Living in the Moment

Yikes, friends. It has been awhile since I last posted, but I assure you it has not been because I am abandoning my quest to blog about my life here in Nashville. Rather, it’s just because I’ve been busy living my life here in Nashville, and if I’m being quite honest, because I’ve been a bit lazy and also avoiding being vulnerable, but more on that later. For now, I’d love to share with you my latest thoughts about this new year, what I’ve been learning the past couple months, and what’s to (hopefully) come for this blog!

Lately I’ve been reading The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. For those of you who haven’t read it, the book is written from the perspective of one of the Devil’s “minions,” Screwtape, as he writes letters to another of the Devil’s minions, his nephew, Wormwood. In these letters, Screwtape passes on wisdom to his nephew on how to corrupt the human he has been assigned and draw the human away from the “Enemy,” God. But through these letters, we also get a glimpse, if we only read between the lines, of what the true enemy, the Devil, fears most, when it comes to our relationship with God. As I was reading the other day, I came across a passage that just really hit home. Here’s an excerpt (keep in mind when Screwtape refers to the Enemy, he is referring to God):

For the present is the point at which time touches eternity. Of the present moment, and of it only, humans have an experience analogous to the experiences which our Enemy has of reality as a whole; in it alone freedom and actuality are offered them. He would therefore have them continually concerned with eternity (which means being concerned with Him) or with the Present- either meditating on their eternal union with, or separation from, Himself, or else obeying the present voice of conscience, bearing the present cross, receiving the present grace, giving thanks to the present pleasure.

-C.S. Lewis

As I read this passage, I realized I struggle every day to just live in the present. I am constantly struggling to let go of my past, whether it be past relationships, mistakes, or decisions, and never cease to worry about my future- where will I get a job, will I have enough money saved, etc., etc. Rarely, do I stop to just live in the moment. To obey what God is calling me to do right this moment, to reach out to a person in need right now, to accept that God is extending me grace constantly, to give thanks for the fact there is a roof over my head and food in my belly at this very second. C.S. Lewis later goes on to make the point that the Present is the only thing that is real to us, the past has already happened and cannot be changed, and the Future is yet to come and no human can predict what will come to pass. So why is it so hard to accept the fact that we cannot change our past or future?

I wish I had the answer to that question, but I don’t. What I do know is that in 2015, I want to practice living in the moment. I want to stop hanging onto my past and while I think it’s still okay to plan for the future, I don’t want to spend every second of my day worrying about unknown, future circumstances that I can’t do anything about. So here is my list of “Living in the Moment” resolutions for 2015:

1. Spend at least twenty minutes with Jesus everyday: Whether this is praying, reading my Bible, worshipping, or doing devotionals, I want to make sure Jesus gets some time just for Him everyday. While I also want to make Jesus a part of every aspect of my life, I also know I need to have some solo God time more often than not as well. However, I don’t want to beat myself up every time I miss a day or two. Hence, living in the moment. Each day is a fresh start. So, I forgot to do devotionals yesterday. Today is a new day and there is plenty of time for Jesus.
2. Eat healthier: Being an athlete my whole life, I was never super concerned with how I fueled my body, because I knew I would burn it all off in practice and therefore never had to worry about gaining weight. Now that my life as an athlete is over, while I’m staying active, I’m also realizing the importance of fueling my body with good fuel. Therefore my goal for 2015 is to eat cleaner and smarter and I’m taking this day by day. There are plenty of days where I “cheat” and eat that ice cream or juicy cheeseburger I’ve been craving, but the next day I’m starting a clean slate with plenty of opportunity to choose clean over convenient.
3. Open up: I want to start blogging at least once a month. I truly love writing and I also love sharing what I write. However, if I don’t feel inspired or I feel like what I wrote isn’t “good enough,” I hesitate to put it on the blog. But in 2015, I want to be intentional about journaling everyday and sharing my thoughts and adventures at least once a month, if not more, whether I like it or not, because no one ever got better at writing by keeping it to themselves. And that starts with choosing everyday to be vulnerable- whether it’s with myself or others or both.
4. Save and spend smart: I’ve never been a shopaholic, but since moving to Nashville, I’ve definitely been spending a lot more money, especially on going out to eat. You would too if there was a delicious, original Nashville restaurant calling your name on every corner, and an abundance of Chipotles, Sonics, and Chick-Fil-A’s beckoning you when you’re getting home at 6, don’t feel like cooking anything, and have hours of homework ahead of you. But with a wedding and Jordan and I having to support ourselves approaching quickly (not to mention all that student debt I’m racking up) I’ve decided to get smarter with my finances. Which means everyday having to exercise the strength to say no to a delicious restaurant meal and say yes to a delicious home cooked one.

