I found this post half finished almost a year after I began it. I am intrigued at the prospect of attempting to finish it! So, I was reading Twelve Things That Changed My Life, and it got me to thinking. I couldn't really think of a good blend of material/non-material things that have changed my life, but I did think of 12 decisions that have changed my life (yes, all 24 years of it!) This is probably one of the more personal posts I'm going to make, but in the spring I like to spend a good amount of time reflecting and the quiet of this weekend has really allowed for that. 1. Deciding to follow Jesus with my life & not just as a religion. This decision has impacted 100% of the rest of my decisions, so it's a great place to start. I came into college having been going to church and being "religious" for my entire life, but looking at the way I was living you'd never know that. It was until I encountered Jesus in a very REAL way, by studying the books of Matthew & Ephesians with a group of women my own age, that I decided to make that change. I still distinctly remember the prayer Lexie and I prayed together on the 4th floor couch in Governors hall! 2. Attending UW-Eau Claire I always think this one is so funny because I'm not actually the one who decided I should go to UWEC - my dad is! I was planning on going there, but keeping UW Madison & U of M on the back burner. I fell in love with Psychology my senior year & really wanted a child psych minor - something U of M offered and UWEC didn't. After wrestling with it for weeks, one night dinner my dad just said, "Go to Eau Claire." And so I did. It was (obviously) life changing. I was able to get involved in InterVarsity, which then changed my life dramatically. I got to be in a city that cherished art and music and coffee. I met the love of my life.( I met Justin Vernon, once, too, but I don't care so much about that.) I was able to travel to China and Scotland because of my connections at Eau Claire. I am so grateful for my time in that place & in that city. 3. Choosing to stick with my family This may seem kind of odd, but after my dad died, everyone in my family was rocked. In huge and immediate ways, we drew closer together. But overtime, our grief & wounds affected our relationships with one another. Thankfully, we chose to stick together and we kept choosing to love and forgive and extend grace. Now, I believe we are closer than we ever would have been considering how far apart we are geographically. (IL/WI/FL) Although our family has expanded hugely in the last year (5 new "sibs" & 3 new parents... it's a lot to take in), there is a special bond between the 4 of us. 4. Breaking up with my first boyfriend Oop! She went there! Yes I did, because this is probably the second hardest decision I've ever made in my life. It is also the most instantly rewarding decision I've ever made. I was in a relationship that I knew was unhealthy, not glorifying, and quickly leading me down a path I did not want to be going. I was in denial of it all because of my own sin, but also because it was a manipulative relationship. But I was so rewarded for this ending! I have never felt such peace and such freedom as when I finally ended this relationship. I knew I had obeyed and that was such an incredible feeling. I have received so much healing since it ended, I truly believe our God is a healer. (If you know someone who is in an unhealthy relationship, please try not to judge them, but to gracefully remind them of what their life could be. Being in a relationship where I was manipulated, hurt, and threatened was extremely binding and terrifying. I don't know where I would be without a good friend & mentor who invited me to a fuller life.) 4. Going to Asia in 2014 This was not my first, or my most recent international experience (I've been able to go to Italy, Scotland, Ireland, Amsterdam, and Canada) but it was by far the most meaningful and life changing. It was probably the most I've ever been stretched and challenged, both in relating to the locals and my own team (of mostly males, a new boyfriend, and 2 other women I shared a room with). It gave me an incredible global perspective that I could've never gotten just traveling as a tourist. It gave me a beautiful picture of God's multiethnic Kingdom. It gave me a heart for a people group and city I'd never even heard of. It showed me how broad the term "ministry" can go (we spent 3 days in a hotel room writing a lecture...while in a foreign, unreached country!) It was incredible, and I'll be back in 2 short months! 5. Changing my major to Special Education I came in to UWEC with no intentions on ever teaching special ed, but I heard it was a good minor to help you get a job, so I did it. And it has shown me what my purpose is. When I was 13 years old I desperately wanted to be old enough so I could adopt a girl from China. I cared so deeply for these babies that were unwanted by their parents. I've come to learn that is what God has put me on earth to do. Care deeply for people who are unwanted. Often, this means people with disabilities. I see their teachers wanting them out of the room, their classmates rejecting them socially, and I see them even hate themselves as they struggle to learn. I get to show them that someone wants them around, someone cares, someone is on their side. And it's the best job I could ever do. 6. Deciding to become a teacher rather than an IV staff worker This is in no way degrading staff workers. My husband is one and he is the coolest person on this earth. But it was a long, difficult, and tear-filled (well, it's me) journey to decide that I wanted to follow my passion of teaching. I was deeply impacted by InterVarsity, I believe in what they are doing, I am a part of what they are doing (financially, prayerfully, and sometimes physically), and I hope to someday be on staff. But for now, I need to be teaching. 