day 06 - a song that reminds you of somewhere

"For The Morning" Alli Rogers.
Where am I?

I'm in my college dorm room, or anywhere at college, studying and just trying to make it through the night. It might be an all nighter, or just until 3am. It might be any subject, but chances are it's my psych classes, pushing through cognitive the neurobiology until I just can't anymore. It's black outside, no sounds except the turning of pages or creating of note cards.

It's also driving at night- in the rain. When my passenger is asleep, and there's nothing but the miles under my tires. When it just stretches on forever.

the song captures that desperation when I'm just waiting for the morning to get there.
a reminder that God's mercies are, indeed... new every morning. Praising God even when it's midnight.
That desperate plea for hope.

Day 26 - A picture of something that means a lot to you.

Day 26 - A picture of something that means a lot to you.


My Car. My Car has been with me through so many things. I've driven it thousands and thousands of miles, across Canada and Alaska, and most of this great United States. I've slept in it, far more often driven through the night in it, and it's been my home for the past 5 years until I got married. 

I love my car. 

Day 21 - A picture of something you wish you could forget.

I WANT TO FORGET THIS.

Day 20 - A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel.

Day 20 - A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel.

Back to Alaska- driving all over the place. My dream is to show my husband the place that stole my heart.

Day 11: A picture of something you love.

A picture of something you love...  this was easy.
The Kenai Peninsula. Glorious mountains, volcanoes, beaches, fishing, awesome and glorious space.

Day 10 - A picture of the person you do the most messed up things with.

Day 10 - A picture of the person you do the most messed up things with.


The phrasing of this particular day is a bit odd: so I'll clarify.  These ladies, these are very special: we do the most spontaneous and outrageous things together. Lately I haven't been able to see them much, which makes me very sad. 


Lady 1: Joy Lewis. This photo, I believe was taken on the way to get my second tattoo done. :) With her we've done crazy 14 hour road trips, bad hair dye jobs (ketchup, anyone?) shetchy neighborhoods, wedding drama, etc.  

Lady 2: Shannon Finn. My psych sister! We've gone through so many things together and come up with great ideas.  We've done tattoos and piercings together (especially after neurobiology class was over!!)  She's currently rocking the criminology graduate school Ivy League style in the crazy city of Phillllyyydelphia. (brotherly love there, not so much I hear...)

Day 08 - A picture that makes you laugh.

Day 08 - A picture that makes you laugh: 


This is the best photo I have of the night that Victoria Harper and I spent the night in my car. It was 9 degrees. We got here around 2am, and slept in the back of this truck stop, hoping no one noticed. She hallucinated, and it was quite "memorable." (miserable) This is just over the Oklahoma Border. 

Day 2

Day 2: A picture of you and the person you have been close with for the longest.


My friend Sara Davenport, known her since 5th grade, but good friends since 9th. The mother of my goddaughter- I haven't seen her in way too long :( 

30 days

Day 1:

Fireweed blooming in the background: Homer Alaska- my real hometown. 

1- I'm from Alaska, and have had a hard time adjusting to calling anywhere else home. There's no place that I miss more.
2-I'm a Christian, and believe that every day's goal is to die to self and become more like my Savior, Jesus Christ.
3- For the first time in my life, I'm not in a rigorous academic environment, and have found that I still have a deep passion for learning.
4-I majored in Psychology, and have a deep love for discussing both neurobiology as well as social psych theories and practices.
5-I love to drive: I've driven many long roadtrips. The longest and stupidest so far was 1200 miles in one straight drive alone. The longest one was from Alaska-Canada-Colorado-Michigan.  There was a time span of about 5 or 6 days that I didn't shower or change clothes and just slept in my car. It was fantastic.
6-I've had both "cushy" and manual labor jobs: selling high priced jewelry, hosting million dollar honors at my college, ditch digging and placing water pipeline in 100 degree heat. I learned a lot from both types.
7- May of 2010 was a crazy month for me: I took finals, graduated from one of the most difficult colleges in the country, got married, took a road trip honeymoon and moved to Chicago all in a matter of two weeks.
8-I don't have a lot of people that I've known for a very long time because I've moved a lot- my only true roots are to my faith and to my state.
9- I really hate wearing socks. And shoes. But especially socks.
10- I'm really lousy at beauty-related things: I don't even know how to blowdry my hair. I don't even own a blowdryer. This is more related to my laziness than anything else.
11-Most people think I'm much older than I am: I had to grow up fast. For this reason, I have a lot of child still within me- and I plan on keeping it that way.
12- I love to read books of just about any kind. But I cannot seem to borrow library books and not get a fine. This record has not been broken in the past 7 years.
13-I have PCOS: Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. (more about that on my health blog here) Between all the family drama that has happened the past 8 months, I haven't had a whole lot of time to deal with it.
14- I have a goddaughter named Brylie, whose mom is getting married soon in Virginia.
15-I really like to do 'housewifey' things like make beaded jewelry, earings, scrapbook, cook, organize. I never thought that I would say that about myself, but life is a constant journey of discovery.

