Me in a nutshell: At least for starters :)…I am my mother’s daughter and my father’s daughter too!
I am 22 years old and recently graduated from Azusa Pacific University in California.Yay, for being done with school! At least for now! haha. I was born and raised in Orange County, Southern California. However, I now live in Pasadena and am loving it! I am currently living with a family of five who are the pastors of a church plant called Oasis in Pasadena. The kids I live with are 6, 4 and 1 and it is quite a riot coming home every day to them. Though it is most of the time crazy, it’s so fun seeing them grow up because I have never been around younger kids for any significant amount of time.
As for my family: My parents met and grew up in Iowa, got married and moved out to Cali where my brother and I were born. Most all of my family are still out in Iowa and I can say that there are definitely days where I pray that God would move California and Iowa closer to each other (or at least allow me to teleport from one state to the next :p ).
Half of my family in Iowa…
My parents got divorced when I was 8 years old. Thankfully, my mom, dad, brother and I have a phenomenal relationship! My dad moved back to Iowa to take care of his father who was ill. Shortly after he passed away, my dad remained in Iowa to then take care of his mom who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. He his such an amazing and loving son to his parents. I am constantly touched by how much he loves and cherishes his family. He has such a heart of compassion for us all and shows that daily. He is my “Daddio” 🙂
I am my Father’s daughter: From Father-Daughter dances in Girl Scouts, to fishing on rivers in Iowa, to riding on the back of a Harley Davidson motorcycle, to swimming deep out into the ocean until I can’t touch just to get swamped by a huge wave and survive it, to learning how to think quick on my feet in any situation…It was my Dad that taught me how to be a risk taker and adventurous. He taught me not to be afraid to take a risk and to have fun exploring the world. He taught me how to get dirt under my nails and how to kill spiders rather than scream at the sight of them. haha! He taught me how to dust myself off, bandage up my wounds and get back on the horse again! He taught me how to take not take any non-sense from boys and also how to treat them right. He taught me how have Godly compassion and passion for people and how to love any type of person no matter what their background is. He taught me how to see people the way Jesus saw them, rather than through my own eyes. Most of all, he taught me the power of love, how to really listen, forgiveness, humility and humanity. My Daddio has walked with me through the power of God’s redemption and has modeled for me what it looks like to love a daughter deeply and unconditionally!
My Dad and I
I am my Mother’s Daughter: From coffee dates every weekend, telling stories of God and his power, to shopping dates, to “stay-up-all-night-nights” aka our movie nights, to laughing so hard our bodies go weak, to ministering to perfect strangers while we are at coffee shops, to long days out on the beach relaxing and being in each other’s presence… It was my mom who taught me who I am in Christ. She has mentored me, loved me and walked beside me through the the rough and easy times. She helped form my foundation that I now have in God because she invested her time and love in me. Weekend after weekend throughout junior high, high school and college, my mom and I would go to coffee shops and talk about what God is teaching her as we sipped on our delicious lattes. As she learned about prophecy, healing, intercession, speaking in tongues, she would teach me. My mom is a fierce mama for her kids. She taught me how to let go and just be myself. She taught me how to stay when all I wanted to do is run. She imparted wisdom and taught me to discern from what is of the Lord and what is of the enemy. She taught me balance and maturity. But, most importantly she taught me that no matter what I did, she would always love me, adore me and cherish me just the same. She knows me inside and out. The good, the bad, and the ugly and loves me unconditionally and passionately!
My Mom and I
I do have an amazing brother and sister-in-law too! Cody and Alaina. They are highschool sweethearts and a beautiful example of passionate love, authentic relationship and plain ol’ FUN! They are the silliest couple that I know and I love it!
So, with all that said, it is the combination of my parents and family that make me who I am. It is important to know what my parents have taught me and what my family means to me for you to best understand me, at least in a nutshell. Throughout this blog, I plan to reveal many stories and adventures which will teach you even more about who I am, what/who I live for and what I am passionate about.
Stay tuned for more stories as my life in a nutshell gets cracked open for all of you to read!