There you have them guys. This is what I want to focus on in 2015. All too often when I make resolutions I give up on them a month or two into the new year because I’ve already “failed” in my eyes because I wasn’t consistent enough. I’m hoping that by living in the moment and taking it one day at a time, these resolutions will stick longer and become lifestyle changes, because when I mess up, I won’t see it as a failure, but a chance to start over, learn from my mistakes, and try again.

What are your New Year’s Resolutions? How do you plan on sticking to them and reaching your goals? I’m looking forward to hearing from you guys and spending some more time with you on this blog!

Until next time,

E.

 

Slow Down, Pause, Enjoy

For those of you who don’t know me, I’m a planner. I write out list after list, schedule after schedule, and don’t adjust well to things that throw off my plan. Last night before I went to bed, I wrote out my plan for today, starting with waking up and working out and ending with babysitting and coming home and relaxing before bed. I wrote when I would go running, what coffee shop I would go to study at after my run, and when I would return home for lunch. I wrote out exactly what I would accomplish when I was at the coffee shop and what I would do when I arrived home after lunch, and it looked a little something like this:

I ended up waking up a little earlier than I anticipated, which was fine with me, and I headed out the door for my run a little more bundled up than I have been on my other runs now that fall is finally here. I drove the ten minutes to a nearby nature park, my new favorite place for Saturday runs. My workout for the day was two, fifteen minute runs, with a two-minute walk break in-between. I started down a path I hadn’t explored yet, settling into my pace, enjoying the brisk air and taking in the sight of the leaves finally starting to change color. The path took me winding through the woods, then out into the open where I followed the path of a stream, and back into the woods again. At just about the end of my first fifteen minutes, I got the worst side cramp. I pushed through the pain to the end of my fifteen minutes, figuring the pain would go away during my two-minute walk break. It didn’t. As the time neared for me to start my next fifteen-minute run, I prepared myself to push through the cramp for fifteen minutes. I’m competitive, even with myself, and don’t like to admit defeat. However, not even a minute later, I was forced to slow down and walk. I was frustrated at first, but as I walked, I began to think.

How many times in life do I just try to push through the pain, or the business, or the stress? I don’t like to slow down. I try and fit as much as can into my schedule and I am convinced I can do it all. In high school I played three varsity sports and I worked part-time. In undergrad, I played three varsity sports, took at least sixteen credits a semester, and worked part-time. Now, in graduate school, it’s killing me that my Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays aren’t filled with practices, games, or work, despite my nineteen credit course load.

And yet today on my run when I took a minute to slow down, stop, take out my headphones, and just observe the world around me, I was able to get so much more joy out of my Saturday morning adventure. I strayed off the main path, exploring some side trails, only to discover this quiet stream down one trail and a neat little clearing down another. I noticed natural tunnels created by the trees bending towards each other overhead, decorated by the falling red, orange, yellow, and brown leaves. I observed a family of six or seven deer grazing and then run across my path with more grace than I ever have when I’m running. It was so amazing to just take it all in and observe, without my mind going a million miles an hour thinking about all of the items on my to-do list for the day.

Path to the clearing I found

Three of the six or seven deer I saw while adventuring

I could have spent all day by this stream!

Just a casual morning run in one of the prettiest places here in Nashville, Edwin Warner Park

 

So maybe I didn’t get my full workout in, but what I did gain was so much more valuable. During this time when schoolwork is piling up and midterms are just three days away, I am so much more at peace than I have been the past few weeks. I am rested and blessed and so ready to take on my to-do list, but I am also ready to take some time every so often to slow down, stop, and just enjoy the world around me, and I challenge you to do the same too.

And I got to end my wonderful Saturday morning studying in City Limits Cafe with a warm cup of chai!

