Disregarding the fact that I don't even know the last time I wrote a blog post --
Well, college graduation has come and gone. Here I sit with a Bachelors of English. And, because of the grace of God, I also can call proudly call myself an employed college graduate.
Never in my wildest dreams did I dare to think that I would have a job within a month of graduation. All throughout undergrad, my approach to thinking about a career was telling myself over and over that English degrees were super versatile and that I could do whatever I wanted. As graduation approached I much less confidently told myself I could find a job.
Job searching is always a night mare. Where is someone even supposed to start? I scoured the local classifieds, continually looked out for "help wanted" signs, and searched every department store's website for job openings locally. Finally I broke down and joined a job search website. I scrolled through several pages before I even found one for which I thought I might be qualified.
Even after I finally found a job I wanted to send an application and my resume, it feels like potential employers make applicants jump through hoop after hoop (after hoop).
In summation of that long story, I don't like trying to find a job.
*steps onto soap box*
I spent a good portion of the 50 minute drive to my interview just praying that the Lord would help me deal with whatever happened with my job search in the best way possible. Sometimes we have to learn lessons with our failures. I told him that I knew He had my back, and that I knew whatever happened would ultimately be for His gain. The Lord is going to use my life in any and every way that I let him, my job included.
I've never felt particularly called to any certain profession. I believe that the Lord tells and leads some people very specific things for life. Other people just have to continue working in the trenches. We don't all require some great and defining life calling in order to dedicate our lives to God's ultimate commandment: spreading His word; making disciples.
*steps down off of soap box*
I have now completed my first week of post college [big girl] employment. I have a desk that I can put pictures and personal belongings on. I have a chair that I am still working on getting the settings all configured just perfect. And I have co-workers and "people from work." It is absolutely crazy.
This is the time of my life that I never thought would come. It was never hard for me to imagine middle school, high school, or even college, and what I thought my life would be like at those points. The time has come now that I never really looked forward to and tried to plan out.
All I can say about my lack-of-a-plan is that I am so excited to see what comes. Sure, things got a bit hazy there for a while, and I seriously questioned why I spent four years of my life and racked up quite the chunk of chain in loans just for a piece of paper. But college was the best experience of my life. I met so many amazing people who helped to poke, prod, pull, stretch, and define the person I am today. I gained valuable academic and life knowledge from incredible teachers who have made forever impacts on my life. Because of all of these people, I can sit here and write this with a genuine smile on my face about the fact that I don't really have a plan.
Sure, I could take the time to draft up a beautiful timeline to map out my 5, 10, and 15 year plans.
But what I have certainly found out about plans is that God thinks they are hilarious. He most definitely likes to laugh at my plans. I've found that its much easier on my heart, mind, and soul to simply laugh along with Him, and tackle whatever He puts in front of me instead.
Friday, June 19, 2015
Monday, February 9, 2015
Nome, Alaska
Alaska is the most incredible state. The native culture is beautiful.
I was so incredibly blessed to get the chance to serve in Nome, Alaska in January. I went with a team from my university and we met up with a team of women from Alaska Missions. Our purpose was to help Alaska Missions put on their annual Women's Conference for the women of Nome and the surrounding areas. This time of year, Alaska has very little daylight, around four hours in the middle of the day. It is a very dark time physically and spiritually. We were there to be encouragers for these women.
Never did I think I would leave this place full of encouragement. Some of the women we met have led incredibly difficult lives. Many of the people living in these villages have experienced sexual abuse from the people around them that they trusted. Sometimes their abusers are family members. Sometimes they were betrayed by a neighbor or other trusted adult. Alcoholism is very high among these communities. The suicide rate among men in these communities is also incredibly high. These people have a lot of hurt and suffering around them.
Despite all of the evil they face every day, the women we met at the conference praise Jesus with every cell in their bodies. They know that the Lord is faithful and will save their people from this vicious cycle.
Our team was so blessed to get to meet these women. Alaska Missions brought us together as a team of women from all over the country and of all different ages. The native women couldn't believe we'd traveled so far to be with them. I would do it again in a heartbeat. Alaska stole a piece of my heart.
Sunday, October 5, 2014
Adventuring with Emily
Look what I found! Hey there blog. You look lonely. Let me tell you a thing.
