I realize at this point my toenail will probably come off and I start to freak out a little because I have very little pain tolerance. I tell anyone who comes into the room that I don't care what they have to do to my foot, as long as I don't feel anything. So, the doctor numbs up my toe and takes care of the problem (I'm getting nauseous talking about this). I get back to campus and unpack, and get some sleep.

Meanwhile, two of our staffers, Stephen (Worship Coordinator) and Perry (Bible Study Leader) have had a worse time than I have. Their travel experience has been anything but smooth, but luckily they will arrive on campus at some point this morning. Needless to say they are exhausted and just ready to be done traveling.

So, I've been here less than 24 hours and already been challenged. But its OK. Hopefully there will be no more delays and issues that arise while we are here. Keep our team in your prayers this week. The Program Staff is on campus and getting ready for the rest of our staff to arrive tomorrow. Pray for calmness and patience. Pray for good night's of sleep so we will be rested when training week officially begins. Pray that nothing else happens to any feet, considering our theme is Barefoot and there will probably be a lot of pictures taken of feet. Thanks for your thoughts. That's all for now.

It's time to grow up

This post is about my first real job interview. I traveled back to Danville on Sunday to interview at Fairview United Methodist Church for the Director of Christian Education position. The interview went really well. I feel like I answered my questions really well, and the committee was very impressed with me. Its a really big job and I could learn a lot from it. Now all I have to do is wait. The committee has one more applicant to interview, and then they will let me know a 'Yes' or 'No.' I feel like I have learned a lot from this experience and now know that I can survive an interview.

I also got to visit some Averett people when I was in Danville. I went by the admissions office and saw all my old co-workers (I really, really miss them). While I was there I spoke to an admissions counselor who is interviewing for another job on campus. I wish her all the best. But, it was another door that opened up. If the church job doesn't work out, I would consider working in the admissions office for a couple of years. One year would be to get used to the job and take my year off school. After that first year, I would start taking online classes through BTSR. Then, I would move to Richmond and continue my education from there.

So, lots of changes in my life, lots of things I can do. I'm keeping my hopes up and my options open. I leave for camp next week and the craziness will begin. Thanks for reading!

The next stage...

Ok. Here is my goal for myself now that I am done with college and have a little break before the real world smacks me in the face: to read thought-provoking books and to update my blog at least twice a week with the thoughts that have been provoked by these books. Hopefully by getting into this rhythm now it will be easier for me to take 10 minutes and update while I'm at camp. Here it goes.

My life over the past week has had a few life-changing events in them. First, I graduated from college. Which is very exciting and very terrifying at the same time. It was hard saying goodbye to the life I have known for the past four years and to the best friends I made over those years. But, it happened. I packed up four years (and three cars) full of memories and moved back home (temporarily). I am glad to have a little break from school and a job before I start camp in a month.

However, my nerves about what is happening after camp are more real now than ever. My motto for the past year has been"Let go and let God" (cheesy, I know). However this motto is a stepping stone for me. For those of you who know me you know that I like to have control of everything (which is one of my flaws). So not knowing what's coming next has been a big challenge for me. I know that I will be working camp this summer, but after that, I had no idea. However, when I finally stopped stressing about it, windows began to open up. I got word that there was a church in Danville (where I want to live) that had an open position as Director of Christian Education. I have applied for this job and will probably go for an interview in the next couple of weeks. After that, I'll just have to "Let go and let God."

So, that's my life in a nutshell. I am beginning to read "The Ragamuffin Gospel" by Brent Manning. Look for my thoughts on this book in the upcoming weeks. Thanks for reading.