 

How I Came to Nashville

Alright, so after a slight hiatus, I am back and ready to blog! The past few weeks have been all sorts of hectic as I completed my waitressing job, worked soccer camp for two weeks, attended two weddings, and then packed up and moved (finally!) to Nashville. It’s hard to believe that I started this blog at the beginning of the summer in preparation for documenting this big move to Nashville and my time at graduate school, and now here I am, a couple months later, sitting in my room in my apartment in Nashville.

To celebrate finally arriving in this amazing city where I already feel at home, I thought it would only be appropriate to tell the story of how I came about my decision to move to Nashville in the first place.

It all started my senior year of high school, when my then boyfriend told me he had decided to attend college at Belmont University in Nashville. While I was excited for him, I was also extremely apprehensive of having a long distance relationship, since I would be remaining in Western New York to attend college. Eventually we broke up, but we remained friends for awhile after the break up, and through him I was able to learn a lot about Belmont. Everything I heard about Belmont sounded great and Nashville sounded wonderful as well. February break of my sophomore year I came down to visit my friend and fell in love with Belmont and Nashville immediately. After growing up in a rural area my whole life, the hustle and bustle of the city was refreshing, the weather was my ideal weather, the food was delicious, the people were friendly, and country music was constantly playing.

However, soon after my visit to Belmont, my friend and I began to grow apart, and Nashville and Belmont sort of fell off my radar for awhile. It wasn’t until towards the end of my junior year, when I decided I wanted to pursue occupational therapy, that I came across Belmont again while I was looking up schools that offered occupational therapy graduate programs. As I read about their program, Belmont quickly moved to my top choice as they offered one of the few doctorate programs in the nation and a lot of hands on experience. The summer before my senior year I began graduate school applications, mainly focusing on Belmont, but also applying to two other schools that were more local, but only Master’s programs.

November rolled around and I flew down to Nashville to interview for a spot in the OTD program. It wasn’t really until then that I realized just how competitive getting into Belmont would be. I was one of maybe 350 applicants, many who had been out of school for a year or two, had already been through the whole application process before and been denied, and had work experience in OT related fields, while I hadn’t even graduated college yet. It was intimidating to say the least. However, it was clear to me how the Lord’s hand had been on my journey so far, so I prayed for peace and comfort, trusting He would place me where I was supposed to be.

Following the interview weekend was a long month of waiting to hear back from the program. Finally, one morning I woke up and checked my email on my phone like I usually did. Only this time it was different because I had received an email from Belmont announcing my acceptance into the program! I freaked out and called my parents, even though it was barely 7:00 AM, to share the exciting news. As soon as I received the acceptance email, I knew I would be attending Belmont, there was never really any second option for me.

The months after my acceptance included sending in deposits, apartment searching, and roommate searching and other preparations for moving 14 hours away from the only place I’ve ever lived. But here I am, almost a year after I started the application process, and 8 months after I received the acceptance email, and God’s direction couldn’t be more apparent to me. I know there is no way I would be where I am today without all that He has blessed me with, and His hand guiding me each step of the way. Orientation starts Monday and classes start Wednesday, and I cannot wait to share with you all (or y’all as they say in the South) this next part of my journey as I truly begin “Navigating Nashville.”

Transition Thoughts

I can’t believe in one short month I will be moving to Nashville and starting the next chapter of my life. It seems as if it was only yesterday that I was graduating from Houghton, while in reality it was over two months ago. These past couple months have been a whirlwind of ups and downs, but the one thing that has remained constant is God’s faithfulness. I have been blessed more than I can imagine throughout this summer, both by the various events that have occurred and the people in my life who have continually showed their love and support for me through everything.

As I prepare for this next chapter, I am both excited and overwhelmed. I recognize that this next year is going to be one long period of adjustment, from moving to a new city, beginning a new program, meeting new people, making new friends, planning a wedding, and getting married, and in many ways, that is scary. I’m not always good with change, I’ve never lived more than a couple hours away from home, and I’m such a perfectionist, it’s nearly impossible for me to work on group projects without majorly stressing out, and both graduate school and the wedding are going to be big group projects.

On the other hand, I almost can’t contain my excitement. I’m looking forward to exploring a new city, getting to know my new housemates, learning more about occupational therapy, and taking on the challenge of planning a wedding on a budget. I’m also looking forward to marriage and spending the rest of my life with my best friend, though I’m also glad I have over a year to prepare. I’m sure that I will learn so many lessons in this next year and I look forward to every one of them.