This weekend was Homecoming. Between all the brilliant, hilarious, craziness that is Homecoming plus teachers still giving incessant homework, there seems to be little time to rest. My favorite moment of the weekend happened Saturday night. I'd come home after the football game (which we dominated) and started catching up on The Walking Dead. I peaked outside and saw the sunset was going to beautiful. Last minute I called up my girl Emily, who's always up for an adventure, and we headed out to one of Bolivar's many bridges to try and capture my favorite aspect of God's creation.
Driving out of town around seven or so, I was nervous. Chasing a sunset, hoping to make it in time to catch some its glorious light, is not a thing one does calmly. (Plus, my irrational side didn't want to run into any walkers after dark.) Though I firmly believe that wrong turns are simply part of any adventure, I was incredibly thankful to arrive at our intended bridge in time to capture some of the most stunning colors I've seen in the sky.
After a week of non-stop running around, I loved being outside to soak up the beauty around us. Don't go calling me Wordsworth (seriously please don't he kind of creeps me out) but being near the water always seems to set me to rights again. I'm still definitely a newbie when it comes to photography but I'm really enjoying learning. Plus my camera is already my baby. Here are some of my favorite images from our too-short-but-fantastic spur-of-the-moment sunset session:
This weekend was Homecoming. Between all the brilliant, hilarious, craziness that is Homecoming plus teachers still giving incessant homework, there seems to be little time to rest. My favorite moment of the weekend happened Saturday night. I'd come home after the football game (which we dominated) and started catching up on The Walking Dead. I peaked outside and saw the sunset was going to beautiful. Last minute I called up my girl Emily, who's always up for an adventure, and we headed out to one of Bolivar's many bridges to try and capture my favorite aspect of God's creation.
Driving out of town around seven or so, I was nervous. Chasing a sunset, hoping to make it in time to catch some its glorious light, is not a thing one does calmly. (Plus, my irrational side didn't want to run into any walkers after dark.) Though I firmly believe that wrong turns are simply part of any adventure, I was incredibly thankful to arrive at our intended bridge in time to capture some of the most stunning colors I've seen in the sky.
After a week of non-stop running around, I loved being outside to soak up the beauty around us. Don't go calling me Wordsworth (seriously please don't he kind of creeps me out) but being near the water always seems to set me to rights again. I'm still definitely a newbie when it comes to photography but I'm really enjoying learning. Plus my camera is already my baby. Here are some of my favorite images from our too-short-but-fantastic spur-of-the-moment sunset session:
Thursday, February 6, 2014
Four months in pictures.
I'm still here!
Well to sum up the last four months as quickly as possible: the semester was absolute nuts, I suffered my first concussion, I ate lots of food at Thanksgiving and Christmas, I moved a bit more permanently to Bolivar, my step-brother and sister-in-law had their first child, I turned 21, and the Spring semester has begun. Whew.
I'm actually really excited about this semester. Maybe it's the fact that I know spring, summer, and warm weather is on the way. Perhaps it has to do with the fact that I'm genuinely excited about (most) of my classes. Linguistically, this semester I'm studying the History of the English Language. As with my other English classes, I know H.E.L. (as my professor affectionately abbreviates the course name) will be challenging yet incredibly fascinating. We'll be approaching the history of our language more from the people who have spoken English and the reasons why than from a statistical or logistical approach. I really enjoy learning from this professor and am looking forward to this class, so hopefully I'll still be giving a thumbs up at the end of the semester.
After somewhat of an absence last semester, I'm back in the world of literature classes. Last semester I took Contemporary Poetry, but it just wasn't the same as studying literature of the past. It sure isn't the same as 17th & 18th Century British Literature and the American Novel. The semester began only a week ago but I can already tell a difference in myself. Every time I say "17th & 18th Century British Literature" a tiny spark alights. Part of it is terror. I'm half way through my junior in college and I'm still not quite sure how I got here. (The same thing happened with my birthday. How in the world am I 21 years old already?) But the other (larger) part has everything to do with a love and wonder at the things I feel so blessed to be able to study. I found myself today beginning to complain about the amount of reading I had to do for my classes tomorrow. As I heard the words coming out of my mouth my head took a huge step back. Why in the world was I complaining? Reading is only one of the most enjoyable things in my life and I am doing it for homework. Seriously. FOR HOMEWORK. Other students are taking classes studying Death & Dying and Analytic Chemistry. I get to study British and American Literature. To each his own, but I consider myself unbelievably lucky.
