Below is a piece of a blog I wrote nearly four months ago—one week shy of four months, actually. In it, I talked about aspirations I have for life. I made a list of dreams that, somewhere along the way, were sewn into me.
And until just now, I haven’t read the list since I wrote it. I’m quite amazed.
Some things stayed the same. Other things, I’d mark off the list. There are some I’d change just a bit. And some that God has confirmed and grown. Those are the dreams that fascinate me most… they’re the ones that stick out. They’re the ones I intend to keep an eye on. The ones I pray He guides me to pursue… my A list.
Dreams are great. They’re beautiful, wonderful, precious gifts from our Father.
I’m all about dreams, obviously. But the truth is, dreams aren’t the point. He is.
–Chincha, Peru 3/14/13
Love,
Julie
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the dream list, revised version
i used to never get excited about marriage. this is true.
A—now i’m excited about having a husband, about having someone to do life with.
A—hopefully he will be able to choose a decent bottle of wine without my help.
A—he needs to know who he is. he needs to have passions and dreams of his own.
A—i want someone who is confident and secure enough to let me be my own person while helping to sharpen me as a woman of god.
A—i would like him to take initiative in things. i would like him to be attentive without being smothering. and i want to know him better than anyone in the world. and vice versa.
A—i love yoga. and i love like running too, but only when i’m doing it often.
i like doing yoga to john mayer and david gray. and to the guvs and the lumineers.
A—hiking and reading and baths and animals—love them too.
my favorite song to run to is “what’s love got to do with it?” don’t ask why… because i really don’t know. mental note: stop saying things like this.
i like singing in my car.
i’m not a phone talker, especially not in my car.
right now, the thought of talking on the phone while driving a car is blowing my mind. both seem so impossible and farfetched.
i'm borderline obsessed with downloading fonts.
i like crust on my bread. yes, but—dumb.
A—i like to eat healthy—whole grains and vegetables and fruits. i seriously hate white bread. that was a rather recent discovery.
if i had my choice, i’d like to eat a raw diet. but sugar is my weakness. as in ice cream and chocolate. put sugar in my coffee, and we’ll have issues.
A—i love ice cream. hot tamales are my favorite candy. and i can eat a whole bag of gummies in less than 10 minutes.
A—i could live out the rest of my life in a pair of yoga pants and a baggy tank.
i like dousing myself in lotion, usually twice a day. dumb.
i prefer color in nature, not in my closet.
A—i’m an experience junkie, not to be confused with the adventure junkie.
A—i’ll pay good money to eat dinner while looking at an amazing view.
A—i’d rather eat sandwiches on a picnic than have chicken tenders and fries at a franchise restaurant. i need my future husband to share this perspective.
A—i would like to study spanish or italian and become a better photographer.
A—i want to trek easter island and go sailing off the southern coast of france with friends.
A—i want to travel—a lot—and meet locals and hear their stories.
A—i’d love to write a book one day, but i’m not sure what it’d be about.
i want to skydive.
A—i need mountains and water in my life. and i need sunshine.
i love leather jackets and denim jackets and scarves.
i wear denim on denim.
A—i want to venture through argentina in search of the country’s best malbec.
A—i could eat olives and artichokes and caprese salad and bread with olive oil and sea salt with a bottle of cold white wine next to the mediterranean or to the ocean in cape town everyday of my life. that’s my ideal lunch. jennifer, jenny and laura would be there too.
A—i love my sisters and want to grow in deeper relationship with them.
A—i seriously believe i have the best friends in the world.
A—i want to be christ to the world—in the way i was intended to. and i’m finding that typically, that’s through loving people well… not appeasing… loving.
A—and i want to encourage people to pursue their dreams.
one day, i’ll be a master in the kitchen.
mangos are my favorite fruit… i think.
i can drink coffee all day long.
i could care less about sports at this point in my life, which is weird. i used to be obsessed with football. i think that was more of a fomo thing.
i no longer suffer from fomo.
mexican food is my favorite.
A—i love my family more and more everyday.
A—my favorite days involve some combination of exercise, coffee shops, friends, writing, books, music, great food and beautiful and/or interesting places.
A—i would love to amtrak the U.S.
A—i want to visit sweden, ireland, croatia, new zealand, bali, australia, alaska and spain.
A—it’s a dream of mine to take pictures of wild horses in the tetons. and don’t worry… i rode one, though not a wild one, on the beach last month.
there are certain songs that make me daydream. i should be more leery of listening to them because life isn’t about daydreaming. it’s about living.
A—my dream job—journalist or photojournalist for a magazine freelance writer or entrepreneur of a yoga studio, coffee shop, gelato shop, bookstore and custom stationery boutique. and i’m sure i’ll dream up some other ideas along the way.
dream hobby—photography.
i’d love to be published by a world renowned travel magazine one day.
i may go to grad school when i get back from the race.
i love leather bracelets and country music.
i hate mayonnaise, eggs and ranch dressing.
austin, texas is my favorite city in the domestic U.S.
A—i’m a blend of student, contemplative and naturalist worship instincts. i want at least 30 minutes everyday to study the word need time in god’s word everyday… alone… in a natural, peaceful setting.
i always need would love to always have some sort of haven to escape to.
when i own a home, i want imagine it to be one-story, maybe in the shape of an L, with a garden and a veranda… an outdoor living room and an outdoor kitchen too.
A—in addition to freelance writing and photography, i’d love to own a gelato and coffee shop or a bed and breakfast. a haven of sorts for people to come hang out, have community and pursue relationships with people and god. i’d sell art and photography and cards and jewelry there. or i’d just have a separate art and stationery shop. 🙂 and i'd like my friends to be involved in this dream. bed and breakfast? what?
i’d also like to study graphic design and create a custom line of stationery.
A—i would like to become a certified yoga instructor and teach once or twice a week own a studio one day.
A—i want to be discipled by a true woman of god. this will probably be the #1 thing on my to-do list when i get back to the states be one of my primary focuses when i get wherever i’m going.
A—i also want to disciple younger women and help them step more and more into the people they were created to be grow as daughters of christ.
A—i believe with all my heart that god gives good gifts to his children.
A—i believe that everyday is full of gifts. we just have to open our hearts to know they’re there… and our eyes to see them.