Day 01 - A picture of yourself with fifteen facts.
Day 02 - A picture of you and the person you have been close with for the longest.
Day 03 - A picture of the cast from your favorite show.
Day 04 - A picture of your night.
Day 05 - A picture of your favorite memory.
Day 06 - A picture of a person you'd love to trade places with for a day.
Day 07 - A picture of your most treasured item.
Day 08 - A picture that makes you laugh.
Day 09 - A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most.
Day 10 - A picture of the person you do the most messed up things with.
Day 11 - A picture of something you hate.
Day 12 - A picture of something you love.
Day 13 - A picture of your favorite band or artist.
Day 14 - A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without.
Day 15 - A picture of something you want to do before you die.
Day 16 - A picture of someone who inspires you.
Day 17 - A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently.
Day 18 - A picture of your biggest insecurity.
Day 19 - A picture of you when you were little.
Day 20 - A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel.
Day 21 - A picture of something you wish you could forget.
Day 22 - A picture of something you wish you were better at.
Day 23 - A picture of your favorite book.
Day 24 - A picture of something you wish you could change.
Day 25 - A picture of your day.
Day 26 - A picture of something that means a lot to you.
Day 27 - A picture of yourself and a family member.
Day 28 - A picture of something you're afraid of.
Day 29 - A picture that can always make you smile.
Day 30 - A picture of someone you miss

2011

2010 was a super awesome year for a lot of reasons :) I got married, I graduated college, moved away from Michigan, got to take two super awesome roadtrips, one with my friend Victoria last January and one with my husband as our honeymoon. I've grown in old relationships, formed new ones, joined a fantastic church and have seen God's plan directly unfold in many areas of our lives. That's jaw dropping.

Marine core issued K-bar: best wit Jiffy Peanut Butter in a Camry.
That's dedication. We later slept in my car in 9 degrees in the back of a
truck stop somewhere by the border of Oklahoma. 

2010 had lots of valleys as well. Both my own parents and my in-laws marriages quickly unraveled and are now in divorce proceedings. My friend Daniel Parker was killed in a tragic biking accident right after I got married. Moving and living in Chicago has been a difficult transition for me.


I'm a big believer in goals. Goals give us framework, perspective, understanding, aspirations. They give us hope- knowing that we are not condemned to make the same mistakes as the past; as a Christian I believe that we're enabled through the power of God to become more and more the person we should be, something worth rejoicing over. Goals are a healthy part of everyday life: organization, structure, time management.


This past January 1st I looked back at some of my 2010 goals, and pondered how the year had unfolded.  This year I plan on posting them here: constant review, reminders, encouragement. My goals for 2011 are as follows:


1) Be consistently growing in the Lord:
-daily, meditative time in the Scripure.
-weekly memorization.
-intense times of prayer of thanks, adoration, petition.
-study of Christian biographies
     - Hudson Taylor, Dietrich Bonhoiffer, Jim Elliot
-read the Bible in 1 year, and have a journal that goes along with each day for my notes/thoughts/prayers. (so far, so good!)
-Grow in expression of the fruits of the Spirit: especially love, patience, joy.
-Be a better servant: be more gracious rather than harsh and judgmental.


2) Be a better wife:
   -be less demanding
   -be eager to serve instead of reluctant
   -esteem my husband more in the little things
   -pray for Jason more faithfully

This is super creepy. 

