Boston, Minnesota, and visitors from Washington!

Usually I love Mondays.  Not because I'm one of those overly-crazy-optimistic-always-happy people that also love mornings (well, I guess I sort of am...sometimes), but I love Mondays because it's my day off.  I can sleep in, get errands done, and do my long runs.  But today? Well, I will still do all of that...but I'm coming off of a two and a half week Travel-Family-Friends-Visitors high. 

First, I got to go to Boston and New Hampshire for a Caregiver Kit Build with work.  We set up the build at a boarding school in Concord, where it costs $50K to send your highschooler there per year.  So yes...it was a really nice campus.  The staff and students were so great.  And the actual event went super well. They built 4,000 Aids Caregiver Kits which are already on their way to Uganda.

Although the event was in Concord, NH, we got to spend some time in Boston as well.  We walked the Freedom Trail which was so fun.  However, I love hearing about history and seeing places, but I have a hard time grasping it..."Okay Kirsten...this is the ACTUAL house where Paul Revere lived.  Like.. right here." Maybe it would be easier for me to wrap my head around if there wasn't a Starbucks right across the street, and people driving SUVs past us. 

Faneuil Hall

Park where the Freedom Trail starts.

Although we were busy with the event and sightseeing, we also had a lot of down time.  I don't do so well with down time...so I went running.  There was a lake really close to our hotel and when I discovered that, my 3 mile run immediately became a 6 1/2 mile run.

I'm not sure if it was the fact that I was in a state with lots of trees and lakes again, or that I knew I was headed to MN two days after getting back from this trip...but I just ached to live by this type of scenery again.  I couldn't get enough of it. 

Waiting in the Boston airport after the event was weird, because I was going "home" to Colorado.  Looking at the gate monitor and seeing "DENVER-CO" made me feel like I should be going on a vacation, not home.  But I liked it.  I smiled...then tweeted about it. 

So then I was back in Colorado for a whole 2 days before flying out to MN for Easter.  Since that flight didn't leave until 3:30, I decided to work a halfday that morning.  Worst idea ever.  I was so hyper and giddy I could hardly do anything.  Max and Dave had to have been annoyed, I was even annoyed with myself.  Okay, no I wasn't.  But if I was someone else I would have been annoyed with me. 

So later that day...I got picked up from the airport in Minneapolis by this beautiful lady,

Roomies for life.  LOVE YOU!

Nicole (it's weird to type that...I always just say roomie.  So from now on, just know that roomie is Nicole)  picked me up and I got to see her AWESOME new apartment.  It really didn't help the fact that I miss living with her in general, but to have such a cool place to live in such a perfect location, too?  That's just mean. 

Sappy moment: Hard to explain, but hanging out with her and even just watching tv and eating cookies in her new apt made me feel more at "home" than I have for a long time. 

But guess what? She gets to come visit me in just a lil over a month! Maybe then my Denver home will feel more like home...even if only for a long weekend :)

Oh yeah, and I got a 7 mile run in around my FAVORITE lakes in Minneapolis. 
Man, I miss the lakes.

So then, Dani (aka Bestie) picked me up and we made the 5 hour drive north to our hometown for Easter! Best roadtrip buddy ever.  I honestly would have felt so sorry for anyone else who had been stuck in that car with us :)  I love our obnoxiousness. 

Love her.

Being in my hometown for Easter was awesome.  I would have said "home" for Easter, but my concept of home is so messed up now.  "Home" to me could be four different places.  Thief River Falls--where I grew up, Minneapolis--where I've lived for the past 5 years before moving, Spearfish--where my parents now live after retiring a year and a half ago, and Denver--where I've now lived for 4 months. So bizarre. 

But being in Thief River was good.  My parents made the 10 hour drive there as well, and we stay with our close family friends. I love that.  They have two girls who I've babysat since they were babies.  And my grandparents live in Thief so I got to see them and a whole bunch of cousins.  Gotta love that, too.

