What a difference a year makes

True to form, as one year ends and another begins I want to reflect. It happens this time every year because I also have a birthday in December and as I literally get a year older as the year ends, I can't help but want to stop and think about all that has happened. So here it goes...

Last year on New Year's Eve, I was in Atlanta with my good friend Sarah Brookings, who lives there. We decided to go to a nice dinner downtown to ring in the new year and then watched Lord of the Rings on New Years Day in our PJs. It was a quiet and sweet way to start a new year. Then I went to Passion 2013 and things got much louder.

It was there that I started a new journal. I have journaled throughout my years as a adolescent and into adulthood, but as I've gotten older I've lost the consistent habit. But since I was attending a conference full of teaching, I thought it might be good to bring something along. I love the idea of journaling so, I of course, had a blank one at home I could bring along.

I highly recommend journaling, especially when it's cute like this one.

The first thing I wrote in this new Bible was part of a prayer from Louie Giglio who kicked off the conference and it was the most profound thing that impacted me from the entire Passion 2013.

"Lord do immeasurably more than I can ask or imagine. Give me eyes to see the immeasurably more."

Immeasurably more is how I'll try to remember 2013. My 29th year of life. It was a great year. One full of new experiences, personal growth, challenges, inspiration, calling, affirmation, and depth. Those are such great words!

The first couple months were good growth while I completed a devotion called Fall for Him about singleness. I treasured the lessons learned and the prayers I prayed during those 25 challenges. I commend it to any of my single girlfriends as it was written by a woman who didn't marry until she was in her 30s so her stories resounded with truth and much empathy.

I also had several meaningful new experiences:

• I attended the Justice Conference and toured Philadelphia in February.
• I had a fun-filled girls weekend in Asheville in March. We spent the afternoon at a natural hot spring.
• I got to visit Ohio several times to see my nephew grow in his first year. 
• I went to a retreat center alone and sang out loud in the woods in June. 
• I attended a work conference in Boston in July and created an epic road trip through Colorado in July.
• I had another girls weekend in Asheville in October and went to Grove Park Inn for the first time.

The last part of 2013 and my 29th year was full of fruit and faithfulness.

• I met my boyfriend Daniel in August and have fallen in love. 
• I successfully ran a conference as President Elect of my state career counselor's association. 
• I was invited to be an elder in my church with a community I love serving. 
• I got a promotion in my job in December with a boss who seeks to develop me well. 

So now I'm able to implement so many of the heart lessons I've learned about "the me I want to be" (in the words of John Ortberg) in leadership, justice, relationships, and love. I used to always refer to the year I turned 23 as the best year of my life because I was working with Campus Crusade, traveling and feeling affirmed in what God called me to do, but I think 2013 has taken it's place as the best year...so far...

I can't wait to see what God has in store for 2014!

I turned 30! Lessons from a wiser me :)

I'm 30! 

My friends helping me count to 30

So I had this 30 before I'm 30 list. It is essentially a list of 30 things I wanted to do before I turned 30 - a bucket list with a time frame. I created it when I was 28 and a few months old and have edited it a few times over the months I've been working toward these goals. I will include the list below but wanted to point out a couple lessons I learned from this experience first. 

1. Being a goal oriented person, I loved having this list. It was well received by the people in my life who championed it, and sometimes even helped me accomplish some of the goals (thank you!). But there was a shadow side to the list. I created it with the idea that I wanted to celebrate getting older - despite my circumstances. I freely admit that I created the list in hopes of avoiding the sadness of my life not being what I envisioned when I was little. Most children think 30 is old. And I just assumed I'd be a mother, wife and home owner as a 30 year old. I created these goals partly as a distraction from the missing elements in my life. This was the shadow side - I can hide behind goals instead of sitting with the realities before me. The lesson in this for me was this - I need to be grateful for what I have and not focus on what I don't have. 
2. Another lesson I learned from having this list involves flexibility in goal setting. I had a few goals that were something that wasn't actually important to me. I needed to start pursuing the goal to know I didn't want it anymore. 
• For example - I wanted to go to Africa before I was 30 but I wanted to go to help people less fortunate than me. As I tried to understand more about justice, my influence and how I can be "helpful" I realized doing a short term mission trip as a white person would be more about me wanting to feel good and not about the people I could help. So I took this off the list as I continued to think about social justice. Going to Africa is still on my bucket list though :) 
• For example - I had  a goal to pursue my Licensed Professional Counselor credential. As I started investigating that decision, it was going to cost me more in time and money that I was willing to invest and when I thought about my career and what I wanted it to involve, I intentionally removed this goal from my 30 before 30. 

So now, here is the final iteration of my 30 things I did before I turned 30 (in no particular order)

1. Advocate for something -> I raised money for clean water access in Rwanda
2. Go to Well of Mercy retreat center -> I went in June of this year and wrote about it 
3. Get paid to do a training MBTI or Strengths -> Thanks Heidi for hiring me to do some team building!
4. Scrapbook Crusade year -> It is complete! Come visit and I'll show you.
5. Be a counselor to missionaries -> I got to go in July 2012 
6. Pay off my car -> Just did last month!
7. Visit Kate Schultz in CO -> Saw her in July
8. Visit Lauren and family in MO -> Saw her in September 2012
9. Read 1 book per month  -> I'm on Goodreads
10. Go to an amusement park -> Did this twice!
11. Paint a canvas, not copying a picture -> Put my life motto on a canvas and hung it in my room
12. Consolidate online presence, create organized email! -> Love me some labels
13. Get enough race Tshirts to make a blanket -> did several races and plan to make the blanket before I turn 31

14. Be a mentor to someone each year - leader in church -> I've been a confirmation mentor and am now preparing to become an elder in my church
15. Find a mentor -> I now meet for dinner with a couple different women who mentor me
16. Teach a class -> I have taught BUS 105 twice for freshmen
17. Go to a Christian leader conference -> I attended Passion 2013 and Justice Conference 2013
18. Take advantage of the free grad classes at UNCG, don't stop learning -> I took 2 classes in the master of liberal studies program - Age of Revolutions and Global Human Rights
19. Apply for an international work opportunity -> I was accepted to present at an international education conference in Istanbul Turkey but decided not to attend due to some budget issues and timing
20. Lose 15 pounds -> did it in 2013
21. Visit new cities and countries -> Visited Philadelphia, Boston, Geneva
22. Get involved in Human Trafficking Efforts -> Attended the World Relief Gala to raise money for fighting human trafficking in NC
23. Sponsor a child in Africa through World Vision - Started this after seeing Girl Rising for a girl in Malawi
24. Continue to try new things -> I rode in a helicopter the other day and try to order new foods when I go out to eat :)

25. Live out my motto, reflect on examples -> Here's the reflection from 2012 and I hope to continue this tradition.
26. Tour NC wineries -> My boyfriend planned a day for us to see 3 NC wineries and taste wine. It was so much fun!

27. Continue blogging -> exhibit A.
28. Get next job in career -> I started as Associate Director December 1.

29. Kiss in the rain -> This happened, just trust me.
30. Fall in love -> This happened too with a boy who shares my birthday!