While change is scary and I tend to dwell on the negative, as I prepare for this next season of my life my goal is to focus on the positive. My pastor’s sermon today was on Job, and knowing that good or bad, God is with us. I hope that I can keep this at the forefront of my mind throughout the next month and beyond as I experience a lot of change and I’m sure a lot of ups and downs. God has been so faithful and blessed me in so many ways this summer- from providing a car, job, and apartment, getting engaged, and being able to celebrate two years with Jord this past weekend, to name a few, and I know that won’t stop no matter what I experience during this transition time. I am also so thankful for the people who have drawn around me to support me in these next steps of my life, from attending graduate school to getting married. I know that the next few months will not always be easy, but the one thing I do know is that my God will go before me and that I will be surrounded by those that love and support me.

I Got Your Back

As I’ve been watching the World Cup the past couple weeks, I’ve found myself caught up in a flood of memories of the various soccer games I’ve played in over the 17 or so years I’ve been playing the game. I remember practices, specific teammates, goals I’ve scored, exciting wins, and disappointing losses. For as long as I can remember I’ve been playing one sport or another and now I’m just done, and I’m not quite sure how I feel about that.

I first had to come to terms with being finished with organized sport back in December, when my senior season ended in Florida with the Houghton College Women’s Soccer Team, while competing in the National Christian College tournament. We unfortunately suffered two disappointing losses, which ended our season, and effectively the college careers of each of the eleven seniors on the team, myself included. I don’t remember much about the game, other than wanting to leave everything I had on the field, knowing it very well could be my final game, but I will never forget what happened after the game. When the final whistle blew, my teammates and I jogged off the field, shook hands with the other team, and then lined up to jog across the sidelines to be acknowledged by and acknowledge our fans. Tears streamed down my face as I ran across the field with 30 some girls that had become my family over the years and faced a group of fans who had been encouraging us all season long, knowing this was the last time I would ever have the privilege to run across the field with one of the best teams I’ve ever played on. As we jogged back and circled up around Coach, I met the eyes of some of the seniors, seeing the pain I felt reflected in their eyes. After every game we always sing a song of praise and then pray. As we circled up, Coach asked us to sing “Eagles,” a team favorite, and a song that we typically only sing when we’ve played exceptionally well. As all 30 of us felt various emotions tear though us, we praised our God through tears. And then, Coach prayed over us. As we bowed our heads, arms around each other, I cried harder than I had cried in a long time. Part of me was sad that I would never play soccer at a collegiate level again, but more than that, I cried because I would never again step on the field with that group of girls who had become family, and the coach who had become like a father to me. I don’t remember Coach’s specific words, but they were filled with love and hope for our futures, and gratitude for all the Lord had blessed us with that season. After we said, “Amen,” many of us embraced, then we gathered our things and headed to the bus, still sniffling as tears rolled down our cheeks.

The seniors before our senior game

Even as I write this, I still feel the emotions of that day. And I realize that the reason I feel like a “Non-Athletic Regular Person” (NARP) even though I’m still playing on a summer soccer team, running and doing yoga, is because I don’t have the support structure of a team that has my back both on and off the field. The girls I play summer soccer with, while I am friends with some of them, are mostly just girls I play summer soccer with, I don’t know anything about them other than what position they play on the field. On the other hand, the Houghton Women’s Soccer team became my family, and remains so to this day. Each season, the team has a tradition of ordering t-shirts that say “I Got Your Back” on the back, a symbol and reminder that by becoming a part of this team, we have promised to support and cover for each other both on and off the field, because a successful team requires all thirty something players, whether they see 9 or 90 minutes of playing time each game. And how blessed am I to know that each and every one of my teammates over my four years at Houghton lived this out. Even now that I have graduated and am no longer a part of the team, I know that each girl still has my back, and I have theirs. I have 100% confidence that I could call up anyone of my teammates if I need someone to talk to and that if I send out a prayer request to the team, there will be 30 girls sending prayers my way. As each of us moves on, the seniors to graduate school and the work force, juniors into the roles of seniors, and as the freshman and sophomores continue with their college careers, I’m sure things will change, but I know the one thing that will never change is that each of us will continue to live out the “I Got Your Back,” slogan found on our shirts.

