One year ago today...

...I was on a plane to Maastricht, the Netherlands. I cannot begin to explain what an adventure those three months were. It was the trip of a lifetime!

When I set foot on Baylor's campus in August of 2005, if you'd told me that I would spend my last semester of college in various foreign countries, I would have laughed in disbelief. You were talking to the girl who couldn't handle a week at summer camp before my senior year in high school. Going off to college two hours from home was adventure enough!

(Freshman Homecoming, 2005)

Well, gone is that girl who is terrified of leaving home. In her place is a well-traveled, cultured 23 year year old. (If I do say so myself!). That's not to say I didn't get homesick. I definitely did. I missed my family and friends a lot. A LOT. But, I learned the art of keeping in touch through email and Skype, and even snail mail. I tried to send a postcard to my Great Aunt Jenny in North Carolina in every city I visited.

I took my last eight hours of class through independent study, so I corresponded with my professors by email. It prepared me for the job I have now--my boss is in Austin and my other team member in Houston. We navigated train schedules and hostel reservations. I wish I could say I gained a better sense of direction, but that's just not meant to be. Thankfully I made a great new friend, Lyndsy, who took care of the directions part! And when we were lucky enough to travel with Katie, she definitely added a whole other sense of adventure. Oh, the stories she tells.

I learned to travel with only a day-pack for a backpack, and I honed the art of packing. I'm telling you, ROLLING your stuff is the secret. It really works.

I learned that the best place to make friends were on the train--they could give you inside scoop to your destination.

I fell in love with whoever invented Long Johns. They are the best invention ever for someone that gets chilled so easily. I wore them every. single. day. with. out. fail. Even into April.

London was a great place to start. I actually did have a sense of direction there, much to Katie's surpise. Something about Subway systems make sense. We got great, cheap seats to see Les Miserables and Wicked.

Spain was my favorite. Perhaps it was the warm sunshine we hadn't seen in months, or the familiar Spanish language, or the apartment-style hostel we lived in with 10 of our friends. That is at the top of my list of places to go back to.

Rothenburg, Germany wins for being the most quaint. I remember the snow and all the good food we ate: Chinese food, German food and Italian food. Dutch food left much to be desired, so by the time we traveled there on our third week in Europe, I definitely appreciated it.

Nice, France was the most picturesque--without a doubt. I really have no words.

Easter in Rome was unforgettable. Mainly because I fainted and was cared for by the Pope's very own doctors and nurses.

Pompeii, Italy was something I'd wanted to see since my seventh grade Latin class when we learned about Mt. Vesuvius' eruption that swept over the city, catching its residents mid-run. I also ran into a friend that I worked with at Southwest Airlines. My small world just got smaller.

Oh, what semester. I gained so much independence and confidence in those three months. I learned much about myself, about relationships, and about Europe. I cemented friendships with those I traveled with and with those I kept in touch with. It was quite the adventure.

I quickly got acclamaited back to life in the states--making regular runs to Sonic Happy Hour for a Dr. Pepper. I graduated from college and began the job hunt. I've now worked long enough to have my own insurance--weird. To say life has changed in the last year would be an understatement. But I'm learning to like this new life, too. But as I sit at my desk some days, flashes of Europe play in my head. They make me smile the most.

Pants on the Ground

This weekend at church, I spent it with 11th Grade Girls for Winter Weekend (aka Disciple Now). They were the sweetest group of girls, and I had so much fun with them and digging into deeper things.

Our big sessions with the whole youth group had a variety of entertainment options: a magician, a rapper, the New Zealand band Detour 180, the speaker and a comedy duo that was actually pretty funny. One of the things they referenced right away was the clip from American Idol where this old guy rapped a song called "Pants on the Ground." I went and looked it up, and could not stop rolling.

I tried to embed the video in this post from YouTube, and I can't really figure out how to do it. So just click here to follow the link. Enjoy. And if you know how to embed a YouTube video, let me know!