3) Get Healthy:
   - cut out sweets
   - go to the gym, learn pilates to do at home
   - take a gym class at the YMCA, meet people there
   - blog my journey (my other blog post, related to my PCOS       syndrom is here)
   - my goal is to lose 40 pounds this year.


4) Encourage my friends and family more.
5) Take time to record important times and memories, through scrapbooks or albums
6) Write out my testimony more fully than its present state
7) Blog more frequently

96% Complete! So Close. 

8) Go to North Dakota (this will leave Hawaii as my last state I've never been to!!)
9) Consolidate our stuff, declutter our belongings, including the stuff I have in Alaska
10) Learn more crafty, useful things
11) learn to play chess and other skill games
12) Organize photo albums and recipe boxes






Also, here is my current list of things I'd love to do in my lifetime. I made this about 2.5 years ago, and it changes over time. The ones in smaller print are ones that I've removed- they just aren't important to me anymore. I might still enjoy doing them, but not something I'd really to seek doing.

✓ Graduate from college

-work in some medium at a prison

-go to Jerusalem

-get my other tattoo designed and inked

✓get married

-go back to Vegas

-be in Times Square for New Years

-see all of 50 states

-go scuba diving

-Wall of China

-have a godly family

-Sing Wicked

-go back to Nome, Alaska

✓drive to Alaska

-see my goddaughter love God

-do missions work

-go back to Prague

-go to Ireland

-backpack around Europe with my husband

-go to Russia

-get a professional camera and learn to take better photos

-see the tombs in Egypt

-Visit every major city in USA

-learn another language

-meet David Berkowitz

-meet a spy

-see my children defend Christ

-worship God in other cultures

-go to my friends' weddings

-see Brylie grow up

-see someone die peacefully

-see someone born

-see Falldorf, Germany

-meet the German Falldorf's

✓be a virgin on my wedding day

-skydiving

-hold a tarantula

✓have sex

✓have faith

-witness a miracle

-be free of worldly possessions

-see all of the Louvre

-go to the top of the Eiffel Tower

-meet a child sponsored

-help establish a church

-hold a bat

-go to a Broadway in NYC

-drive a convertible across Utah

-go to Berlin

-go back to Normandy

-Scrapbook things that are important

-be able to follow and submit joyfully

-learn how to really ride a horse

-show true thankfulness

-Research Columbine and other school shootings

-Visit Cathedrals around the world: Cologne, Barcelona, Chicago, Avignon

-Do urban ministry

-have a saltwater aquarium

-Host a student ministry small group

✓learn how to make amazing salsa

✓be daily convicted by my husband

-visit a giant tree house

-ride a gondola in Venice

-white water rafting

-Change someone's life

-swim with a dolphin

-ride a different city's metros/subways for hours to people-watch

-swim in the Mediterranean

-visit the famous castles of Europe

-learn how to milk a cow

-travel by hot air balloon

-see the Hollywood sign

-participate in Evensong in Westminster Abbey

-Memorize a good deal of the New Testament

Planes, Sunshine and Mountains

This is: 

the first spring break that I haven't had to drive 14ish hours one way to get to my destination. 

the first time I haven't gone "home"

the first time I've seen mountains since... August

the first time I've seen my mother since August

the first time I've had a spring break where I can legitimately relax (for the most part)

the first spring break involving a hot tub

the second time I've been in this area of Colorado

the last spring break I have before I get married

my last spring break. 

It's amazing how the mountains make me feel calm, collected, and yet surpassingly excited. I think I could stare at them for hours, take hundreds of pictures, and still be ready for more. The contrasts of colors, lights, air, sounds, it's amazing, and I'll never lose my love for them. I am so happy!

This semester I've tried to recount my experiences in college, especially some of the ones that have really influenced me. One of my conclusions (more of those later on), is how exhausting college is, and that in the business, I forget to mention how excited I am most of the time. I hate getting distracted by stuff that doesn't matter much, that is just... silly. 

It's great to see my mom, and it's so awesome to be in Colorado. The sky is so blue, the mountains so snowy and perfect, and not to mention that I got to see a wild turkey today, and they look pretty funny. 

Time for sleep. Relaxed, peaceful sleep.