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| Roommates Rach, Me, and Katie in Colorado 2007. |
Well, thanks, Leslie, for the sweet intro. When Leslie asked me to blog I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to write. You see, my blog is, for the most part, just a daily scrapbook. I try and share the photos and stories from my daily life. I usually don't write anything too motivating or inspiring. My blog is me, straight up, and what's going on in my life with my people. Then I realized, that is exactly what I should write about. The value of people.
I am a 28 year old girl who longs for adventure. I grew up in St. Louis. My parents have lived in the same house for 37 years and, therefore, I have lived in the same house my whole life. When I went off to college I considered schools from Virginia to Indiana to Tennessee and many schools in between. I ended up in Southeast Missouri less than two hours from home. I made some great friends there, but I still wanted to fill that desire for adventure that I had in me. Throughout college I traveled to visit friends who were at college around the country and friends who were studying abroad. I love cultures and I longed to see the world. I worked at a camp in Alabama one summer and Michigan another. In the summer of 2007 I traveled to Zambia, Africa on a mission trip to work with orphans. I just couldn't stay in one place. My real desire was to travel the world and fulfill my desire for adventure. In the spring of 2008 I quit my job as a teacher and lacrosse coach and decided I would finally move to Colorado, my favorite place in the United States. My apartment lease was signed and deposit was paid. I had my moving truck rented. Then, two weeks before my move date I was offered a full time job as a college lacrosse coach. I cancelled my move and became the new head women's lacrosse coach at Missouri Baptist University.
Not to be overly wordy, but all of that was background. I was devastated I wasn't moving. I decided I must be crazy. My dream was to live in Colorado and I decided not to follow that dream. At the time I was not sure it was the best decision. However, in my first year staying in St. Louis my dad had open heart surgery, two of my sisters had a baby, two of my siblings got married and I met my fiance. If I learned nothing else I learned that God has a plan for my life. I cannot imagine my life in Colorado away from all of this activity and all of these people. Since then I have had two more nephews born. If you look at my blog you can see that it's all about my people. My fiance and I still long to move to Colorado but I simply cannot imagine being away from the people I love who are in or near St. Louis.
If you ask me, that's what life comes down to: relationships. What's most important is to love and be loved. My blog shows it and hopefully my life shows it. What genuinely matters is others. Caring for others and spending time with others. This is a sweet rendition of a sweet song that really captures that message:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L64c5vT3NBw
Life truly is about others. Home is really where those we love are. It's cheesy, but it's true. My goal in life is to love others well and to be "at home" with those I love. I have a need and desire for adventure. But through life I have learned that all the adventure in the world cannot compare to watching my nieces and nephews grow, spending time with my sisters, hugging my fiance, helping my parents when they need it and hanging with friends. My life will not be complete if I earn more money, have the best car or the biggest house, if I move to Colorado and live the dream or if I coach a winning team and win many accolades. My life will be complete if those who are important to me say that I have loved them well. I sure hope they do.
This is just what I needed today. Thank you.
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