 Happy Easter!

The day I flew back to CO, I got to meet the youth group from Washington that had already been working hard on transforming our warehouse! They were SO much fun to have here this past week! I joined them after the workday on Thursday when they went and did some street ministry.  We handed out burritos and water bottles and prayed with the homeless.  I had never done anything like that before, and although I felt like I should be scared...I wasn't at all.  I really had that "peace" that I know only comes from God.  It was an amazing experience.  Heartbreaking, yes.  But we also saw some really cool things happen as well. 

And you should see our warehouse! I had no idea this much transformation could come in just one week.  It's incredible!! We still have some cleanup to do, but here's a glimpse of what they've done. 

 Day 2. Workin hard!

 Before putting the new flooring down, they all wrote Scripture verses on the cement,
which will always be there, right under our feet.  How cool is that?

 Child Sponsorship corner.  Also, you can kinda see the new flooring.

 I bet our hallway is better than your hallway :)

 Praise and worship to dedicate and redeclare this building as God's Temple!

Wow, just writing about all this makes me understand why I feel so wiped out today.  The last couple days the group was here I was low on sleep and was functioning purely on caffeine and adrenaline.  Also, I haven't ran in a week.  So this week is catch-up week.  My cousin and her boyfriend are coming to visit next week, but I'm sure by then I'll already be ready for new adventures!!

Life...is good :)

What I moved here for...

Today I had the option to have the day off.  I seriously considered going in to work anyway, because I could use the extra money.  But...then I remembered that I didn't move to Colorado to work overtime :) So, I decided to do one of the things that I DID move here for.  Hiking in the Mountains.

I had some errands to do first, however.  I paid some bills. I stood in line at the Post Office for 40 minutes.  But I didn't mind the wait too much because I got to practice striking up conversations with strangers.  Yes, I intentionally practice that.  And...I bought pepper spray.  I feel weird saying that, but I guess its not a bad thing to have when living in a city. I already tested it out just to make sure I knew how to use it.  The spray is actually red.  Who knew?

Then, the moment I had been waiting for, I put "Boulder, CO" into my GPS.  Roooaaadtrip! Not really, because its only about 50 mins from my apartment, but I was still excited.  When I got there, I was just giddy.  Mountains were beautiful and the town just seemed...fun.  I had an emotional moment over wanting sooo badly to live in one of the smaller towns closer to the mountains like Fort Collins or Boulder, instead of the big, bustling, not-so-scenic, smog-filled city of Denver (Love ya, Denver...but I'll always be more of a small-town girl, don't take it personally).  But I took a deep breath and got over it.  Then I ate Bacon-Mac-and Cheese from Noodles & CO. 

After finding the trailhead parking lot....I deeply regretted not using the bathroom at Noodles.  Now, I've used many port-a-potties in my day, but this one.....takes the cake for being the absolute worst.  My eyes literally were watering.  It didn't kill me, but instead of getting stronger, I felt like I was gunna faint.  It was a growing up moment.  

View from parking lot.  Right away the trail heads right up to the top of that peak.

Time to hike! 

The trail was called Mt Sanitas.  It was a pretty easy hike, and although it was one big loop, the terrain was super different as you went.  The first part was my favorite...it looked like this:

This is at the top of the peak in the previous picture.

There was a narrow visible trail to follow, but....I was standing on it.  This is what was alongside of me. (Kind of dull pics, just had my camera phone this time.)  I tried doing some climbing off the trail...but I quickly realized how badly I need to invest in some hiking shoes/boots.  My Asics are great for running...not so much for climbing.

The second part of the trail was the most boring.  It looked like this: 

Still pretty? Yes.  But I saw many-a grandma on this part of the trail.

 Then here was the third part of the trail...still very easy, but a little more interesting. You at least had a rock or two to jump over. 

 Hi, mom!