On a more serious note, please continue to pray for Ben and Katie in Haiti. They have to decide soon if it's best to stay there or evacuate. We also have another friend, Diane, at church that went as a nurse with a group of doctors to Haiti yesterday morning--please lift them up as well.

His Word Does Not Return Empty!

I was just trying to come up with something to blog about today. One of my favorite sites to check is Beth Moore's Living Proof Ministries blog. It is uplifting, insightful and very funny, too.

Last year, they had a Scripture Memory Team, where you committed to memorizing a specific verse on the 1st and 15th of each month, and if you did 20 out of 24 verses, you could come to a special event Beth Moore was putting on just for this group of people. I was pumped to hear about it & also excited to start it up in 2010.

As today is January 15, I was hoping they would post more information on this, and they did. Alas, it was not what I wanted to hear! LPM isn't doing the Scripure Memory Team this year, but that doesn't mean we can't memorize it this year on our own!

So, if you would like to be a part of the 2010 Scripture Memory Fiesta (I'm open to naming this differently!), just add a comment with your verse that you would like to commmit to memory over the next two weeks. Write it out in whatever version you find can relate to best, and leave it in the comments section. This way, others can get ideas for which scriptures they might want to learn.

It doesn't have to be really long, but it could be. Just as long as we're hiding God's Word in our Hearts, I think that's a great start! (Does anyone else remember Steve Green's Hide 'em In Your Heart music? Tell me yes.)

I will leave you with this, from Isaiah 55:

10 As the rain and the snow

come down from heaven,

and do not return to it

without watering the earth

and making it bud and flourish,

so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,

11 So is my word that goes out from my mouth:

It will not return to me empty,

but will accomplish what I desire

and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

12 You will go out in joy

and be led forth in peace;

the mountains and hills

will burst into song before you,

and all the trees of the field

will clap their hands.

13 Instead of the thornbush will grow the pine tree,

and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.

This will be for the LORD's renown,

for an everlasting sign,

which will not be destroyed."

Happy Friday!

ps. For the Deltas: I just loved the pine tree reference in verse 13. Made me smile.

Haiti

UPDATE: To get a very real sense of what it's like for those in Haiti, check out my Baylor Student Foundation Friend and her husband's blog. They just move there to be missionaries two weeks ago.

Ben and Katie in Haiti

Not very often do I turn on the TV to get my news. My main source of news comes as I make my way to work each morning and listen to the radio. As a Public Relations major who had to know current events for pop quizzes, I suppose it is a shame that I use only one source to get my news. But hey, at least I'm getting it.

I heard about the earthquake in Haiti yesterday, but perhaps because I hadn't seen photos or really knew much about it, I wasn't aware of the magnitude of the situation. This morning as I got ready, I prayed that I would have an urgency and also have compassion for those in Haiti. Well, the Lord answered fast.

As soon as I got to work, I looked through my typical blogs I like to check, and one after another came up about ways to donate to the relief efforts in Haiti.

Living Proof Ministries, Beth Moore's organization, has posted a list of ways to donate to the disaster relief. This is what they have written:

Compassion is already in active operation toward aid for Haiti and so is World Vision. You can also get on the official Red Cross website and give online. Go to Redcross.org then look for "donate" and choose "International Response Fund."

Text "HAITI" to 90999 to donate $10 to Red Cross relief efforts. It will be charged on your cell phone bill.

My heart goes out especially to those children sponsored by Compassion International. I have much respect for that organization and the work that it does in Jesus' name to meet the physical and spiritual needs of children and families in impoverished conditions.

Please consider donating as much or as little as you can. And of course the best thing we can do is get on our knees and pray.

How do you spell Love?

T-I-M-E.

At least that's how I spell it. On my lunch break (you know, the ones where I've already eaten, so I use them to run errands), I called my brother just to see if he was around. Lo and behold, he was! That, my friend, is a rare occurrence. (I say "friend" because today I actually have a follower. It's a big day.)

My phone informed me after we hung up that we'd talked for a full 27 minutes. That's enough time to make a Mama jealous. Perhaps I won't share that with her? (And no, this is not my phone. I got it here.)

