Fond Memories & New Beginnings

As I pack up my life again, I'm combing through so many things that bring back such sweet memories of growing up. It's amazing how much stuff one accumulates over a life time. I've always felt my storage space was small, but now that I'm tearing it apart, I'm realizing how much I've had stowed away all along. I've come across some pretty funny things - things and photos that remind me of my childhood, my awkward tween years and my high school days. Good laughs have been had, I assure you.

While it's sad to leave my beautiful room (which I put so much time into decorating) and bathroom (maybe I'll have some pics to post soon), it's exciting to know that fresh things are ahead. Sure it's my parent's house and I knew I wouldn't be here forever (at least I had hoped I wouldn't), but something about coming back to visit a place that holds so many memories is just nostalgic. I know I'll be moving on to new things within the next few months - but the thought of coming back to visit my family in an unfamiliar home is less than exciting.

On the upside, I've cleaned out so much junk and rid myself of things I had no idea I had held onto. It's somewhat freeing. I'm looking forward to a fresh start for myself and my family - since we'll be free of a house and it's maintenance, we've decided to take this time and do some traveling together as a family one last time before my sister and I officially "grow up." I'm so excited about this! I've been dreaming of traveling since I was a kid, and here's my chance to finally do it! I know big changes are around the corner for myself, so this last bit of quality time with my family will be cherished. We aren't too sure exactly what our destinations will be, but at the moment Hawaii, Australia and New Zealand are on the table. Believe it or not, I don't have a passport - so that's on the top of my to do list as soon as we settle in the rental house next week. I've been to Canada and Mexico and at the time, neither required a passport to enter, so now I'm on a mission. How's that for a little update? (I'm getting better at this :)

Much love!

d

Sleepless Night #2 - I'm on a roll.

So I'm moving again. This time it's only a few miles distance...actually my whole family is moving. We put our house up for sale a few months ago and after much prayer, house cleaning, and showing - we've found a buyer. Passed the home inspection and completed the appraisal - at this point, all that's left is the boxing up and moving out. This frenzy begins tomorrow. Due to the quickness of the sale, we've decided to make an extended vacay out of the transition and rent a fun house on the beach for 6 months or so. The only down side to this is we have to store just about EVERYTHING. Because the house is a beach rental, it's completely furnished - therefore we won't have room for the many pieces of furniture we've acquired through the years. As much as I just adore packing (smell the sarcasm?), sadly my end of the prep will have to be done throughout the late afternoons and/or evenings after work.

It's a bitter-sweet season for all of us. As we're all very excited for the things God has ahead, we're so sad to leave behind this beautiful home we've been so blessed to live in over the past 5 or 6 years. We've made so many good memories here, it always stings to shut the door on those.

Aside from that major endeavor - I've been nannying throughout the summer. The boys go back to school in August and I'll be out of a job once again. But not to fear, I have some things in the works that will keep me quite busy (I'll get to that in a moment). My best friend and dearest sister is also leaving me next month. :( As excited for her as I am, I'm terribly sad we'll be so far away from each other once again. She's moving to Lynchberg, VA to study communications at Liberty University. That too has had God's fingerprints all over it, so I know I can't be selfish - I'll just have to share her with LU for a season. I assure you, she will be dearly missed.

So my plans once the kids return to school?? Traveling! I'm so excited! Traveling is what makes me itch! I'll be heading to VA with my sister for a week in late August and then will head to the beautiful coast of California for a while in September - it gets better - with my DAD! :) He's been promising me a trip to California since 8th grade and I'm so excited, we finally have the time to do it! I believe we'll be traveling from San Francisco to San Diego and everywhere in between. California has had my heart for a few years now - probably since my first mission trip to Mexico 7 years ago. Needless to say, I'm thrilled to be returning to my favorite state. Beaches, shopping, sight seeing, visiting some of my favorite churches and hopefully seeing old friends - oh and can't forget that sweet father/daughter time! When I was little my dad used to take me on sales trips all the time (he's a rep for a sunglass company and travels up and down the East coast frequently), it was special one on one time with my dad that I so eagerly looked forward to. We haven't taken a trip together in years, so I'm really looking forward to this one. After California, Brenton and I are going with my parents to Tampa for a U2 concert (yay!) and then hopefully, if things work as planned, we'll be taking a trip to Ohio to visit his homeland. I have yet to see the places he grew up and meet the faces he speaks of frequently, so I'm looking forward to meeting his past. The trip is still in the planning stages, but we're hoping to go to Ohio and Michigan and then to Chicago to visit his sister Katie. While traveling, I'm really hoping to be journaling, writing, and breathing fresh air as I pray for this next season of life. Lots of new and exciting things ahead. My aimlessness seems to temporarily have a pause in sight - that is truly a relief.

