Life Lately...

To say that life has been a little bit crazy lately would be a bit of an understatement but you know what, honestly I wouldn't have it any other way.

Here are some of the highlights!

My friend Kevin left to serve our country overseas for a couple of months.

I am really proud of Kev-o. He's the first of one of my friends to do what he's doing. 

I turned 30. Three surprise parties were thrown to celebrate this new decade. Yes, THREE! (apparently I am really easy to surprise but more importantly, I seriously have some of the BEST people in my life.)

E, K, C and I ventured up the road a little way and had dinner and pie in Yoder. SO delicious!

 

We celebrated K's birthday at Pizza John's in Derby. YUM!

My good friend Christy and I have dinner together every so often. 

We decided to only eat at local places. The first stop was Cafe Asia! SO good! 

(any meal you eat with chopsticks is automatically better)

Pad Thai. (go to Cafe Asia and eat this. NOW)

E, C and I went to see The Lion King.

The show was amazing. 

Here's the thing about my life. It is full. It is sometimes busy but it is full of amazing people and incredible experiences. I am blessed and my cup overflows.

Claire, an orphan no more

Remember Claire?

I met Claire during the summer of 2011. I think it's safe to say that the Lord used her (and her story and her LIFE) to break my heart for orphans and expand my vision for orphan care around the world.

Today, Claire is now with her very own forever family. A mom and dad to call her own. A mom would found me on facebook last fall. A mom who has so graciously shared their adoption journey with me. A mom who shared these pictures of them meeting Claire for the very first time with me.

If you have a couple hours and want to read all about Claire's story during her time at ND, click here. (there are lots of links to several posts written about her.)

Pray for Claire as she grieves losing the only family she has ever know. Pray for the Robinson's that the Lord would fill them with grace and strength and wisdom as they seek to love and care for Claire well. Pray that Claire would trust them quickly, would adjust to the culture differences well and that she would KNOW that she is loved and rest in the knowledge that she has a family of her very own.

Claire's story as an orphan has FINALLY come to an end. 

20 things I learned in my 20's

My 30th birthday is on the horizon. EEK! As I face a brand new decade of life I can't help but look back and reflect on the wonderful/hard/life-changing/stretching 10 years of my life that I will affectionally look back on and will forever refer to as my "20's."

So with that, in no particular order, I give you yet another "list." 

20 things I learned in my 20's.

1. I am a starving extrovert. (i.e. I need people, good people in my life, ALL the time.)
2. Presence Matters. Show up. Listen. Pay attention. Be there. Laugh. Cry. Hug. It doesn't matter that you don't know what to say or even what to do, just be there. 
3. It is TRULY a privilege to be involved in the lives of people. (sure it's messy, but it's what we are called to do.)
4. Old Spice Fiji is one of my most favorite discoveries. (don't judge.) 
5. Having a group of women that come together on a weekly basis is VITAL. (I so LOVED the times that K, J, E, K and I met together when I first moved to Wichita. Now I have my MNGP's.) 
6. It is good for me to leave the country! 
7. I am a verbal processor. (probably have known that all my life, but owned that fact in my 20's) 
8. Saying "NO!" is necessary, even VITAL to maintaining one's sanity.
9. I am an ESFJ! 
10. Buying a house isn't as scary as some make it out to be.  
11. "Growing up" is hard but unavoidable, or so it seems. :)  
12. Traveling is much easier when you have a large backpack.
13. I LOVE color!
14. It is wise (and GREAT fun) to be involved in the lives of people of all ages. I LOVE that I have friends who have been a part of my life for 20 years. I LOVE that I have known Flan, Abe and Bird since they were born. I LOVE the friendships that I have with people of all ages.
15. Journaling is a beautiful thing. (made even better when using a Foray.) The funny thing about journals is that they provide brief glimpses into my heart and mind from years, months, even days ago.
16. Pray specifically. Know what's going on in the lives of the people around you and pray specifically. It is truly one of my greatest joys to pray for the people in my life.
17. Good bucket days are the best. 
18. Love. Don't fix. It was a hard lesson for me to learn (and probably one that I need to keep learning) but it was HUGE for me to realize the importance of loving people right where they are at and not trying to "fix" them. 
19. Some of the greatest people who have crossed my path in this decade I have had the privilege to call my students. 
20. Apparently I am really easy to surprise. I have been blessed by having two surprise birthday parties in light of this new decade that is approaching.

To sum up all that I have learned in my 20's is that I.AM.BLESSED! Thanks for being a part of my life. I am who I am because of the people that the Lord has put across my path. 

Honestly I am looking forward to seeing what this whole "30" thing is all about... 

How to care...

Surprise!

Apparently I am really easy to throw a surprise party for. My mom and sister started planning this little shin-dig back in April. They rallied the troops and gathered some of my favorite people all in one place and surprised me 24 days before my actual birthday.

I thought Jill and Holly and I were going to take a dip in my aunt's pool. Little did I know, I was walking into her living room filled with some of my dearest friends and family.

It's not a birthday without a delicious chocolate cake! YUM! 

I have good people.

I am related to some really fantastic people!

Summing up this summer...

I never like to see a summer come to an end.

Sure I know there are countless professions that do not get to enjoy a "summer" break like those of us who are in education do. However, the longer I teach, the more convinced I am that summer breaks are to maintain teacher sanity, to recharge, to rest, to get away, to shut down, to just be. 

That's what this summer was. That's what this summer needed to be. 

It's not that I'm "dreading" going back to work (I do enjoy my job most days) however there's a part of my heart that is reserved for summer. A part of my heart that comes alive in the summer. 

That part of my heart that is reserved for summer is very much wrapped up in a week spent down at Camp Quaker Haven. 

Bring Claire home

My girl Claire is SO close to getting to join her forever family!

I will never forget the day last summer when Rebecca found me on twitter then facebook, 

all because this pretty face...

stole my heart and was in my profile picture on facebook. 

Rebecca had seen something that I had posted on the New Day facebook page and recognized Claire's face. 

(PS YES social media CAN be used in some AMAZING ways.)

God was drawing her to Claire and I got to play a small part in their journey to Claire. 

NOW you can join in on their journey to finally unite Claire with her very own family.

If you love coffee, check out this link.

https://justlovecoffee.com/about/beneficiary/bringClairehome/