These are just a few reasons why I love my brother:

• Once you get him going, he just talks and talks and talks. I love it.
• He's really good at making friends in all sorts of places. I remember going to the beach as a kid an he'd have five friends within two minutes.
• He's incredibly smart and well read, but he doesn't come across as a know-it-all. He just has all these random facts in his head that he pulls out whenever the time is right. It's really amazing.
• When he was home for Christmas, we had great time catching up at Chip's Hamburgers. Even though he somehow forgot to bring his wallet that day (how convenient).
• That same night, he came over for dinner and stayed for two hours to chat with me and my roomie. He even tried to build a fire. I determined that it was not the builder that was the problem, but the logs. Hey, at least he tried.

Ok, I think that's enough sappy-ness for today on here. But I just thought the world wide web would want to know.

Adios for now.

Truth: You Never Relly Stop Learning

I was reminded today that you never really stop learning. I mean, I knew that already, but it just rang true again for me. These last eight (oh my!) months since graduation, I have learned a lot about myself and about life in general.

First, I'm stronger than I thought. By the grace of God, He alone has enabled me to successfully navigate through some rough waters.

Secondly, I knew I had great friends, but MAN are they wonderful. The best kind are there for you when you need them the most and can hardly muddle through life, but there they are, checking on you, making you laugh, and taking you to get frozen yogurt five days in a row (true friends).

Thirdly, people were right when they tell you that college is the best time of your life. Granted, I haven't lived much past college yet, but those four years now have me wishing for four more, and wondering why in the heck I decided to get out of there so fast. It was a sweet time; not without strugges, but it was good. And I'm thankful for the memories. And the photos.

I'm going to lose the transitional numbers...I've never really liked them anyway. It can take a long time to find a job. Especially in this economy. But really, it all comes down to who you know. Seriously. Networking is key.

I didn't know this about myself, but I'm an extremely loyal person. I thrive on old frienships, and I value keeping in touch.

I'm pretty efficient at getting work done. I wasn't aware of this, but after working in the "real world," I can say that, I think. I love checking things off my to-do list at the office. Surprisingly getting stuff done at home isn't as easy. (See next point.)

Laundry is constant. Yes, I know we all know this, but I was just reminded of it. Seriously...it never stops. I don't know how people with families keep up with it. Crazy.

My priorities have shifted from go-go-go, to making the most of relationships and taking life at a slower pace. At first, it was rather shocking to have free time. I didn't really like it. Now, I'm learning to embrace it, because I don't know how long it will last.

Making friends takes time. Lots of time. Especially when you move and all your friends that you're closest to don't live nearby. And you have to be willing to put yourself out there and try things outside of your comfort zone. Sometimes they pay off, and sometimes they don't. But at least you tried.

Having a place of your own is quite a treat. I have really enjoyed getting settled into my new apartment.

Last week, I discovered that I like to try new things to cook. One night, I made pork loin and had leftovers, so we had stir-fry later that week. And when I didn't have time or oven space to make baked potatoes with the pork loin, I found a recipe for oven fries instead. And they were delicious!

Life will not always be perfect, but hang on to the good things--bitterness never looked good on anyone.

Suitcase packing tips!

I know it's been a while. Happy 2010! I just love the evenness of typing 2010. It's great. I hope it's going to be a wonderful year.

I spent quite a bit of 2009 traveling all over Europe, and I was excited to see the tips on Real Simple's website for how to pack a suitcase. I like to think of packing as a game, especially now that the airlines make it so complicated and expensive to check bags (except Southwest!).

So here it is: Real Simple's version of how to pack a bag. I'm all for rolling as much as you can instead of folding. It really does save so much space--more than I thought! That's how I got around Europe using a daypack backpack instead of a huge camping bag (my back couldn't have handled it, that's for sure!).

I'm not sure where my travels will take me this year--hopefully trips in Texas to visit sweet friends, and also out of state to visit, too. We shall see...