Sorry I'm so bad at updating - maybe these sleepless nights aren't so bad after all....they're productive. :)

Love and blessings,

d

I must continue...

Totally can't sleep tonight....so I thought I'd put this time to good use, possibly relieve my brain from the many thoughts circling round and round.

Life never stops - change is always creeping around the corner and my heart easily finds itself left behind as I try to keep up with the fast pace of adjustment. Often, time is wasted as I backtrack trying to find the pieces of myself that have been strung along tattered streets. Calloused from the travels, and lightly bruised from the unexpected stops along the way - I retreat to regain strength. Creativity tries to fan a spark but can't seem to find the air necessary to birth more than a weak flicker. Beauty hides somewhere deep within and has great difficulty revealing itself, yet I'm determined to find it. Dreams have been put aside for all things logical, drowning in a sea of "responsibility" like a bag of bricks tossed overboard before it had the chance to reach it's intended destination. Yet somehow, through all the lurking, running, fanning and sinking - my grip remains tighter than ever as my frail fingers clutch ever-so tightly to the one hand that's worth holding. His light will pierce my darkness, His peace will heal my wounds, His spirit will ignite my fire, His breath will fill my lungs and His death will sustain my fragile life - for after all, He is the reason I must continue.

My Thoughts on Worship....

Hello friends,

Just thought I'd share a link : www.wonderfullymadeblog.blogspot.com I recently wrote a blog about my thoughts on worship for them and it was published this morning. :) Check it out and let me know what you think! Hope you're doing well! Updates coming soon!

Lots of love,

d

Girl on a Mission...

I think I've figured out why I have such a difficult time updating - I have ADD! Seriously, I cannot sit still for the life of me these days. I had issues with this as a kid in school (which is why I went through every type of schooling available in our area: all girl's private school, co-ed private school, home school, back to private school, homeschool again, public school, early admissions, etc., etc.) I love to write and I love to journal, I love to share my life with people and I love looking back on all the things God's doing in my life, but when it comes to sitting down and blogging about it - I find myself wandering around facebook, checking out the latest cruise specials or clicking through the most recent tours posted on statravel.com (haha, my secrets are out). So here I am - making myself focus. :) We'll see how it goes...

I finally have a job - a temporary one, but a job none-the-less. :) I'm nannying for a family I've known for a few years now. They called me out of the blue, desperate for a part-time nanny and well, I was desperate for work - so it was a win/win situation! :) They have two darling little boys (2 & 5)...the two year old is smiley 24/7 and the five year old talks constantly, informing me of all the events in his life, his brother's life and the lives of everyone else around him. :) Most would find this tiring, I find it amusing. I love his excitement for life and his curiosity - it reminds me of myself as a kid.

