Meet Carrie

1.  First and foremost, you need to know that I love Jesus with all my heart.  It is my hope and prayer that as I share my heart with you through my writing, His incredible love and grace will be found in my words.  Almost twenty years ago, I surrendered everything I knew about myself to everything I knew about Jesus, and that one decision radically altered the course of the rest of my life.  He is the One who calls the shots in my life, and He has proven again and again that He is worthy to have that control.  

2.  Ask anyone who knows me, and they'll probably tell you that I am a touch OCD.  I make lists to keep track of my lists, my calendar is color-coded, and my sheet music is arranged alphabetically.  What can I say?  I like to be organized!

3.  I'm an extravert, a people person, gregarious, outgoing, a social butterfly . . . however you describe it, the bottom line is that I love being with people!  I consider it an honor to listen to people tell their stories and hear how God has worked and is working in their lives.  I firmly believe that a whole lot of misunderstandings in the world would be avoided if we took the time to learn about other people's stories and understand how they have been shaped by their past experiences.  I love coffee dates in the winter and walks around the lake in the summer or just about anything else that gives me an opportunity to hang out with and talk to interesting people.

4.  NERD ALERT.  I love school.  I love to read.  I love to journal, blog, and even write papers.  If I could be a professional student for the rest of my life, I absolutely would.

5.  Do you want to make me feel loved?  My love language is words of affirmation (especially in written form) and a little note to tell me something you appreciate about me or just to tell me that you're thinking of me or praying for me would make my day.  I have a shoebox full of all the encouragement cards people wrote to me in college, and whenever I'm having a bad day I'll sit down and read a few of the notes in that box.  It never fails to remind me how blessed and loved I am.

6.  I'm a football girl.  The Seattle Seahawks are my all-time favorite NFL team, and I have been a faithful fan even during the "building" years.  I'm part of the 12th man forever!  I also love basketball (Portland Trailblazers) and baseball (Seattle Mariners), and attending sporting events is one of my most favorite things to do.  [Side note:  when it comes to actually playing sports though, the best phrase to describe me is "athletically challenged."  I can't shoot a hoop or hit a ball to save my life.  I can, however, play a mean game of Ultimate Frisbee.]

7.  On the flip side of my sports addiction you'll find the side of me that loves the arts.  Beautiful music, art, and dance speak to my soul in a way I can't explain.  If I had the time and money, I think I'd spend every other weekend attending an orchestra concert or a ballet.

8.  I can lick my elbow.  No joke.  Ask me to show you sometime.

9.  In my family, I'm the baby of my siblings.  My sister and brother were fifteen and seventeen years old when I was born, so it's kind of like having three sets of parents.  The upside to being the baby though, is that at only 24 years old, I am an aunt to seven incredible kids.  My nieces and nephews rock my world.

10.  Traveling is my outlet for adventure.  Whether it's by plane, on a road trip, or hiking through the wilderness, I love to see new places and experience some of the beauty in this world where we live.