The team before a game at Stevens Tech

So this one’s for you, Houghton College Women’s soccer team. Thanks for you’ve done and continue to do in my life, and for always having my back no matter what. I love each and every one of you, and look forward to seeing how God works in the lives of all of you!

House Hunting: The Adventure

Let me tell you, finding a place to live in Nashville from 762 miles away is no easy task. I started my housing hunt fairly soon after I received my acceptance letter, which looking back may have been jumping the gun a bit considering whatever was available then was definitely not going to be available eight months later when I was finally ready to move in. I started my search pretty simply, just looking on Craigslist at different apartment complexes and townhouses that would be in my price range. I quickly realized the chances of me being able to afford someplace on my own were slim to none, so I switched tactics and began searching for a roommate first.

Luckily, Belmont had provided a Facebook group for all accepted students to be a part of, and I started messaging incoming students to see if they were looking for a roommate as well. I got in touch with a girl Brianna who had graduated ahead of me and we hit it off immediately. We had a similar budget, were interested in some of the same things, and we decided that we would probably get along really well, and began to plan our apartment hunt together. Unfortunately at the beginning of April, Brianna announced that due to circumstances beyond her control, she wouldn’t be able to attend Belmont in the fall.

At this point, I had no idea what to do. A lot of the current students had recommended finding a place to sign by May, which left me with approximately a month to find a new roommate or roommates, make a list of possible places to live, find a way down to Nashville to look at them, and save up money for down payments and rent. I began praying, hoping I wouldn’t be in a situation where I had to live on my own.

About a week later, another incoming first-year posted on the Facebook page she was still looking for a roommate, so I quickly messaged her and we decided to live together. Our group of two quickly grew into a group of four as two other girls got in contact with us, and I couldn’t believe my luck. I had not only one roommate, but three, which greatly increased our housing options and also made living expenses a lot cheaper as well. Within a couple weeks we had a few promising options, one roommate, Danyelle, who only lives two hours away from Nashville, had gone to look at some places, and the rest of us were making plans to go on some housing tours as well. Things were looking up, until one of the girls was on a visit and found out that in Davidson County, it was against regulations for more than three unrelated girls to live together! None of us could believe that this was even a rule, but apparently it’s a pretty common one, as one of the girls had a cousin in the same situation who was told that a group of four or more unrelated girls was considered a brothel! The four of us laughed at the ridiculousness of it all and then began debating what the best option would be. We ended up deciding to split into two groups of two and the other two girls quickly found an apartment, while for Danyelle and I it took a little longer.

We began looking at two bedroom apartments and townhouses, until Danyelle mentioned that a family friend had gotten a job in the Nashville area and was looking for a place to live. The search turned to looking for three bedroom apartments, but time was running short. Towards the end of May, Danyelle went and looked at eight different apartment complexes, and only two of them had apartments available in late July/early August, which was when we were looking to move in. We realized we had to move fast and that day Danyelle let Grande View, the cheaper and better option of the two apartment complexes, know we were interested in leasing the apartment they had available at the end of July. Finally, we had a place to call home!

Our new apartment will look something like this!

But the craziness hasn’t quite stopped yet. Since deciding on the apartment at Grande View, we’ve still had a lot of work to do. At first we thought only one of us had to fill out an application, so Danyelle filled it out and sent it in with the application and background check fees, as well as the security deposit once she received Elizabeth and I’s part of the payment as well. Only then did we find out that all three of us had to fill out the application and not only that, but we would need a cosigner, which also required an additional fee. Danyelle’s dad graciously offered to cosign for us and Elizabeth and I sent our applications and application fees in. My application is apparently still MIA, but for all intents and purposes and after all of the unexpected twists and turns, the apartment is ours!

House hunting was definitely a lot more complicated than I expected and I hope you can learn a few things from my house hunting adventure.