7. Becoming a blogger I've been blogging for over 5 years now! It was a leap of I-don't-know-what-the-heck-I'm-doing but it's been so rewarding. Additionally, blogging/being a part of the blogging community has impacted my life right now a great deal. It has made me more of a food/cleaning hippie, it has encouraged me to be vulnerable, and it has taught me about finance, passion, adoption, cooking, and so much more. It has also been an awesome way for me to continue photography, videography, and writing. 8. Deciding to date Sam This is the one I am most excited to talk about & a big part of the reason I wrote this! Sam and I started pursuing each other (for lack of a non-Christianese word) about 2 years ago. Spring always reminds me of the difficult & wonderful parts of that time of my life. I remember sitting on my friend Mary's couch, covered in a blanket, telling her I had feelings for Sam, but no idea what to do with them. It was so messy - I had just come out of a relationship, Sam and I had been friends for years, and now we were going on a trip to China (one with a no-dating rule... come to find out, Mary & her husband Adam put that rule in place because of my recent break up! Oops! Jokes on you A&M!) 9. Deciding to move to Menomonie I didn't make this decision really that much on purpose, it was more so a decision to live where Sam was living (and put myself in a good place for student teaching). Here are some things I really love about this community: the co-op, the fact that we can walk almost anywhere, being 1 hour from the cities and 30 minutes from EC/family, proximity to a University where we can meet like-minded and challenging people, a dope (&cheap) downtown apartment, and my two top favorites: the farmers market and the Raw Deal (world's greatest coffee shop). 10. Deciding to marry Sam... Nine months early Marrying my feminist, God-revering, kind, talented, tall best friend was basically a no-brainer. (I may exaggerate a bit... I'm sure he'd love to tell you about the first two times he suggested we get married.) Figuring out the timing was another matter. We had a church, a deposit on a reception venue, and we were looking into catering and booking our honeymoon when we had tea with some friends who encouraged us to consider getting married now instead of waiting. This is definitely one of the most challenging decisions we have ever made! But I have no doubt it was the right one. We got to begin working through marriage difficulties earlier, we got to finagle how to do me still being in college - financially and relationally (I was not a calm person when I was trying to do my edTPA), we got to start off a life in one of the world's crappiest apartments full of furniture our parents let us take from their homes. 11. Taking a job at Baldwin Christian School I took this job after much deliberation, but not too much hesitation (several interviews with no offers does that to a person). At first, I really struggled telling people where I was working. Teaching at a small Christian school seemed so much like settling down & selling out. I'd always wanted to work in an inner city school or something really hardcore like teaching kids with EBD (emotional & behavioral). Instead I chose to teach ten 5th and 6th graders who actually got breakfast each morning and had parents who were home at night. So my attitude become one of wanting to expose these kids to the world...especially issues of social justice & all of the "isms." I surely have had some amazing opportunities to have real conversations with these insightful ten-year-olds about race, gender and the inherent created value of all humans, but as always happens, I've probably gained mor than I've given. I have a new perspective of education, now a more biblical one. I have a headmaster who consistently tells me that God does the work, not me. That the students' success is not solely on my shoulders. This is a radical perspective and probably the most important thing this achiever needed to hear her first year of teaching. 12. Changing our sabbath day to Saturday This probably won't be in the top 12 forever, but it's been pretty life changing in a small way this year! We decided to switch to Saturday because we spent so so much time on church on Sunday, volunteering, teaching, or even just attending (our services tend to be lengthy). I LOVE having a Saturday Sabbath because it allows me to functionally "shut down & reset" after a long week. I get to sleep in, take a long time making breakfast, see friends, or just hang out at home. The evening is restful, not filled with anxiety about how prepared I am for the week ahead. Now, Sunday is the day for laundry, meal planning, grocery shopping, and doing my bucket journal for the week. I FINALLY get what my sister was saying when she said that Sunday makes her so excited for what the week will bring. The Sabbath will only get better when there is a Saturday morning farmer's market again! I'm so excited to see how this list will change in the next year, five years, ten years... Can you imagine? New jobs, new cities, big kid purchases, expanding our family... I'm making no promises, just dreaming. :)
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December 2022
I'm guessing I'll have it all figured out by the time I turn 30.
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