14 Highlights of 2014

It's hard to believe that it's time to do another highlight post (Ok, it's past time, but cut me some slack!) but here we are. Without further ado, I present the fourteen biggest events in my life of the past twelve months.

1.  I kicked off 2014 by traveling to the Philippines with a mission team from SBU. We spent two weeks serving with a wonderful missionary family, teaching English in schools and worshipping with house churches there. I also came home with a cracked rib and was miserable for the next six weeks, but that's just a minor detail.

Feeding a real, live monkey!

World's most epic pyramid.

Manila

One of our classes.

2.  February brought one of the greatest thrills of my 25 years on the planet, when my beloved Seattle Seahawks beat those dumb 'ole Broncos to win Super Bowl XLVII by a score of 43-8. I didn't stop smiling for weeks!

Super Blue Friday!

Just look at that shiny trophy.

3.  March brought basketball playoffs, of course, and my basketball girls stormed into the MIAA semi-finals, so naturally I road tripped up to KC to watch them play. The game was great (think game-winning layup at the buzzer!) but the rest of the trip, not so great. As we were looking for a place to eat dinner before the game, another driver ran a red light, totaling my little Mazda. Thankfully no one was hurt, but the following weeks were a long, frustrating process of dealing with insurance companies and trying to find a new car.

Just after the game-winning shot.

4.  In April, my mom, sister, and her kiddos road tripped out to Missouri to visit me! They spent a couple days in Bolivar, then we drove out to Nashville for a whirlwind tour of Country Music USA. (Just a tip - if you're ever in Nashville, you must go visit the Opryland Hotel! It's incredibly cool!)

Grand Ole Opry, Nashville

5.  In the middle of April, I finally found a new car, and off we went to Effingham, Illinois to pick it up. (Yes, the name of the town was Effingham. The jokes never got old.) Here's to hoping that this sweet little Mazda 3 is my last new car for quite a while!

Roadtrip Friends

The new baby

6.  After school let out, we took a little Student Life vacation to the ACSD conference in Minnesota. We even got to go to a Minnesota Twins game!

#paigeisbeingridiculous

Target Field

7.  In June, I finally got to go out to North Carolina to visit Alise! We had a wonderful, relaxing long weekend, which mostly consisted of laying on the couch, watching Netflix, drinking wine, and playing with Gemma (her puppy) but we also took a trip to Myrtle Beach, SC for my first visit to the Atlantic Ocean!

Gemma!

Myrtle Beach

She's my person.

8.  In July, I went on a friend vacation to Colorado for a wonderful week of hiking and good food and taking in all the incredible beauty the Rocky Mountains have to offer.

Flatirons

Rocky Mountain National Park

9.  I flew straight from Denver to Portland to visit the fam for a few days and have one last Roommate Reunion before Mikayla moved to Indonesia.

PDX Carpet

Roomie Reunion

10.  At the end of September, my sweet friend Amelia flew out to Missouri to visit me! We had so much fun and I got to show her my life here in BoMo.

Audrey Assad Concert

11.  One of the big things that Amelia got to experience while in MO was SBU's Homecoming! My awesome RA staff built the coolest float I've ever seen, and we placed 3rd overall. It was an exhausting week, but also an incredible amount of fun!

Giant Flat Bearcat

12.  A few weeks after Homecoming, Mom & Dad flew out to visit over Fall Break. The Seahawks were in town (St. Louis) that weekend so off we went for Mom & Dad's first NFL experience.

Seahawks in St. Louis 

13.  Over Thanksgiving, I roadtripped to Texas with Landee to spend the holiday with her and her family. It was an adventure, to be sure, (anything with Landee usually is!) and I got the full Texas tour from Houston to Galveston to Dallas. We also stopped and had lunch with Vince & Jessie on our way home, and I got to meet baby Cora for the first time!

Roadtrippin'

Corban Friends!

14.  Finally, I ended the year with Christmas with my family in the beautiful PNW, where the PDX carpet welcomes me home and the Cascades take my breath away.

PDX Carpet

Mt. Ranier

2014 was, as most of them seem to be, a year filled with really good memories as well as some I'd just as soon forget, but I'm looking forward to 2015!

Cheers to a new year, and another chance for us to get it right.

