Happy New Year!

           Wow! I can’t even express what kind of crazy ride this has been: literally and looking back at the year.  I got to finish my soccer career, keep a job that I love and grow closer in my relationships with people and the Lord. 

Not to mention, I’ve gotten to travel to some pretty cool places: North Carolina, New York, Philadelphia, Virginia and now Thailand! I left America about 2 days ago and right now I feel like I’m in another world. I haven’t traveled overseas since I went to London in 2011 and I was excited but so nervous to go to Thailand. This was my first adventure traveling completely solo. I had joked with friends that I was going to make some friends on the plane and I would enter Thailand with more friends than I left with.

Most people who know me know I’m a people person. I like to talk to people and find out about them. On my flight from Chicago to Tokyo I had the pleasure of sitting by a married couple from Chicago and a little boy from Japan. I was kind of ticked off that it was no one my age but I didn’t realize what an enjoyable time I would have talking to them.

I got to learn about the married couples travels all around the world and how the man is from Jordan- the country (haha). They told me all about where they loved to travel and about their kids. They even had to comfort me in some pretty bad turbulence as we were on the flight. The little boy, Rin, was from Japan and was the most polite 11 years old I have ever met. Him and I became quick friends and he couldn’t stop talking to me about his games and his home.

I must say that if it weren’t for my company, the flight would have been a lot less enjoyable. The first flight was 13 hours and the second flight was 7. I was antsy, anxious and nervous as the tv on the wall said we had 15 minutes until we reached Bangkok. It wasn’t until we all realized we were landing right at midnight that everyone got really excited. Some people on the plane started yelling Happy New Year and as we looked out the windows, there were fireworks everywhere. It definitely brought a smile to my face. Well, that and the fact that I could finally get off the plane.

2012 has brought so many memories and I am so looking forward to 2013. Not many people can say that they started out the New Year in a different country. It just reminds me how big how world is and in turn how big our God is. I am so blessed to be able to have this opportunity. I can’t wait to go out and explore Thailand! I'll be updating this blog every few days with some of the things I've been doing! 

When I Grow Up

            I know everyone remembers being in kindergarten and being asked, “what do you want to be when you grow up?” A multitude of crazy dreams were always in that line: astronaut, pilot, firefighter, professional soccer player, movie star and many more. Growing up, for some, seemed to have changed that fill-in-the-blank line. Now looking back at my childhood, I have changed careers about 12,784,783 times. Mostly because I realized what my strengths were, and definitely what my weaknesses were (cough cough, math).
          If you had asked me four and a half years ago if I could have imagined myself graduating college soon, I would have laughed. Like most people who leave high school, I always imagine myself going to college but never what would happen coming out of college. The majority of this last semester was busy and watching some of my close friends approach their  graduation day.  As Christmas break rolled,  I noticed my friends using Shutterfly's Christmas cards and this gave me some great ideas for helping my friends with their to-do lists for graduation. It's always a scary thing receiving invitations to my friends graduations knowing I will be there soon. It’s crazy to think that I have spent the last four and a half years preparing myself for what I am going to do the rest of my life. At this point, I have absolutely no idea where or what I will be doing in six months. Terrified is a good word for that.
          I know I don’t speak for myself when I say this semester seemed to fly by. All in 5 months time, my last soccer season came to an end, I finished the rest of my core classes and managed to stay afloat at work. I’ve also seen friends who have previously graduated go off and do amazing things.
          With graduation around the corner I ask myself, what do I want to be when I grow up?  For me, this doesn’t anymore fill in a profession but the kind of person I want to be. I want to be a good friend, family member, student, learner, caregiver , helper, volunteer and whatever role I may find myself in, in the years to come. I want to be able to give back what so many have given to me on this journey from kindergarten – college.  Most importantly, I want to be able to follow and use the gifts that Christ has given me. I may not know what I want to be just yet, but I know WHO I want to be.  This seems to be the most important lesson I might have learned throughout my schooling. Although I appreciated the years of real classes, I think the lessons I haven’t learned in the classroom are the most valuable ones.
         Six months. Six short months until I walk across the stage in front of teachers, family and friends. For now though,  I’ll enjoy Christmas break and realize all I have been given by my amazing God and the people in my life. Time may be flying by, but most of these moments are shaping us for the actual “grown up” part in life. As for me, I’m still working on my professional soccer career.



Just Kidding.