 

 While hiking, I had alot of time to think.  I brought my ipod, but decided not to use it.  None of my thoughts were earth shattering, mostly just reflecting on my journey to live in Colorado in the first place.  Now that I'm here, what am I going to make of it?  Alongside thinking, I did a lot of praying/praising as well.  It's hard not to when you're surrounded by this kind of scenery!! 

I usually have a pretty good picture of what lies ahead of me in my immediate future.  But after my big move, I kinda feel like now I'm just coasting through the day-to-day life.  I like my job and feel so blessed to still be working for World Vision (if you missed it, you can read that story here). But I still sort of feel like I'm on auto-pilot.  Hard to explain I guess.  Once I start getting more involved in church and making more friends, I think I'll be in a better place.  I just have the deep down feeling that this season of life is more of just a stepping stone.  But I guess that's kinda how every season is...I just am more conscious of it this time.  

 

Anyway, back to the hike...one of my biggest realizations was how much more energized I felt after being up there.  When it comes to how I feel most connected to God, it is definitely by being in nature.  Even in Minneapolis, when I needed to recharge I would either go running on a trail through the woods, or sit by a lake.  It just centers me somehow.  So in regards to all that, I guess Colorado is a great place for me to live :)

Where God is Leading Me....

I have been having quite a time deciding on what I want to do after I graduate. However, I think I have decided what I'm going to do! My boyfriend's mom once mentioned that she thought I might make a good ESL (English as a second language) Teacher...which I didn't think too much of because I just thought of teaching kids which I just don't have a passion for doing. So I decided to join this career focus group at Bethel, which includes taking the Strong Interest Inventory. (Thats the test that shows you good potential careers for you, etc.) Well my top three suggestions included education. A teacher?! Me? Well, after talking to my roommate Tricia, she said it just takes a couple of months to get your ESL certificate. She also said there is a need to teach newly immigrated adults English and also just basic cultural skills...Something I think I would LOVE doing!!

Looking back I feel as though God has led me to this place. Studying a foreign language in Guatemala gave me the experience of what its like to be on the "other side". My major--Sociocultural Studies--has prepared me for encountering different cultures and has given me a passion to learn about them. I am now in the process of applying at the U of M for my ESL Certificate, so we will see if God keeps opening the doors in this direction =).

Last Firsts

So yesterday and today were my last "first" days of classes! Very weird feeling. One part of me still doesn't feel old enough to be finishing my last semester in college, but at the same time I felt like I was hearing the professors explaining the syllabus for the billionth time. I knew exactly what to expect, I wore sweatpants the first day, and everyone around me looked so young. I guess that officially makes me a senior. Mostly the sweatpants part, though--as almost every girl walking on Bethel's campus the last two days has looked all gussied up, ready to impress. It makes me a little sad...watching all the freshmen eagerly making new friends, with the look of exciting anticipation for what the next 4 years will look like. I miss that. However, I love the feeling of knowing where I'm going on campus, recognizing most of the faculty, and many of the students. From elementary school to middle school to high school to college and then through the many layers of the workforce...life involves lots of moving from a small fish in a big pond to a big fish in a little pond then back again!! Well, all I can do is to make the most of my last semester at Bethel University! Wish me luck!

Blessings in Disguise

You know how every once in awhile you have one of those days? Those days where nothing seems to go right, and it takes alot of effort to get your spirits up....Well I am trying to see those days as blessings in disguise. As the cliche goes, If we didn't have the bad days, we wouldn't appreciate the good ones. Usually in the bad days we discover something about our character...may it be a strength or a weakness. If it happens to be a weakness, it can be a time of growing and stretching yourself. If that bad day is filled with loneliness, it is an extra opportunity to lean on God and make sure you are making HIM your #1 instead of someone else. If that bad day is filled with self pity, I encourage you (as I encourage myself) to ask God to show you how truly blessed you are, and to provide an opportunity to bless others instead of being so focused on yourself.