1. Start looking early, but not too early. If you look too early, what is available at that point is unlikely to be available when you’re actually ready to move. If you look too late, your options are going to be severely limited. If I had to give you a time frame, I’d say start looking for places 2-4 months before you’re anticipated move in date.
2. Look at a place before making any commitments! We found that a lot of places that looked and seemed great on Craigslist ads and even on apartment websites were not in reality. One place that was a perfect match to our criteria, well within our price range, and claimed to be in a safe neighborhood, actually ended up being in a super sketchy area of town, which we never would have known had one of us not driven through.
3. Be willing to compromise. You’re going to have your list of qualifications you desire for your apartment, but chances are you won’t find one place that fits all of them. So decided which are the most important to you and which you may be willing to compromise a little on. We ended up in a place towards the upper end of our price range and perhaps not in an ideal location, but we were in a safe, quality apartment complex, which was the most important to us.
4. Ask and understand all of the conditions and fees associated with applications, background checks, cosigners, lease agreements, etc. when looking at the apartment initially. It’s been a lot harder to get answers about these things after the fact and we all wish we had known to ask these when we were in person, rather than trying to communicate over phone and email.

House hunting certainly proved to be an adventure and I’m definitely glad that we finally found a place to call home for our first year of graduate school. I’m also glad that I learned what I did through this experience and will definitely plan on applying that knowledge the next time I’m looking for a place to live.

Do you have any interesting house hunting and/or moving stories? What advice would you give to first time apartment hunters? Leave a comment below to share!

Father’s Day Reflection

I’ve been seriously struggling with writer’s block the past couple weeks, which seems to always happen after I start a blog, but I’ve learned that sometimes the best thing to do is to write anyways. In honor of Father’s Day being yesterday, here’s a little shout out to my dad and step-dad, who are both pretty awesome.

From the time I can remember until around high school, I always considered my dad my best friend. Even though I’m not close with any of my parents, I’ve definitely always been closest to my dad. Growing up we bonded over our shared love of sports and laughter and I will never forget all the trips we took to my soccer tournaments. I loved those trips because they were the only times I got to spend some quality time with just my dad. Around my sophomore year of high school, my dad and I grew apart and things have never really been the same since, and we’re still navigating the uncharted waters of our new relationship. However, I wouldn’t change what we’ve been through for anything, because it has made me who I am today. So thanks to my dad for teaching me how to be super organized, allowing me to become independent as I got older, always pushing me to become the best I can be, and encouraging me to chase after my dreams, even if that means moving to Nashville.

My dad, taking one of his classic “selfies”

My step-dad came in to my life shortly after my parents divorced, and my earliest memory of him is being at my mom’s friend’s house with my sister, hiding in a play tent from the “Tickle Monster” as our step-dad chased us around trying to tickle us. From the moment he came into our lives I’ve always seen him as another father figure. Over the years my independent and stubborn personality has caused us to butt heads more than once, but I love him just the same and appreciate the role he has played and continues to play in my life today. So thanks to my step-dad for all the rides to school and sporting events, loving my sister and I like we were your own, supporting my academic and athletic endeavors, and being willing to help me truck all my belongings to Nashville in a couple months.

My step-dad, sister, and I back in the day

While having divorced parents has sucked in a lot of ways, one of the best things I have gotten out of it is the opportunity to have two earthly fathers to love and help me grow into the person I am today. So thanks to my Heavenly Father, who used a crappy situation to give me two earthly dads that put my needs in front of their own. And thanks God for being an awesome Heavenly Father figure, who forgives me no matter how many times I mess up, loves me unconditionally, and set the perfect example for how I should treat those around me.

Abundant Blessings

For those of you who don’t know, grad school is expensive. Like $60,000 a year expensive, including tuition, books, living expenses, etc. While this isn’t the most expensive it could be, especially for a three year doctoral program, that is definitely more money than I have just laying around in my savings account.

After graduation, when I finally had time to start thinking about how I was going to pay for graduate school, I started to panic. Not only was I going to have to take out a massive amount of loans, but my computer needed to be replaced and I needed a new car, as there was no way my current vehicle was going to make it the 700+ miles to Nashville. On top of this, I didn’t have a summer job.

Needless to say, I was a little panicked. I definitely hadn’t made enough money throughout the school year to afford a computer, let alone a car, and with no job, I really had no idea where the money for those things was going to come from. So I prayed. I prayed that God would provide for me, in whatever way He saw fit. And I kept praying, even when I continued to be discouraged. And here’s the cool thing about prayer- God answers prayer. After praying, it didn’t take long for God to start providing the things I had asked for, though definitely not in the ways I was expecting.