Oprah Winfrey

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Every year I desire and intend to observe and celebrate Advent in a meaningful way, but every year I get so caught up in the hustle and the bustle and the busy and, in my line of work, the end-of-semester-craziness, that suddenly December 25^th has come and gone and I’m left feeling empty and saddened that once again, I let the Christmas season pass me by.

Advent and I have had a rather up-and-down relationship. As a child, I didn’t appreciate the meaning and rich tradition behind a season devoted to waiting and anticipating, and to me it was a weird church thing that my family participated in, but my friends’ families didn’t.  As an adult, I’ve come to more fully appreciate taking time to observe and be present in seasons of preparation, whether that’s getting ready for a specific date on the calendar or enduring valuing seasons of waiting that lead into new chapters in my life. This week I’ve had a little bit of time to think and read about Advent, and I’ve been struck anew by the rich anticipation and mystery of this season.

As a kid, those four weeks leading up to Christmas seem to last forever. Amid the cookie baking and the shopping and the decorating and the wrapping, the days between the lighting of each new candle seem to drag on and on. But how much more did it drag on for Israel, anxiously awaiting not presents under the tree, but for the Messiah? The waiting had been going on not for weeks, but for centuries. They had endured many trials such as captivity and control by enemy nations, all the while desperately clinging to the promise that God would make good on His word and send a Savior.

They didn’t even know exactly what they were waiting for: a Messiah, yes, but how would He arrive? When would He arrive? What would be His solution to the pain and problems they faced? It was all a mystery: a beautiful, glorious mystery that forced them to release control and trust that God would do what He had promised, in His way and in His time.

Then finally – after so many years, and countless hardships – He came. But no one could have imagined or predicted how God would choose to fulfill that promise of long ago.

An unwed teenage mother.

A dirty stable in an insignificant little town.

A group of lowly shepherds.

A tiny, helpless baby.           

Not exactly the powerful military savior they were expecting. As He seems to love to do, the Father shattered all expectations of what this Savior would look like and what He would come to do. Rather than staging a military assault, Jesus showed and preached love to our neighbors. Rather than enforcing the old law, Jesus brought grace. Rather than wielding the power He absolutely possessed or claiming the fame and recognition He so rightly deserved, Jesus came in the most helpless, dependent form we could fathom: a baby.

How often do I expect the Lord to show up or move in a certain form or fashion, then get frustrated when He, in his infinite wisdom, chooses to do things differently? How often do I get impatient in the seasons of waiting, when things just aren’t moving fast enough for me, when He is a God who works completely outside of my world bound by time? How often do I demand to know the details and beg to see the next steps when He is asking me to instead embrace the mystery and learn to trust Him more?

Anticipation.

Uncertainty.

Mystery.

Waiting.

Hope.

Fulfilled promises.

I’m learning (slowly) to be fully present in the waiting. To release control. To embrace the mystery. To appreciate Advent, and not just Christmas. To more deeply worship the Savior who chose to save the world not through power, but through the humility of a helpless baby.

O come, O come, Emmanuel

And ransom captive Israel

That mourns in lonely exile here

Until the Son of God appear

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel

9.11.01 Remember

I can still remember how it felt waking up to my mom panicking on that September morning thirteen years ago.

I remember listening to the radio and not being quite sure what was going on, but I remember being scared and confused as I rode my bike to the hardware store to go to work.

I remember sitting behind the front counter at work with my laptop hooked up to the dial-up internet trying to watch choppy news videos and refreshing the constantly updated front-page article on CNN.com.

I remember having a conversation with an old timer who was one of my first customers that morning, and while I don't remember what was said, I remember him being very somber and serious, and slowly realizing that life as I knew it in America was never going to be the same.

I remember the town being very quiet that morning, like my whole world was mourning.

I remember finding out that my big brother was in Washington D.C., realizing that we didn't know if he was safe, and waiting anxiously all day to hear if he was ok.

I remember the fire station sirens going off at noon that day and the subsequent the moment of silence for all those who had been lost.

I remember seeing our nation come together like I had never seen before (and haven't seen since), and recognizing the power of tragedy to bring unlikely people together.

September 11, 2001 is my generation's defining moment. Our Pearl Harbor. It's the day that we all have a story of where we were and what we were doing when we heard the news. It's hard to believe it's been thirteen years because I still remember it so vividly, but here we are.

