Welcome to my very first blog! I am so excited that you are here. Over these next months, I hope to be able to share my heart with you in this place. I will do my best to be transparent. I hope that you will get to know me just a little bit more. I hope that you will be encouraged as the Lord works through the adventures that are to come.
To start, here is a little about me…
I am a beach girl at heart who has fallen in love with the mountains. I grew up in Virginia Beach, VA as the oldest of four kids- me, Jessica, Clara and Nathan. We are a close family of seven (now with Zach, my bro-in-law) and I could not be more thankful for each of them. My parents, Tim and Lisa, have always encouraged their kids to explore and have supported us in every way. They both gave me their adventurous genes and I am so excited to be able to exercise their gift on this World Race adventure.
Four years ago I decided to leave my ocean home for the west. I have lived in Denver, CO since then and have discovered a large part of me that I didn’t even know existed. I love the outdoors! I love the challenge of backpacking and snow boarding. I love the bigness (in a very different way than the ocean) of the mountains. I have learned to appreciate different kinds of beauty. Moving also helped me grow in my personal relationship with my Father. Having grown up in a Christian home, I have known the Lord all my life, but my move taught me to listen and commune with Him in a very different way. And now I am learning to trust Him in a new way again.
My journey to commit to the World Race is a road of trust. The Lord is calling me to trust Him in our relationship. Fully. Completely. He is teaching me that He is trustworthy. Trust can be hard for me and I am still learning. But I feel so excited and peaceful about jumping into this adventure. I am humbled that he wants to use me to reach his beloved people. The Holy Spirit has been invading my life. Showing me his love for me. Showing me his love for his people. Neighbors, friends, people at the grocery store. Our Father loves his children. And we don’t have to go across the world for him to use us. Today, right here, he wants to love me and use me to show his love. And this is why I feel so humbled to be able to go all over this earth, loving and serving, experiencing His power and love and provision in a new way. When I learned that I was accepted to the January 2013, Route 4 Race, I was so overwhelmed. I’m still overwhelmed. What a crazy, wonderful, amazing opportunity. I’m so excited!
Please comment on this blog throughout this journey. I would love to share this with you and I really appreciate any conversation and encouragement. I need and love your prayers. If you feel led to partner with me financially, please click on the “support me” tab. I can’t do this without you. Thank you for being willing to walk with me through this adventure. Here we go!
A few other random things that I love…
Hot air balloons. Doing something that I have never done before. Making memories with friends. The smell of honeysuckle. Surfing. Driving with the windows down. Chatting with kids. Photography. Chocolate chip cookies. Stargazing. Playing or listening to the piano. Boats of any kind. Dancing. Movie moments. Lightning bugs. Avocados. Road trips. Letters in the mail. Glass bottles. Golden retrievers. Music boxes. Seafood. Puffy clouds. Skydiving. Lanterns in trees. Hidden passageways. Music playing outside. The color green. Tulips. German-chocolate cake. Being barefoot. Thunderstorms. Motorcycles. Reading. Popping bubble wrap. Rocking chairs. Swimming at night. Sitting in the sun. Horseback riding. Gelato. Big trucks. Earrings. Holding pillows. Literature classes. Hip-hop music. Silly putty. Chick-fil-a. Getting unexpected notes. Bicycles with baskets. Anything spontaneous. Roller-coasters. Skipping stones. Twilight leading to sunsets. Looking for four leaf clovers. Bounty Bars. Painting. Candle light. Rock-climbing. Sweatshirts. Hearing stories from grandparents. Writing. Fireworks. Sand dunes. Warm fuzzy blankets. Lip-gloss. Summer time. Flying kites. Mud-fights. Walking in the rain. Looking out the window on airplanes. Festivals. Climbing trees. Sunday afternoons. Playing tennis. Singing. Wooden fences. Drive-in theaters. Slap-bracelets. Kickboxing. Swimming underwater. Weeping willow trees. Little boxes. Traditions. Sweet tea. Home videos. Tiny churches. Swinging on swings. Skylights. Old books. Fires. Hot tubs in the snow. Climbing on the roof of buildings. Wraparound porches. People-watching. Picnics. Sundresses. Keys and keyholes. Crushed ice. Old records. Wildflowers. Snowball fights. Watching the leaves turn in the fall. Four-wheeling. Inside jokes. Sand-bars. Learning something for the first time. Islands. Seeing wild animals. Concerts. Dance, Dance Revolution. Snuggling. Hammocks. Stained glass windows. Exploring old buildings. Barns. Shooting bow and arrows. Old photo-booth pictures. Untangling knots. Ferris wheels. Free samples. Garage sales. Playing games. Winning games. Small, portable heaters. Exploring old attics. Poetry. Slideshows. Breakfast food at night. Gazebos. Finding great bargains. Lighthouses. People who give great hugs.