First came the computer. Now, I’m not the world’s most patient person and I didn’t feel like going all summer trying to get by using a computer that would randomly freeze every few minutes, so as soon as I got home after graduation, I started looking around for computers. I also had my heart set on getting a Mac, especially since a lot of people who are currently in the occupational therapy program I’ll be a part of, recommended getting one. Macs are not the cheapest computers around as I’m sure most of you know, and as a broke college graduate, I wasn’t quite sure how I would afford one. But, I did some shopping around and stumbled across Apple’s education store, where I was able to find the Macbook Pro without retina display, for a good $500 cheaper than what I would have paid for one of the newer models. I also happened to have just enough money in my bank account for the computer, so I just went for it and bought it, figuring the sooner I had the computer, the more time I’d have to get used to the way Macs work. I hated that my bank account dropped so low after that purchase, but to my surprise after making a trip to the bank the next day to deposit some graduation money and last minute paychecks from Houghton, I deposited almost exactly what I paid for the computer. Coincidence? Maybe. But I prefer to think of it as a God thing.

Then came the job. I had applied to several places as soon as I returned home after graduation, but after a week hadn’t really heard from anyone, so I picked up applications for a few more places one day as I was running errands in town. I filled them all out when I got home and planned on turning them in the next time I went into town. The next day, my step-dad calls me and tells me that my uncle, who works for a company in Rochester, has a spot open for people to work the phones. I would get paid $10 an hour, but I would have to work from either 12PM-6PM or 8PM and I would have to make the hour long commute to Rochester each day. My heart sunk. Here was a job, staring me in the face, and a good one at that, but it wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. One, my car wasn’t exactly in the greatest shape for making a two hour round trip commute each day, so I was going to have to find transportation. Two, even with getting $10 an hour, I’d probably be spending a lot of that on gas, and the hours weren’t ideal. But I was prepared to take the job if nothing else came up. So I prayed again, asking God if this is where He wanted me for the summer and then I called my parents to talk things over with them. After talking with them we decided this was my best option as long as I could borrow one of my grandfather’s vehicles for transportation. I planned on calling my grandfather that afternoon, and settled in to start watching something on TV. Not even an hour later, my phone rings and its an unknown number. I answer to find that it’s the owner of the restaurant located just down the road from my house, wanting to know if I can come in that afternoon for training! And I’m happy to say I’ve been employed there for the past two weeks and while the restaurant life can get stressful and makes for long days and nights, I am so blessed by the way God has provided.

Next came the car. It’s important for you to know that I have literally the worst luck with cars. Since buying my first car as a senior in high school, I’ve had three cars. That’s three cars in four years. My most recent car’s exhaust is completely shot, making for an extremely loud and annoying trip any time I drive anywhere. Between that, the 170000 miles on the car, and the fact that the back breaks were starting to go, we knew that I needed to find a new car before making the trek down to Nashville in August. I was torn between finding a newer and more expensive used car and just leasing a brand new car. I liked the idea of leasing, because I was tired of dealing with the uncertainties of used cars, but wasn’t sure if I’d be able to swing monthly payments while in school, stay under the mileage, and didn’t want to be left with nothing at the end of three years. But it’s also hard to find a used car that’s in good shape, reliable enough to get me to Nashville, and in my price range. I was leaning towards leasing, when my grandparents came in to have lunch while I was working. As I was talking with them, my grandfather asked me what I was doing about a car. I told him I didn’t know and then he offered me one of their cars… FOR FREE. Like a gift. And this isn’t an old junker car. It’s a really nice, low mileage, still worth quite a bit of money car. I didn’t know what to say. After talking it over with my parents, we decided this was definitely the best option for me (Hello- free car!) and as of yesterday, I am the proud owner of a 2006 Chrysler Pacifica. It may not be the coolest looking car around, but once again God provided, and words cannot express how blessed I am by both God and my grandparents.

Every day, I continue to be amazed by the ways God works in my life and how He continues to bless me in unexpected ways. While there are still so many unknowns in this journey to Nashville, such as getting the loans and finding a place to live, I believe in a God that is bigger than all of those things and I trust that He will continue to provide abundant blessings.