Over the course of the semester I will be reading nine (yes, count them, NINE) novels written by American authors for my American Novel class. We've already finished one of them. I read the entirety of The Scarlet Letter over five days. Nineteen of those twenty-four chapters I read in a single day. I know most students read the novel in high school. However, this was my first time reading the whole story. I've owned the book for quite a while and never managed to make the entire way through. Apparently I just needed the necessity. In hopes of blogging more and giving myself occasion to write my hope is to post my thoughts on each novel once finished reading (or re-reading) them. [I've started penny for your paperback so that my book thoughts don't overcome this blog.]
As I said, I'd been meaning to read The Scarlet Letter for a good while and had just never managed to make it through the first half. Honestly I had a bit of trouble making it through the entire book. The story does pick up toward the end, but by that point I was almost exhausted from swimming through Hawthorne's beautiful (and lengthy) descriptions. I did find his writing to be beautiful. I think if I had been able to read the story in smaller sections and really be able to chew on them, rather than feeling as if I had to swallow the story whole, I would have enjoyed the novel much more. Especially after discussing in class I know I really enjoyed the story. I'm also unsure of how I feel about the ending. With so much detail and description packed into the greater part of the novel, I felt as the end came almost abruptly. I guess Nathaniel Hawthorne was just a total rebel. He wrote fiction and played with common plot structure. Overall I did enjoy The Scarlet Letter, but I am glad I didn't read it in high school. I definitely wouldn't have been able to appreciate Hawthorne's work both on its own and for its place in American literature.
After finishing with Hawthorne I turned to John Donne for some 17th century British romantic poetry. Never would I have guessed that the flea was "a popular erotic theme" among European poets. That's definitely a new (well, I guess old) one. It was certainly strange transitioning from reading American Romantic literature to the 17th Century mostly satirical poetry of British Donne. Strange, yet enjoyable.
Here's to a strange, interesting, and enjoyable semester!
I'm actually really excited about this semester. Maybe it's the fact that I know spring, summer, and warm weather is on the way. Perhaps it has to do with the fact that I'm genuinely excited about (most) of my classes. Linguistically, this semester I'm studying the History of the English Language. As with my other English classes, I know H.E.L. (as my professor affectionately abbreviates the course name) will be challenging yet incredibly fascinating. We'll be approaching the history of our language more from the people who have spoken English and the reasons why than from a statistical or logistical approach. I really enjoy learning from this professor and am looking forward to this class, so hopefully I'll still be giving a thumbs up at the end of the semester.
After somewhat of an absence last semester, I'm back in the world of literature classes. Last semester I took Contemporary Poetry, but it just wasn't the same as studying literature of the past. It sure isn't the same as 17th & 18th Century British Literature and the American Novel. The semester began only a week ago but I can already tell a difference in myself. Every time I say "17th & 18th Century British Literature" a tiny spark alights. Part of it is terror. I'm half way through my junior in college and I'm still not quite sure how I got here. (The same thing happened with my birthday. How in the world am I 21 years old already?) But the other (larger) part has everything to do with a love and wonder at the things I feel so blessed to be able to study. I found myself today beginning to complain about the amount of reading I had to do for my classes tomorrow. As I heard the words coming out of my mouth my head took a huge step back. Why in the world was I complaining? Reading is only one of the most enjoyable things in my life and I am doing it for homework. Seriously. FOR HOMEWORK. Other students are taking classes studying Death & Dying and Analytic Chemistry. I get to study British and American Literature. To each his own, but I consider myself unbelievably lucky.
Over the course of the semester I will be reading nine (yes, count them, NINE) novels written by American authors for my American Novel class. We've already finished one of them. I read the entirety of The Scarlet Letter over five days. Nineteen of those twenty-four chapters I read in a single day. I know most students read the novel in high school. However, this was my first time reading the whole story. I've owned the book for quite a while and never managed to make the entire way through. Apparently I just needed the necessity. In hopes of blogging more and giving myself occasion to write my hope is to post my thoughts on each novel once finished reading (or re-reading) them. [I've started penny for your paperback so that my book thoughts don't overcome this blog.]
