reconnecting

I'm overwhelmed with the generosity and kindness of friends this week. Especially friends that have only been in my life within the last few years yet they have come to meet me half way, or opened their homes and let me share a little bit of life with them.

I'm thankful for my vacation in Disney World with my old ship roomie, Ivonne! We rented a car, stayed at Pop Century resort and also spent a day at Universal. We lived our Harry Potter dreams for a few hours. And then we also got to hang out at DW again with Kirsty, Alex, and Oliver, too. I got to check out Animal Kingdom for the first time with them. Such a happy few days!

I don't think I can tell you how good it is for my heart to be back in North Carolina again. I fell in love with this place back when I worked at a summer camp for a few years starting in 2007. I've been wanting to make the journey back for ages to make some new memories. It's been such a tease to have visited as close as Florida with my cruise ship yet still be too far! Until now, that is.

Finally with swapping ships I've been able to request to stay in the United States and travel a bit. Two and a half weeks! I felt very fortunate to stay with Melissa and Tyler and have met the new addition to their family, 4 month old baby Martin. So precious.That first night we all went to the Diamond to have some of their delicious fried pickles, then to Krazy Fish for some tacos. The next day while Tyler was at work, Melissa showed me a few of her favourite spots in Charlotte, new places for me to love as well. Amelie's French Bakery for macarons and pastries, Imaginon, the children's library, and 7th Street Market for lunch. Each place had a really cool vibe.

Now I'm in Statesville for a few days with Karen and her husband, Matthew and I've been so happy to meet little Mackenzie at 7 months. We gave her a bath tonight, but I think she was the one giving us a bath with all of her adorable splashing.

Next up after this is NASHVILLE! With the legendary Nina Borum. and then (holy freakin' cow) my birthday in NEW YORK/BROOKLYN with Sarah and Brandon, longtime friends from home. No matter what I do, to be in these places with these people? Its gonna be fantastic.

I've never been more excited.

what I've been reading lately

I'm not feeling overly eloquent with words but here are a few blog posts and internet things that either made me laugh or feel inspired this week.

I love lists:

5 Lies About Your Body
We are so much more than what our superficial society tells us. Remind yourself with these short and sweet truths that you are good from the inside out.

5 Things Christians Should Stop Saying
We have some well meaning, cliché phrases that we say all the time that are actually quite messed up. Jason Johnson has some good thoughts on them.

7 Ways to be Insufferable on Facebook
This one just made me laugh a lot because we are all guilty of these at some point or another. Brilliant.

23 Things To Do Instead Of Getting Engaged Before You're 23 
Speaking of insufferable things on Facebook, I'm glad to know it was not just my own newsfeed that blew up with an unnecessary amount of engagement announcements this holiday season. Barf. The girl who wrote this (who happens to be teaching English is China) has got some better ideas goin' on.



>> I also really enjoyed this blog post from Emily, a girl I worked with at the Music Resource Centre during my last university semester. She talks about meeting a classy and beautiful older lady with an inspiring love story. It was a love built through commitment and letter writing over long distance. The post is a commentary on how our generation is constantly looking for the next best thing rather than not giving up on what they've got. It's a good read.

>> How many times do we think, "If only this would happen for me like it did for them" or "If only I could be more like __ and then I would be happy". The Times and Seasons series from Steven Furtick of Elevation Church really got me thinking on the joys of living in our own season, rather than wishing to have someone else's. 

Lines that stood out from part one were that "there's a struggle in every season" and "getting a blessing before its time makes it a burden". Let that sink in for a minute! I think if everyone watched this they would start the New Year off in the best way ever.


Emily

quotes on tumblr

“You realize you are not alone, right? No one in their twenties has life figured out. It’s okay to be a mess. You’re living.”

H a p p y  2 0 1 4!

Here's to living.