Wish List

I think it's important to make a list of things you hope to accomplish in life.
Here are just a few of mine (I have a larger list, but it is packed away at this moment since I am moving very soon):

1. Ride in a hot air balloon
2. See a moose
3. Skydive--this may very soon happen...my cousin has recently asked me to do it with her in the near future!
4. Travel Europe
5. Learn sign language--this is going to happen in about a month...I signed up for a class!!

And here are a few things that I can't believe I had the chance to do, but I did and can now check them off my list (yay!):

1. Watch a volcano erupt
2. Go whitewater rafting--I sat in the front of the raft!!!
3. Sing karaoke--this may not sound like much, but I can't carry a tune and get immensely shy in front of an audience (I don't even sing in front of my family)
4. Go parasailing
5. Live with a family in a foreign country--I studied abroad and the chance to experience this...it was interesting at times, but completely worth it!
6. Swim at the base of a waterfall
7. Adopt a pet from the animal shelter--this August marks the one-year anniversary of my second dog's adoption and we plan to celebrate with a special dinner of dog food in a can (for the pups of course), a rare treat :)

A Child's Hope

Children are so amazing in miriad ways, but very much so in their unwavering sense of hope. When we're young and constantly discovering new things life seems so open and full of possibility. As we age, we often lose sight of that hope and begin to narrow our lives down and often try to mold ourselves to fit another person's idea of perfection. I work with children and just the other day a child built a duck out of Legos. He came over to me with his Lego duck, quacking, and introduced me to his "rubber ducky." He then asked me to guard it and make sure nobody destroyed it. I was a vigilant guard, but unfortunately play time came to an end and the toys had to be put away.
Later on in the day, while still mourning the loss of "Rubber Ducky," the little boy came over to me and suddenly smiled. He grabbed his swimming towel and told me that it was ok his ducky was destroyed because, "I've got duck spirit." He then made a sort of beak out of his hand and his towel and once again resumed his quacking. His sense of hope was refreshing and brightened my day; I hope it brightens yours as well!

God's glory in a summer sunset.

Hello There!

This year I'm on a mission to squeeze everything out of life that I can because, let's face it, we only get one earthly life and I want to live mine to the fullest. This past November (election night, actually), my grandfather passed away. He meant the world to me, always will, and his passing made me realize what a life he truly lived. Grandpa always had amazing stories to tell, as does my grandmother still, and I realized I want to live a life worthy of stories to tell my grandchildren. My grandparents have been through so much; the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, losing spouses, children, parents, collectively raising 20 kids (between my two sets of grandparents), immigration...the list goes on and on, yet not once have I ever heard any of them complain about the hardships they've faced. All of them have come through those tough times stronger than they were before and full of experience and memories. With the love and support of my faith, family, and friends, I'm determined to start living a life worthy of stories to tell my children, grandchildren, and (hopefully) great-grandchildren!
I think writing this blog will really help me keep track of where I go over the next year. Looking back over old pictures, or even though my iTunes library, I can see different phases of my life, but I think it will be a neat experiment to keep a written record here. I've never been good at writing in diaries or journals, so this will be a challenge. Once school picks up, I'm sure it will be easy to let this fall by the wayside, but I'm really hoping that doesn't happen. This year is going to be a big one for me...I'm almost done with college and have to start making some big decisions regarding my future. I'm curious to see how much (or how little) I grow over this next year. Hopefully I come out on the other side proud of who I am and what I've accomplished in the next 365 days!