As I said, I'd been meaning to read The Scarlet Letter for a good while and had just never managed to make it through the first half. Honestly I had a bit of trouble making it through the entire book. The story does pick up toward the end, but by that point I was almost exhausted from swimming through Hawthorne's beautiful (and lengthy) descriptions. I did find his writing to be beautiful. I think if I had been able to read the story in smaller sections and really be able to chew on them, rather than feeling as if I had to swallow the story whole, I would have enjoyed the novel much more. Especially after discussing in class I know I really enjoyed the story. I'm also unsure of how I feel about the ending. With so much detail and description packed into the greater part of the novel, I felt as the end came almost abruptly. I guess Nathaniel Hawthorne was just a total rebel. He wrote fiction and played with common plot structure. Overall I did enjoy The Scarlet Letter, but I am glad I didn't read it in high school. I definitely wouldn't have been able to appreciate Hawthorne's work both on its own and for its place in American literature.
After finishing with Hawthorne I turned to John Donne for some 17th century British romantic poetry. Never would I have guessed that the flea was "a popular erotic theme" among European poets. That's definitely a new (well, I guess old) one. It was certainly strange transitioning from reading American Romantic literature to the 17th Century mostly satirical poetry of British Donne. Strange, yet enjoyable.
Here's to a strange, interesting, and enjoyable semester!
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Welcome Fall!
There sure does seem to be a lot to say since the last time I posted. Things certainly have picked up since school's started. Even though I'm very sad that summer has to officially end (summer's really a state of mind, my sister & I agree), I'm glad that fall is here. Cooler weather, apple-flavored things, sweaters, flannel, and football and just some of my favorite things about fall.
This semester started out with Welcome Week 2013. Group 8 was fantastic and I had such a blast. I really enjoyed getting to know my fellow leaders better and meeting a great group of Freshmen! Welcome Week is such a great time to fall in love with school and our community and truly enjoy getting to give back to the town that will gives us so much.
On the last day of freedom, some friends and I took a trip out to the lake to enjoy the beautiful weather. After not doing much this summer, this trip to the lake was much needed. Even though the water level was up, we had a great afternoon hanging out, playing corn hole, and enjoying the beautiful day before school started. Those are the days that memories are made.
The rest of my weekends seem to have flown by. I have some fantastic friends and we've been making the most of our time. My weekends have been filled with more trips to the lake, college football, and concerts with my sister. Girl time with my room mates and flag football give me breaks from school during the week. Class work has picked up immeasurably as the majority of my load consists of classes for my major. We know that "all work and no play makes Johnny a dull boy" so I've been trying to balance the increasing work load with as much play as I can. Thankfully, some weeks there's more time for play than others. The Lord has blessed me with some fantastic people in my life and I plan to make many more memories along the way.
So for now, its goodbye summer & hello fall! This summer finished out so much better than I would have thought and I look forward to many great times this fall. I bought my first jar of apple butter today at my church's fall festival. I've pulled out my flannel. My Steelers haven't had the best luck as of yet but ya never know what might happen. My Cardinals will be playing into October! Its finally cooling off enough for drinking coffee to be enjoyable again. Fall, food, flannel, friends, football! What more could a girl ask for?
This semester started out with Welcome Week 2013. Group 8 was fantastic and I had such a blast. I really enjoyed getting to know my fellow leaders better and meeting a great group of Freshmen! Welcome Week is such a great time to fall in love with school and our community and truly enjoy getting to give back to the town that will gives us so much.
The rest of my weekends seem to have flown by. I have some fantastic friends and we've been making the most of our time. My weekends have been filled with more trips to the lake, college football, and concerts with my sister. Girl time with my room mates and flag football give me breaks from school during the week. Class work has picked up immeasurably as the majority of my load consists of classes for my major. We know that "all work and no play makes Johnny a dull boy" so I've been trying to balance the increasing work load with as much play as I can. Thankfully, some weeks there's more time for play than others. The Lord has blessed me with some fantastic people in my life and I plan to make many more memories along the way.
So for now, its goodbye summer & hello fall! This summer finished out so much better than I would have thought and I look forward to many great times this fall. I bought my first jar of apple butter today at my church's fall festival. I've pulled out my flannel. My Steelers haven't had the best luck as of yet but ya never know what might happen. My Cardinals will be playing into October! Its finally cooling off enough for drinking coffee to be enjoyable again. Fall, food, flannel, friends, football! What more could a girl ask for?
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