New Home!

Our Christmas Tree, Herbie!

Okay, so this title might be misleading as I have not purchased a home.

But the title "I Fail At Blogging Since It's Been WAY Too Long Since I Did So," would indeed be too long. 
However, I have a good reason. 
I have a new home for my blog posts-- here! Since it is work-related,  the tone is more business-like, but I hope you will still find them entertaining. For awhile I have also been considering co-blogging on the struggles and joys of being a twenty-something, but as you can see, I've done such a great job of keeping up with two blogs so far =)

So, posts here on life updates will be much more infrequent, but feel free to follow me on any of my social sites for up-to-date information.

Speaking of life update, a few months ago I moved into an apartment close to downtown with one of my college roommates! I am enjoying exploring this town once again and finding new treasures. Loving winter here and bundling in warm clothes I did not need in Charleston. Though lately I have been nostalgic and thinking about how much life has changed since this time last year. Crazy! Missing those with whom I've spent holidays past.

Whatever this holiday season holds for you, I wish you the best and hope that it is the merriest one yet. 

I just love this city during the holidays! (Credit: al.com)

I am here.

Birmingham-- The Magic City

So I’m here. What’s next?

This is how I've felt the past few weeks.

We moved all of my stuff back to Alabama and I’m getting settled here in the Ham. I have enjoyed getting to see folks I have missed during my time in the Carolinas.

But it is also surreal.  Being in the town where I lived while in school. I feel like I've changed so much and some of it hasn't. It’s almost like the past 2 years did not happen.

But they did. I met some amazing folks and received the opportunity to serve in 2 amazing communities. I miss them both.

But I know that I am here for a reason. It has not been without  great difficultly that I have trusted this. I was “letting go and letting God,” but was recently reminded of the inaccuracy of this statement. My job is not to sit back and watch how this thing unfolds like a viewer of my own life story. I want to be a part of it! 

So I carry on; hopeful in this new direction and opportunity for growth.

I am grateful to have been given the opportunity to work for this company out of Charleston right here in AL. I’m excited about making connections and getting more involved in this community.

Plus I have a birthday in a few weeks! I only bring this up as I am planning some things to celebrate this milestone. Will you join me? Periodically in October I will be asking for help compiling “25 things” lists and other topics here. Looking forward to it!

Thanks for the support!

Hope and excitement for the future. That’s Why I am still smiling. 

How about you?

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase." --MLK

Next Steps

Oh, Charleston-- how I will miss thee.

After 2 years in South Carolina, I’m returning to home to Alabama!

Okay, not my hometown, but closer. At least in the state I refer to as home.

I wish I could say it was my idea.

So at the end of July as my term as a VISTA Leader was coming to a close, I was seeking leads. What was I going to do next? I was grateful for the opportunity to go to Dallas with my parents and clear my head a bit. I had been talking to people and sending my resume out lots of places. Doors were closing—almost at a supernatural rate, I decided. So I prayed and asked for the Lord to show me where doors were open. The next morning I felt what could only be described as a whisper on my heart: Birmingham.

So, moving to Birmingham was always an option. I figured after I got the Carolinas out of my system and earned some money, I could move back. I mean it seemed to be where most of the cool kids lived (aka those with whom I graduated). Sure, why not? But not now.

I figured I could move to the Ham if things didn’t work out here. I mean, I love Charleston, right?

Can I just tell you that during the one week mulled over what to do traffic in Charleston was a nightmare? And it flooded. None of these things were out of the ordinary, but it was as if my decision was being made for me. And I am okay with that.

Those of you that know me know that I am incredibly indecisive about important things. Small things, not so much, but the big ones, I have to poll the audience 12 times over. And then I will most likely choose the other option.

But I never asked for what to do about this.

Because I knew.

I knew that I knew that I knew that this was the path. I didn’t know what I would find when I get there, but I’m going. Sure, I will miss the people I’ve had the opportunity to know and the beach being so close and Charleston and the beach and the food and South Carolina and the beach; and suddenly, all of that didn’t seem supremely vital.

So I began to tell people that I was moving. And it began to feel real. And I was so blessed to be able to share the Who (me), What (TBD?), When (soon-ish), Where (B’ham-ish), and Why (God). I am not naturally a person that steps out in faith, but I am so excited about whatever it is that lies ahead. Even if the reward is that of obedience and absolutely nothing comes out of this, I would do it again.

So, those of you in the B’ham area, I look forward to seeing you soon! I’m trying to get all the important details sorted out now.

I finished my term as a VISTA Leader a few weeks ago. I shared with our members that it will take time to process all that one has truly gained from the VISTA experience and I look forward to it. There is a new batch of VISTAs and Leaders starting in Charleston, so think about them as the work continues.

Thanks for your continued support.

"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be the glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen." -- Ephesians 3:20-21

That, my friends, is WHY I AM STILL SMILING.