I am so thankful for those who sacrifice every day to protect us and the freedoms we hold so dear, for those who daily put themselves in harm's way to keep us safe. Thank you.

13 Highlights of 2013

It's hard to believe another year has passed, and I'm spending the first day of 2014 reflecting on my highlights from the past 365 days.  It was an adventure-filled year for sure, and the past six months have proven to be some of the best and hardest of my life thus far.

1.  In January, the Lord opened the doors for me to start grad school at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary's extension campus in Vancouver. I was giddy at the prospect of going back to school, and my class on Tuesday mornings was the highlight of my week. My semester at Golden Gate was an incredible experience, and even though it's been put on hold during this current season of my life, I'm looking forward to completing my degree in the future.

2.  As a belated birthday present, Rochelle took me to see the Harlem Globetrotters in Portland for my 24th birthday. I'm sensing basketball-themed celebrations to my past couple of birthdays, wouldn't you agree?

3.  After college, I lived with three incredible roommates for a summer, and the four of us have continued to stay in touch and be actively involved in each others lives ever since.  Meeting Michelle's beautiful little girl Ellianna for the first time in March just warmed my auntie-heart, and having the four of us together again reminded me just how much of a blessing these women are in my life.

4.  In April, my amazing big sister organized a team to participate in the MS Walk 2013.  Despite pouring rain and frigid temperatures, our team showed up in full force, raised over $1000 for MS research, and my sis won a well-deserved award for organizing the "Rookie Team of the Year"!  It was awesome to see the love and support from so many people as we did what we could to fight against the disease that has had such a huge impact on our family. 

5.  Also in April, worship leader Jaime Jamgochian came to TFBC, and my friend Sean and I got to have lunch with her before her concert.  It was so cool to get to spend some time with someone who is passionately following the Lord as a single woman, and I was deeply encouraged by our conversations!

6.  Cheesy as it may sound, I took a whirlwind 24-hour trip to SW Missouri at the beginning of May that changed my life. It was my first visit to SBU for an on-site interview for a Resident Director position there, and little did I know that place would soon become my home.

7.  As a result of that 24-hour interview/trip, I accepted the job and packed my life into a U-Haul to be shipped across the country.

8.  But before I headed east, I squeezed in one more trip to sunny Southern California to celebrate Alise's college graduation/commissioning into the US Army.

9.  I officially moved to Missouri in June, and spent the summer car shopping, settling in, sweating a lot, making friends, and acclimating to a new culture and new location.  I finally bought a car (well, two actually, but that's a long story!) and prepared for the start of the school year.

10.  August brought the official start of my job, the fall months consisted of RA training, the beginning of the semester, and surviving my first Homecoming.

11.  The Seattle Seahawks took the NFL by storm this fall, and when they visited St. Louis in October, I was there, cheering like the super-fan that I am!  We narrowly pulled off the win, but the highlight of the night had to be meeting Russell Wilson and Golden Tate after the game!

12.  After almost seven months in the midwest, I headed back to the west coast for Christmas. It was a packed few weeks including a roomie reunion, a wedding, and a trip to the beach!

13.  But of course the highlight of Christmas vacation was spending time with my crazy family.  We got entire-family pictures taken for the first time (ever!) by the wonderful and talented d.louise photography and spending time with these lovely people was the perfect way to draw 2013 to a close.

2013 was chock full of change - both hard and beautiful.  I think I've grown and learned more in the past six months than in the past six years combined, and I won't lie about the fact that most of the time that growth hurt - a lot!  But I'm looking forward to continued growth in 2014 and seeing what exciting adventures the Lord has in store for this year!

Current Obsessions, August Edition

If you’ve spent much time with me at all, you probably know how much I love reading other people’s blogs.  It’s kind of like someone giving me permission to read their diary, because people tend to be more honest on the internet than they would in real life, hiding behind a perceived curtain of anonymity.  I love stories about real people, and reading blogs gives me little glimpses into the lives and stories of men and women who, like me, write in order to make sense of life. 

