So there is this great song that I have been in love with since I first heard it my freshman year of college. It's by the band called The Afters, the have a great song called Love Lead me On. The title of this blog is a direct lyric quote from that song, and aptly match my life lately.
A few people keep telling me to update my blog, they have no idea what's going on in my life, and my response is usually - you can just call me you know... But really the reason I haven't been keeping up with this lately is because things have been such an incredible whirlwind. While life is going really well these days, it's also at times exhausting, but I am caught up in my own little adventure world which is so great for me and makes me so happy.
So let's start with Texas. Seeing old summer staff friends was great, and it was really nice to hang out with my old college roommate. Now that she has a husband and daughter, it's weird that she is in her "Family role" right now. It was really nice to see her life as a family woman, and just be able to take some time with catching up and loving her little girl. Also, I may have said this before, but summer staff with Younglife was one of the biggest blessings in my life. I have friends now that are scattered throughout the country (actually some are even international!). And what's unique about these friends is that no matter how much time has passed since we have served together, it's literally like picking up with you left off. These are friends that if I am still running into when I'm 70 years old, I will be incredibly blessed. Also, I read an amazing book while traveling. This book,
The Heart and the Fist, I recommend to anyone who likes a read that nurtures both the excitement seeking side as well as the heart of the reader. The author is inspiring, encouraging, and honest, and a rarity of the person who not only chases their potential, but tried to exceed it. This is a must read and needs to go on your book list.
For your pleasure here are some pictures:
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| My beach-day sidekick when I went to Galveston in Texas. |
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| Freshman year roommates on the ferry. I love that little Ava is already chasing after my venti Starbucks iced coffee. Mhmmm :-) |
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| My adorable Austin, TX hosts in front of the capitol building |
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| Posing for our ghetto-fab album cover for our gangsta rap album. |
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| The Stage - best country bar ever, great hot spot in Austin. Only downfall? The band didn't know Thunder Rolls! Country band Fail! |
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| Just one of the many beautiful missions I was able to visit in San Antonio. |
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| Remember the Alamo! |
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| View of downtown San Antonio from the Riverwalk. River walk = best salsa, most beautiful city water way I have ever seen! |
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| I was even able to visit the San Antonio Botanical garden and visit the garden for the blind! |
Since going to Texas, I have moved into the Ashley house, and have a couple really great roommates. One is a new friend, and the other old, but so grateful to be living with them. I literally moved a few days after I got back from Texas so that was pretty crazy for sure! But I am pretty settled in there and starting to look for where I am moving to next. (The plan was to move into the Ashely house temporarily since they don't allow dogs on the lease. So Gracie has been living in PA with the rents!)
The weekend after that I was able to go to Philly for a dress fitting with my friend Carmoo and her other bridesmaids. Carmoo and I have been friends since high school, and it is so weird to imagine her getting married! But she found herself a military man who things she is just the bee's knees (yes, I said that.) and so they will be getting hitched in a few short months! It was great to see her and some other old friends from high school even if it was just for an afternoon. That was the same weekend my friend JaK graduated from UMD with her master's so that day I rushed down to MD after the dress fitting to help my church softball team get defeated, and then rushed out to JaK's house to celebrate with her family. JaK is another summer staff friend, who I can not even begin to tell you enough good things about. This girl is one of my favorite people ever and has really encouraged and inspired to me to grow as a woman of God. (Also, her mom is amazing.) As if that weren't a crazy enough weekend I had a jam-packed day with some people from church to go down to Andrews Air Force base in Virginia for the Air Show. Well... we missed the last shuttle to the base, and we had to completely forgo the show, but we were able to instead just hang out with each other in DC and do some exploring.
Now my life is starting to blend together with all the craziness. That next weekend may have been memorial day weekend, and I may have gone to the beach with my family, but I think there was actually one weekend where I actually stayed where I live! (I know - it's a crazy concept!) Either way, last weekend was beach weekend in Stone Harbor, and my pocket-sized friend decided to join me because she didn't have work either. It was great. We put 18 people in one house (eek!) so it was a BIT crowded. But got to hang out with a lot of my cousins, and uncle and of course my immediate family. Of course my crazy family is amazing, but so inappropriate, and my mind is still in the gutter from 4 days spent with them. But the weekend included boating, tubing (bad idea for my back), water skiing (first time since the accident I was able to get up!), sea turtles and eels, lots of bocce ball, catch, and naps on the beach, mini-golf, shopping, and beach bars. Basically, the quintessential beach weekend.
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| Some friends who met up at the beach bar in Stone Harbor. Inch, me, MH, and Tess |
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| Random stop on the highway on the way back do Rockville. Why not stop and get a picture with the massive rocking chair? |
Now, as I write this, I am en route to DC from NYC, where I was able to go to Brooklyn to hang out with some of my distant family and favorite 15 year olds. These are kids I babysat for when they were 9, and now they are talking about college, and state championships, and are 15 years old!! It's amazing where the time goes, it's amazing the beautiful woman and men they are turning into, and I am so grateful for those relationships, and how we have been able to keep in touch with each other.
While traveling about like a crazy person, somehow I have managed to find time for meeting with my manager at work, finding out about the new programs I support, and finish out some of my other programs. I have also been able to celebrate the end of the year with my younglife kids. The last few weeks we have had the biggest Younglife clubs and campaigners ever at Richard Montgomery High school. I am very happy for my kids who are moving on and graduating, but yet it's bittersweet. This graduating class is so dear to me, and we have gotten so close over the last few months. It will definitely be a different Younglife without them. I am excited to see how their relationships with God grow as they go off to college, and am very excited still for the younger ones that are still sticking around.
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| Picture even after half the kids left. Remnants of our biggest club ever! I love my high school friends :-) |
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| My most adorable junior leader. She has been such a blessing and encouragement this year. Did I tell you I love her? |
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| Some of my senior girls... |
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| One of my little-uns! |
THAT in a nutshell is the chaos of my life lately. It has been super crazy and busy, but so great, and I am reminded time and again of how blessed I am to have the people in my life that I do have, to have the opportunities and resources that I do have, and to have a faith that restores my strength and energy, even when I feel like I am running on empty.
And exactly one week from today I will be jumping out of a plane! THAT is crazy!
Life is SO good. And I do believe, it's getting better <3
