The relevance of my blog title...

Transitioning.

Ever felt stuck in this? I swear sometimes God uses transitions to keep us on our toes and keep us trusting Him. Learning new places, new routes, new lifestyles, new whatever can both be interesting and taxing-I'll be the first one to admit. Amidst the moving of boxes and furniture, meals-on-the-go, church shopping (not such a fan), continuous americanos and cafe wifi, I'm constantly reminded how much I am really dependent upon the Lord for leading. Whether I approach Him or not is another question. The excitement of new beginnings can be overwhelming at times. To go from the familiar to the unfamiliar is not a "one-step-then-you're-done" process unfortunately-even though I'd like it to be. Super stoked for whats ahead. A lot is going to happen this week and I want to be ready.

Yultide Cheer

Happy yultide celebration today. Christmas party #1 today and wanted to spread the cheer with a cheesy picture I came across. Whatever your tradition is, don't forget why we celebrate. Yep.

Frozen Day at the Beach

Today I went for my daily run down to the beach. Only to my dismay I could not exactly run anywhere because the beach was covered in a nice layer of ice! Its been particularly cold here in the Pacific Northwest. So my reaction? Run back to the house and grab the camera.

La Conner, WA

Sometimes I forget how blessed I am to live in the Pacific Northwest. I had to just stand silent for a moment to soak in the beauty of this area. How many times do I slow down to catch the natural beauty of where we live? I sure don't do it often. Salt air, an old wooden walkway, a sunny afternoon walk with a latte in hand and good company. This is so right.

‘Tis so Sweet-What happens when it’s not so sweet?

Growing up in a Baptist church I sang a lot of hymns. Many have become a backbone in my worship and faith journey. I’ve always sang that it is so sweet to trust in Jesus and just take Him at his word…but I’m finding at times that it is easier said than done. What happens when it’s no longer sweet to trust in Jesus?

I’ve been going through some pretty significant transitions recently- I’ll be honest. Its been difficult. In my own struggle to search for God’s hand to hear His voice, I’m left with silence-beautiful silence that is surrounded by incredible views of the cascades, time spent with family, and reading books that have collected dust in my library-but nonetheless, silence. I continually come back to the question of:

God, where are you?

So I go back to the basics. Trust. What does that look like? I’m learning that Trust means not just leaning on the Lord as a Savior but as a provider. Trust means waiting, searching, reading, praying and reaching out when the pride inside of me says “don’t say a word.” I’ll admit, there are days when I don’t want to approach the throne of God. I’m tired and discouraged, the last thing I want to do is admit that to a higher being. But that is exactly it. When I cast my discouraged heart at God’s throne, and admit that I am completely at God’s mercy, I learn to really trust.

I speak for myself when I suppose that when we as Christians face struggles in our lives, our first response is to look at our Creator and say, “Do you see what you’re doing to me? Don’t you care?” And we question whether God really does have much influence in our lives. But then I’m directed back to 1 Peter 1:6-7:

“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”

I may not have a word from God at this moment, or the knowledge of what exactly my near future entails, but I am once again learning to trust Him when I am completely vulnerable. The sweetness and goodness of Trusting in the Lord comes for the assurance that He is using life challenges to bring me closer to Him. I can rest assured in Gods promise to refine me and experience a joy within the struggle. I am too quick to forget the many times the Lord has provided in my life, why would I question His faithfulness now? Tis so sweet.

One year later

Woah! So I took a year off from blogging, not planned but because I found myself completely engrossed in anything and everything except blogging. Its always fascinating to look back over a year and consider all that has taken place, isn't it! Since I like to organize my thoughts into bullet points continually, I thought, why not consider all that has happened in the past year and be a thankful? Here's what has happened:

• Saw the Mayan Ruins (Chichen Itza) and the Yucatan Peninsula with Jon
• Completed an International Marketing Plan for a company in Mexico who plans to sell in the US
• Lived in a house with 7 amazing buddies
  
• Drove accross the midwest
• Helped build a house in Billings, Montana
  
• Competed in Ski to Sea Race
  
• Graduated from college!
  
• Lived in Alaska
• Gave tours of Skagway, AK and daytrips to the Yukon Territory
• Drove the entire Alaska Highway to Washington
• Backpacked 38 miles on the Chilkoot Trail
  
• Built incredible relationships with people
  
• Learned to rely on the Lord on a whole new level
  
• Traveled to Vancouver Island to visit family

These are the large things I could think of off the top of my head, but just as important is the small stuff that I experience daily that challenges me, forces me to grow, makes me appreciate the things I take for granted, and reminds me of how blessed I am. Happy Thanksgiving. A week late.

trip to Morelia

I had an amazing trip down to the state of Michoacan to visit Grant, Aleena and Franky. We had a blast and I couldn't have asked for better hosts and better company! We traveled a bit together to two other cities called Patzcuaro and Janitzio, both incredibly beautiful. Morelia is my newest favorite city in Mexico, it ties with Guanajuato for most beautiful! Colonial architecture, lots of history, beautiful churches, amazing food and great company! It was the best trip to end my travels within the center of Mexico.