The subscriptions on my blog reader range from the day-to-day accounts of real-life friends, to the musings of well-known, modern-day theologians and students of culture, to snarky tumblrs that find the snippets of humor in everything from grad school to singleness to pastoring.  I read a lot about culture and theology and the millennial generation and women in church ministry, and in my reading I find a lot of perspectives I agree with and many others that I don’t.  I appreciate reading the words of intelligent people who fall on a different side of controversial issues than I do, because it makes me have to think hard, do my research, and really study Scripture to find answers, rather than just accepting opinions blindly.

But all of that to say, several of my favorite blogs do something fun where they share what they’ve been reading/watching/listening to on a regular basis (once a month, once a week, every once in a while, etc.) and I decided to give it a try!  I’m titling it “Current Obsessions” for a couple reasons.  First of all, when I find a new thing I like, I get a bit obsessed with it.  Examples: playing songs on repeat until I can’t stand them anymore, watching an entire season of a new show on Netflix in a very, ahem, short amount of time, or transporting myself into an alternate reality with a book series that I can’t put down until I’ve simply run out of pages to read.  Also, “Current Obsessions” is the title of my iTunes playlist where all my fun, new music lives.  This playlist is constantly changing as I shuffle songs in and out of it based on what genre or artist I currently can’t live without.  So without further ado, I present:

Carrie’s Current Obsessions, August 2013 Edition

WHAT I'M READING

In all honesty, August was a slim month in the book department.  With the madness of RA training and the beginning of school, reading fell to the bottom of my to-do list.  I'm still hoping to complete my "50 Books in 2013" challenge, but we'll see how the rest of the semester pans out.  I may be scrambling over Christmas break trying to log pages before the year ends!

I've been working through Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Sanders whenever I have a chance (or when I'm logging long hours in the local ER with students!) and it's definitely one of those books that I'm having to read slowly with a highlighter and pencil in hand to soak in all the wisdom contained in its pages.  I was assigned this book to read for one of my practicum classes in college, and I'm really enjoying getting to read it again.  The leadership principles are so applicable to everyday life, even for those who would not consider themselves to be in leadership roles.  The things I'm learning from this book are applicable to any believer who is trying follow Jesus holistically.

I haven't started this book yet, but it's one I will be going through with a group of RAs this semester.  I can't wait to start reading and discussing it though, so stay tuned for my thoughts!

WHAT I'M WATCHING

I don't know how I've made it through 24 years of life without watching Friends, but I'm making up for it now!  My friend Suzie owns all 10 seasons, so I started borrowing them from her bit by bit over the summer and yes, I've totally jumped on the Friends bandwagon.  So. Stinking. Funny.  

And to all my friends who have told me over the years that I'm "Monica," I get it now.  It's nice to have a TV personality who shares my OCD-tendencies.

Guys, it's the most wonderful time of the year.  Yes, it's football season!  I've been watching a lot of my man Russell Wilson and the Seahawks kicking some rear in the pre-season, and I can't wait for the real games to start next week.  GO HAWKS!

WHAT I'M LISTENING TO

I used to think that Lewis County was the Mecca of country music, but I have been proven wrong.  Lewis County was close enough to Seattle and Portland to have a good smattering of indie/folk and hip hop/rap influences thrown into the mix, but I have never experienced country music like I have in southwest Missouri.  It's nearly impossible to find a non-country radio station.  

That being said, my musical obsessions as of late continue to be all over the map, ranging from Love and Theft (I listen to "Angel Eyes" on repeat!), Andy Grammer, Macklemore, and of course, the hauntingly beautiful new Civil Wars album, with some Eminem thrown in for good measure on my workout playlist.  Because Eminem always makes me run a little faster.

And finally, "One Thing Remains" by Jesus Culture has been my go-to song this summer.  So so good.

Learning Dependence

Lord I come, I confess

bowing here I find my rest

without You I fall apart

You're the One that guides my heart

Lord I need You, oh I need You

every hour I need You

my one defense, my righteousness

oh God how I need You

where sin runs deep Your grace is more

where grace is found is where You are

and where You are Lord I am free

holiness is Christ in me

Lord I need You oh I need You

every hour I need You

my one defense, my righteousness

oh God how I need You

teach my song to rise to You

when temptation comes my way

and when I cannot stand I'll fall on You

Jesus You're my hope and stay

Lord I need You oh I need You

every hour I need You

my one defense, my righteousness

oh God how I need You

You're my one defense, my righteousness

oh God how I need You