I have recently been "called out" on some of my own character flaws by someone really close to me. Although it was extremely hard to hear, and even harder to humbly face up to them, I hope everyone has someone in their life that holds them accountable. As I strive to become more like Christ, some days I think I have gotten farther away from the goal. It is frustrating, but I think it keeps me humble knowing that no matter what I do or don't do, I am saved by grace. All in all, my new challenge is to find the many blessings that God has hidden in our day-to-day lives, whether it is the "good" day or the "bad" one.

Growing up...

I will soon be starting my last semester of college. As expected...I have SO many mixed feelings about this. I feel like I just finished high school....or at least my freshman year of college. I don't feel grown-up enough to be in the real world yet. I spent last week at home--and it felt "normal". Coming back to the cities makes me feel more independent and grown up, but deep down I feel like i belong at home with my parents. I've always had issues with growing up since I was little. Of course I look forward to the future and what it holds for me...but as always its all a big, scary, unknown. I guess that's where faith jumps in. But just for the record, I'll always be daddy's little girl.


"Too many people grow up. That's the real trouble with the world, too many people grow up. They forget. They don't remember what it's like to be 12 years old. They patronize, they treat children as inferiors. Well, I won't do that." --Walt Disney

Grill out happiness

Today I got to come home. I was met with hugs and "How was the drive?!" My parents know my favorite growing-up/at-home memories were those days when the lawn is freshly mowed, and we have a grill-out picnic and invite the grandparents. Today, that's just what we did. It was wonderful--the food was amazing and the company was even better. To top it off we had angel food cake with strawberries and whipped cream on top. Just thought I'd share=).

Slow down...

Perhaps it is because I grew up in a small town in northern Minnesota. Perhaps it is because i've spent time abroad. Perhaps it is simply because it doesn't feel natural or right. Why are we always so busy? We are always running around doing all of these things--and lose sight of what is important. We stay up too late, eat fast food that is hazardous to our bodies, and most people doesn't exercise because they just are too worn out. We were created to be in relationship with other people. We were created to match the rhythms of the earth--slow, peaceful, calm. I grew up being fairly busy with school and sports, but being an only child I was never crazy busy. I loved it that way. I had time to sit down with my parents and talk about everything and nothing. Even my first year in college I never signed up to be involved with more than I could handle. But the city life seems to be getting to me. I feel like when I have free time, something is wrong. However, I still have not lost sight of who I am and how I was brought up. I have learned never to be idle or lazy, but make sure you always have quality time to spend with those you love, and also to spend by yourself. God can do anything, but I'm sure it makes it alot harder for Him to work through us when we have our own agenda packed tightly into every 24 hour period. We have to make sure we leave some "open space" for Him, too. So this is my challenge: Slow down a bit, take care of yourself, and let God do His thing.

Sometimes Songs Say It Better!

So, you know when a song just completely speaks to something in your life? Well..here's mine lately=) It's not the whole song, just a part that says it better than I could!

"Whatever Your Doing" by Sanctus Real

Time for a milestone
Time to begin again
Revaluate who I really am
Am I doing everything to follow your will
or just climbing aimlessly over these hills
So show me what it is you want from me
I give everything I surrender...

Whatever you're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos somehow there's peace
It's hard to surrender to what I can't see
but I'm giving in to something heavenly

Stepping Out of the Boat...

I was listening to podcast sermons while working yesterday...and one in particular really hit me. The pastor was talking about in order to stretch our faith, we need to try things we can't do. Why would I try something I know I can't do? Because if I don't, growth won't happen.

He also talked about Peter walking on water...how he had the faith to first step out of the boat. I listen to others who have heard the call, taken the plunge into faith and did something crazy (in our eyes) for the Lord--and its amazing. When is it my turn to take that plunge? When do I get the opportunity to walk on water? Well...first I have to step out of the boat...

"Playing it safe is the most popular way to fail."
- Elliott Smith