A Vow of Silence

Every one of us has been the victim of unkind words, whether from the class bully in elementary school, an upset sibling, a friend who spoke without thinking, or someone else. When we’re in this position, it can be hard to believe the saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” The truth is, words hurt. They leave invisible marks that stick with us for longer than they should. That time someone told us we had “chicken legs” pops into our head every time we put on a pair of shorts. We’re reminded of being called a loser every time we walk into a room full of new people. Sometimes, words hurt more than we expect them too.

We’re all guilty of being the ones on the giving end of unkind words as well. I am ashamed to think about the multitude of times I’ve snickered at someone I passed on the street who seemed a little odd or the times I’ve said an unkind word to someone I barely knew. While I could probably make some excuse or justification for each and every time, the truth is, there really isn’t an excuse. We most often put other people down to build ourselves up.

As a summer job to save up money for Nashville, I’m working in a local restaurant. The other day at work, some co-workers were speaking poorly about another co-worker, and I joined in. One co-worker mentioned that she doesn’t normally talk about people behind their back, but in this case she was willing to make an exception. I agreed with her statement, but then it got me thinking. What is it about certain situations that make us think it’s more okay to say something unkind than in other situations? Or why are we okay with saying mean things behind someone’s back, when we wouldn’t dream of saying those same things to their face?

Just the other day, I was reading the passage in James about taming the tongue. James says:

“With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.”

James 3: 9-10

Lately, I’m starting to realize just how guilty of this I am. I’m doing my best to live as God has called me to live, and yet all too often I turn around and with the same tongue I use to produce words of praise, I produce words of harm. I’m not proud of this and it’s something that I want to change. So I’m taking a vow of silence, though not the type you’re probably thinking of. From now on, I’m going to take to heart the children’s saying, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” While I’m sure I’ll screw up and it definitely won’t be easy, I know it will be worth it.

And so I vow to be silent when the temptation to say an unkind word arises. I vow to be silent when I am tempted to join in with others who are talking bad about someone else. Will you join me?

An Ending and a Beginning

How fitting that as one thing ends, another begins.

Last Saturday, I graduated from Houghton College and in just a few short months, I will be leaving for Nashville, where I will be attending Belmont University as part of their Doctorate of Occupational Therapy program.

Here I am… an official college grad!

It’s true when they say time flies when you’re having fun. I can’t believe that I’ve already completed four years of undergraduate study. Throughout those four years, I have learned so much more than I would have imagined, both inside and outside of the classroom. Playing two varsity sports at Houghton- soccer and track- taught me time management, leadership skills, teamwork, and more important, how to use sport as a form of worship and offering to God. My wide range of liberal arts classes broadened my worldview, knowledge base, and helped me pair my faith with learning. I was blessed with the opportunity to go abroad three times during my time at Houghton, giving me the opportunity to experience two different cultures, as well as spread Christ’s love to the people we interacted with there. I met some of the most loving and caring people during my time at Houghton, who were the source of smiles, laughter, and unforgettable memories, and who were also willing to pick me up when I was down or point me in the right direction when I had lost my way.

So blessed to have lived with these lovely ladies for the past 2 years!

Not every experience I had at Houghton was positive. There was a time when I questioned my decision to attend Houghton and wanted to transfer. I made a lot of mistakes during my time at Houghton, but I was able to learn from each one. There were a lot of late nights spent working on assignments, stressing over meeting deadlines and striving after that 4.0. There were times where I felt alone, others where I felt like I wasn’t learning anything, and even more where I questioned my faith. But these experiences have also shaped me into who I am today.

Houghton was so much more than a place where I earned a degree. It is also the place where my faith in God grew, I learned how to serve others selflessly, I developed relationships I will forever hold dear to my heart, and where I was mentored by coaches and professors whose wisdom and examples will continue to guide me. There really aren’t words to describe how much Houghton, and more importantly the people of Houghton, have influenced my life.

This goofy guy served as such a wonderful mentor and professor and I don’t know where I’d be without him!

So as I say goodbye to Houghton, I say hello to Nashville, and look forward to the way God will use Nashville, Belmont, and the people I meet there to grow and shape me into the person He plans for me to be. The point of this blog will be to follow along with my adventures as I take on grad school and a new city all at once, and serve as a testimony to the work God is doing in my life.

Next stop: Belmont University, Nashville, TN!