Tis the Season

Winter bliss is here and much snow has been taken advantage of between snowshoeing, inclining and snowboarding. I have spent some good time with friends, enjoying good meals (it was brought to my attention that I make friends with great cooks! It works out quite well for me), fun movies and great books.

I just started a new job yesterday and it's always a huge step for me to try new things. Yet, I still manage to step into the change and survive, and even grow! Imagine, God teaching me new things through hardship. Can anyone relate? Ha! I am a survivor and I will continue to do so and maybe even find some fun in the process.

I'm growing up with a full time, five days a week job that includes good benefits! Crazy and I still have my humor, so I can't grow up too much, eh?

Crossroads

I made it back to Colorado Springs. After spending months waiting for this day to come, I am now having a hard time being back. I finally feel like I've been able to plant my feet and do my job with a bit of confidence. I'm stepping away from great people, lovely outdoor adventures, incredible mentors, and a wonderful working environment. I'm stepping into two huge exams, good friends, a new internship and hopefully graduation. So many changes.

I have been craving business cards, as they represent for me a bit of permanency. I know I am still in a season of transition and hopefully soon I will land a job and can settle in. I thought maybe a good graduation present for me would be a black lab with a red collar named Lucky. We'll see though.

I'm trying to just be in the state of transition right now, feeling all the emotions that come with the loss of saying good-bye and the hope of seeing what's ahead.

Up-date

Georgetown has been a once-in-a-lifetime experience for sure. From mountain biking, rafting, and rock climbing with friend, M, to sweat lodges with students, it has been busy. I have been studying a bit in between and the breaks have been good. It's been fun having friends come into town to visit as well. It's strange to think that this experience is almost over. I will head back to C. Springs the end of this month and start internship #3 on Sept. 2nd. I'll have one day to breathe, yea! My life is random and good.

Perspective in work

"Well, now is the right time to listen, the day to be helped. Don't put it off; don't frustrate God's work by showing up late, throwing a question mark over everything we're doing. Our work as God's servants gets validated-or not-in the details. People are watching us as we stay at our post, alertly, unswervingly. . .in hard times, tough times, bad times; when we're beaten up, jailed, and mobbed; working hard, working late, working without eating; with pure hearts, clear head, steady hand; in gentleness, holiness, and honest love; when we're telling the truth, and when God's showing his power; when we're doing our best setting things right; when we're praised, and when we're blamed; slandered, and honored; true to our word, though distrusted; ignored by the world, but recognized by God; terrifically alive, though rumored to be dead; beaten within an inch of our lives, but refusing to die; immersed in tears, yet always filled with deep joy; living on handouts, yet enriching many; having nothing, having it all. I can't tell you how much I long for you to enter this wide-open, spacious life. We didn't fence you in. The smallness you feel comes from within you. Your lives aren't small, but you're living them in a small way. I'm speaking as plainly as I can and with great affection. Open up your lives. Live openly and expansively! 2 Corinthians 6: 2-15 (The Message)

This passage is encouraging to me and reminds me to "reframe" all the craziness that is going on in my life right now. Living 'openly and expansively' is not always convenient or easy, and it is good. I just wanted to share. . .

Gestalt and Dreams

Rarely do I remember my dreams and last night was one of them. Vehicles were meant to be driven on roads. However, in my dream I was driving on a walking path in the middle of Acacia Park. (This is very interesting because I don't even like it when people ride bicycles on sidewalks.) Another unusual trait was that someone was having a yard sale in the middle of the park. I was driving around clothes and trees until I came upon the girl hosting the sale in the middle of the path. She was sitting, pricing and enjoying the event along with others. She wouldn't move and I was mad at her, while respecting her unwillingness to back down to me. I ended up backing up, leaving the park and rejoining the road I belonged on. As I've been reading a lot about Gestalt therapy, which does a lot of dream work, I decided to try it on myself. It was very interesting as I actually discovered a few key things about myself, too personal to share on a public blog. It's not about interpreting the dream, it's about experiencing the dream from different view points. At first I looked at it from the cars perspective, then the path's perspective. If you are a therapist, I sound sane, if not then I'm sure I come across crazy. Pieces of both are true. Ha!

Yea for fun times with good friend!

Footprints in the Sand. . .Colorado Style

I always expect analogies from God while in His nature. As I went for a solo snowshoe outing over spring break, I was asking God where my analogy was. A few minutes later I saw to sets of footprints (snowshoe tracks) in the snow. I tried to capture it in my first picture, which unfortunately did not turn out. It reminded me of the poem, "Footprints in the Sand" and I laughed. Of course, CO style is more like "Snowshoes in the Snow" and I could visualize God walking along side me. At times I would have a conversation with him and other times it was comfortable silence. It was fun having him along on my hike.
The last two pictures were attempts of being artsy with a self portrait and foot shot! All taken for your viewing enjoyment, ha!