I've been in such a constant state of transition over the past few years, it seems things are always changing - never stable. Part of me loves the freedom this brings - knowing that things will never be the way they are "forever", therefore, why not give everything and anything a try? Yet, at the same time it's a bit frustrating...I'm constantly asking God what He's doing with me, what His ultimate plan and purpose for my life is. I'm realizing I had a rose-tinted outlook on "life" during high school and the short years that quickly followed - now that I've had a taste of what it's really like, I'm honestly a bit baffled. I know I have an intense love for my God and I deeply desire to use my gifts to serve Him for the rest of my life - yet, I'm finding my heart a bit numb to all things "spiritual." I say "spiritual" because the life I've lived up until now has been "spiritual" with a chunk of a Christ-centered relationship strewn about here and there. I've grown up in a Christian home, a Christian school (most of my life), a Christian church with Christian friends and extended family....I'm about as Christian as anyone gets - and yes, I realized in high school that Christianity was so much more than living out the life I had always lived, it was nurturing a personal relationship with my Creator, but now that I'm of age to make my own decisions and personally determine what the rest of my life will look like from here on out, I'm finding the life I previously lived to be boring, monotonous, binding and well - old. I'm most definitely in love with my Jesus, but the more time I spend with him these days, and the crazier the world around me becomes, the more I realize I am so far from living the life us Christians were charged to carry out. None of the fearless leaders in the Bible were bored - I can guarantee they weren't feeling bound, they were invigorated by the crazy, heart-pumping, adrenaline raising tasks God constantly put before them whether it be leading a silent army around walls of Jerico and blowing trumpets at certain times, building a massive boat secure enough to withstand winds, rain, waves and floods that were intended to wipe out the rest of the world, leading a generation of complaining Israelites through the wilderness for years and years and years without a "master plan", or housing spies God was using to demolish your city with the hope that your life may be spared....all of these Biblical characters lived a life on the edge. I'm sure they all had periods of down time, but for the most part their lives were hanging on every word God breathed into their hearts and they were able to push away the clutter in order to hear what He had to say. I crave that...I yearn for that and I'm desperately searching for a way to live that out within whatever career path I decide to take from her on. I'm so tired of going through the motions of "Christianity" without the passion, excitement, adrenaline and peace He has to offer. I'm not sure how things will begin to look different, but I'm on a mission to find the life that is most honoring, most glorifying and most powerful in the eyes of my Lord. =) I'm excited about the journey!

In the mean time, I'm off to the gym. (I'm pretty proud of myself for completing this update. It took me two days to write because...you guessed it, I got distracted. But none-the-less it's finished!) I hope everyone's doing well!

Lots of love blessings, excitement and adventure!!

d

A Gust of Blessings and A Breath of Inspiration....

So it will take me more than just one post to debrief you on the amazing things this past weekend held...words cannot begin to describe the outcome of the Wonderfully Made Conference and my time here in Santa Barbara, CA.

First of all - uh, how do I leave this place?! It's insanely BEAUTIFUL and the people here are so generous and kind - very warm and welcoming. I have yet to meet a stranger in this treasured place. California truly is the land of beautiful things - beautiful beaches, beautiful real estate and beautiful people (from the inside out).

The Conference - nothing short of amazing! It was a complete whirlwind upon arrival....
Thursday: flew into LA and drove to Santa Barbara. Headed to Ventura to pick up donations for the giveaways. Met my host family (amazing! the room they had set up for me had a little gift of chocolates and note pads marked with a "d" on my pillow and orchids and water bottles on my night stand...sweetest people ever!) Had dinner and crashed for the evening (loooong day).

Friday: We got an early start, making last minute preparations for the big day. We ran errands all over town and then headed up to meet with Meghan Incorvaia (the other WM worship leader i was playing with). Left to set up at the church and then had a rehearsal with Meghan that surprisingly went really well for our first time playing together. :) (God's so good!)

Saturday: The Big Day! Arrived at the church around 9:15am and was going non-stop....set up, sound check, run through, lyric input, etc....it was hectic! Girls began to trickle in early and excitement was brewing - the conference began with worship and media and an intro from Allie Marie Smith (founder of WM). From the beginning to end - walls were crumbling, hearts were softening and lives were changing (mine included). Jennifer Strickland (our keynote speaker) had an honesty and passion about her that made her story relatable and thought provoking. Girls were broken, hearts were healed and spiritual lives were challenged all in one day - it was so neat to be part of something so much bigger than myself. :) I am so humbled God chose me to be part of the whole experience.

I'm off to my last event before packing up - more to come soon!

Thanks for the prayers and encouragement! Lots of love, d