Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Holiday! Celebrate!

AH! I feel like a giddy little girl the night before the first day of school! Tomorrow I leave for our mid semester break. We keep calling it spring break because we’re ignorant Americans even though its fall here.  Anyway, back to the important part (no, not how in the world I’m paying for this).  Four friends and I are renting a car and road tripping up the coast! There are 2 pitt stops before we get to the grand finale destination.  

First will be 2 nights in Brisbane, no idea what there is to do there but I’m sure we’ll find plenty of trouble to get into J  Next, on the itinerary is Fraser Island.  I’m especially excited about this because it’s a 76 mile island that is doesn’t have a single road on it.  We have to rent a 4wheel drive and it’s completely off roading.  There are dingos everywhere, (and yes, they will eat your baby!) and ship wrecks, and waterfalls, AND we are camping (hopefully the dingos don’t eat me!).  

I could end the story right there and sufficiently inflict jealousy upon you all, but that’s all just enroute so our holiday destination.  You might want to sit down for this, although you probably already are since it would be weird to be on your computer standing up…. Okay, On the 25th we’ll arrive the most beautiful beach in the entire world. Whitsunday.  We have a sailing trip booked during our time here where we’ll be adventuring around all of the remote islands (White Haven I believe is the one that has been voted most beautiful beach) while snorkeling on the great barrier reef (no I’m not scuba diving, fun fact= I am claustrophobic). 

“Oh watch me go I’m a happy girl everybody knows that the sweetest thing that you’ll ever see in the whole wide world is a happy girl! “ - Martina McBride

So sorry but I wont be able to post again until after I get back, I hope you can make it that long… I’ve also been doing all kinds of fun stuff around Melbourne that I PROMISE I’ll catch you up on : )

Sunday, April 10, 2011

ConneXions Camp

So this past weekend I went on a retreat with Student Life, a club at Melbourne Uni.  Its actually not just a club here but a movement on campuses all across the world! The Umbrella Organization is Campus Crusade for Christ, which is what we call it back home but in Australia they call it Student life.  Kind of like how Burger King here is called Hungary Jacks! The retreat was so relaxing and challenging at the same time. I’m sad that is it was my last one unless I stay for their G20 mid-year conference in New Zealand with like all the campuses in this hemisphere! I have so loved being apart of this Christian community, and am way grateful for how much they have helped me grow over the past 2 years. Last weekend specifically it hit me that my trip is half way over! My flight home is merely 2 ½ months away. I was faced with the realization that, I still have no idea what I’m doing here, and if I’m doing a good job at whatever the heck it is.  That probably doesn’t make much sense, and I am fully aware that on rare occasions I might have a slight tendency to over think a thing or too, but I can’t help it!  I mean scripture says “ I have come that you may have life, and have it to the full!”  So I sure as heck better take him up on that! But see, for me living life to the full might be a little different then others.  Despite the fact that I’m off gallivanting the world at the moment, sights and activities aren’t of highest value to me.  I want to live a life of love.  Sometimes that’s easy, and sometimes its hard. Loving people, loving the lord, and loving myself, its exhausting! And I often fear that I am not doing a very good job in any of those areas… I mean fear is mentioned in the bible more times than there are days in the year! And if I’m honest I’ve got plenty of it! I fear I’ve got nothing great to offer, no exceptional skills to use… One thing that was laid on my heart this weekend is that I don’t have to put so much pressure on myself to be everything to everyone, to expect to be doing great things every second of the day, to change the world! For one thing, of my own strength I cant do any of that; and for 2 maybe that’s not what I’m being asked to do.  Try to follow me here… It’s easy for me to fall into a narrow sighted perspective in thinking there is only one way for everyone that wants to “live life to the fullest”. But you don’t even have to look any further than the New Testament to see so many examples where this is not the case.  In the first chapter of Acts Matthias was chosen to take Judas’s place of leadership.  Should Joseph have felt that his life was meaningless because being an apostle wasn’t what God had chosen for him? Of course not! Same with the man that Jesus drove demons out of who begged and pleaded for Jesus to just let him follow him. Should that man have just gone home convinced that the lord didn’t love him or he would’ve granted him the simple request to walk along side of him.  Did Jesus just not want him around?  Of course not! The plans for that man were special, specific, and unique.  They involved taking him back to his home town to declare the gospel to all the people he knew and loved.   So, would it be way cooler to get to be Peter, heck yea. But if we’re all Peter who’s left to tell that mans whole town about the love of Christ? Point being, I’m trying to live a life of love regardless of if i'm meant to be a Matthias or the demon guy....

Woops….. That was quite a long tangent…. Supposedly when I get back my rent payment at Uncle Paul and Aunt Christine’s multiplies every time I blog about my faith… Don’t worry though, while he may technically be a genius, jokes on him cuz when you multiply anything by zero its still zero : )

Today’s song is by Bethany Galeotti, a childhood companion of my good friend Jenny Robeson as well as of an actress in my favorite show One Tree Hill!
“I’ve become much too good at being invincible. I’m an expert at play it safe and keep it cool, but I swear this isn’t who I’m meant to be... Let me feel, I don’t care if I break down. Let me fall, even if i hit the ground! … I want to be somebody who can face the things that I’ve been running from…”









Sunday, April 3, 2011

More Domestic Adventures!



Once upon a time there was a bird. All he wanted in life was to walk back and forth across the ledge.  Unfortunately my window was blocking his path. You know what they say…If Can’t go over it (although realistically he can) and you can’t go under it, ya gotta go through it! That’s correct this has happened on numerous occasions that im aware and probably countless others when I’m not around!!! Everytime he walks through and our eyes meet I’m not sure which one is more terrified.

On the topic of birds, the next story is about an egg. This egg wasn’t just any egg. This egg wanted to be unique. An individual. Not like all the other hardboiled, sunny-side up, and scrambled eggs… “Ok, I guess I can poach you I said to this egg”. Figuring this could make quite a meaningful analogy on all the life lessons about being yourself. Unfortunately that is not this tale.  This egg was better of sticking to the established social norms, and maybe just maybe he wouldn’t have met his demise in the wasteland down the sink…

After the egg insident but before the smelly couch incident which we’ll get to later was Isaiah. Isaiah was a good friend of Danielle and myself (…ok we are still friends but you will understand the contemplation of that shortly).  Isaiah was a nice boy, quite smart and technologically savay. Or so we thought.  Before potluck dinner at our place one night this fine young gentleman offered to install our wireless modem for me.  He pulls it out, plugs it in, and bingo bango! Within second neither the modem nor ANY of our outlets function any longer…


Song for how i'm feeling today:


"You define mercy
By looking right down on me

Calling me pure.
[...]
You could've ignored me
Instead You took hold of me
And softened this heart"
-Jason Morant