Tuesday, August 14, 2012

What makes me feel alive



A couple months ago when I was in Colorado, the first day, we were given a task to write 20 things on a notecard that makes us feel alive. My first thought was, well crap, I don't think I can come up with THAT many things. Right now, all I can focus on is how awkward I feel because I don't know anyone so I'm trying to think of things to say to the person next to me. "Alright, go", I hear from my coordinator.  I look up and everyone starts writing like they can't make their hand move fast enough. and then there's me. staring. at people. I started to think...what makes me feel alive? what does that even mean? And then I just started writing the things that the came to mind that made me feel peaceful, excited, exhilarated, relaxed, warm, and joyful.

These are 20 things that make me feel alive...

  1. Mountains
  2. Alone time with Jesus
  3. Journaling
  4. soothing music & fun music
  5. Beach time (hilton head)
  6. my crazy loving Family
  7. my absolutely incredible crazy sweet friends
  8. Playing with elementary age kids (early ed. major)
  9. being with my sweet boyfriend
  10. a good cry
  11. Coffee
  12. watching any type of movie with popcorn
  13. thunderstorms that last all day
  14. a captivating book
  15. driving with the windows down
  16. doing people’s hair
  17. canoeing
  18. hiking
  19. watching the sunrise & sunset
  20. fall weather

What makes YOU feel alive?!

Friday, August 3, 2012

Crooked Creek Ranch

I'm not sure how this post is going to go, but I am going to write my heart away. here goes...
The last post was how I was about to leave the comfort of friends & family and travel across the country to the breathtaking (literally and figuratively) state of Colorado. 
Now, I am back in Milledgeville, where everything seems like a blur, and I am left to think about where the past month and a half went.
Four weeks of adventure. Four weeks of meeting sweet friends. Four weeks of learning so much about myself that I would have never learned had I not took this time to see how my life was intended to grow.
 If you could understand the way my heart felt the second week of camp compared to how it felt the week after I was settled back at home, you would be amazed. You would also see how dearly I loved Crooked Creek, and you would feel the tug of your heart eagerly missing the things that I could never fully explain.
 

 
 
 
I would love to tell you each and every story that I can think of, but I don't think you want to read for that long. Buttttt, I will tell you guys that I did have two pretty epic falls. And I will add, that they were consecutively on the first two days of camp. And one more thing, I will add that it involves my backpack being on, falling backwards off a log, and rolling down a hill in front of a large group of people. I'll leave the rest up to your imaginations.

I can now pretty much make any coffee drink, now that I am a trained, official barista. I was given the best job for how I needed to grow at camp and I loved it so much. I learned a lot about things back at home & school that I grew to really understand & appreciate from an outside perspective. I learned from a book called, Bittersweet, that, "A full life isn't a full calendar". I found comfort in God this past month. This was a huge part of my journey & I found that the only way you are truly going to be okay in the long run by comfort is not being satisfied in the short-term comfort. Being filled with the comfort of God is like no other. I also learned that I am loved. Sometimes it is hard for me to accept. The overwhelming amount of letters & care packages I received was heart-warming. I truly believe my heart warmed every letter I received.

As I anxiously traveled back home to my beloved peach state; worn out with barely any sleep (but maybe 3 hours on my backpack from the night before), I rode the escalator up to the meet n greet section. To what seemed like an eternity, I made it to the top with an area filled with people; including my mom, little brother, and handsome boyfriend. This poster was the first thing I saw...thank you James. You know just how to win me over...
1. That date is wrong in the bottom right corner, so disregard. 2. Yes. That is me. I have no words for my 6th-grade self. No words. But. I missed you, James.