But before I get to the year ahead or to my personal goals for the year, I’d like to take some time to reflect on the year that was 2011.

I think I can say, without a shadow of a doubt, that 2011 has been one of my best years yet. Let me go back to some of the best moments of this year:

January 2011

January began the final semester of my college career. I returned to school earlier than normal simply because I was bored with being home for Christmas break. I remember spending the first few days doing nothing but watching “Arrested Development” with my friend Derek. January was also the month that I took almost all English lit classes and soaked in every minute of it. Of course, I was overwhelmed with reading and writing papers, but it was worth it. January was the month of three birthdays-Derek’s, which we celebrated by baking him a cake, Brennan’s, which we celebrated by treating him to his favorite restaurant and singing The Bird and the Bee loudly in my car, and Tiffany’s, which we celebrated at Dave n’ Busters.

Happy 22nd Birthday, DKK!

Kidnapping Brennan and taking him to his favorite restaurant on his 21st birthday!

The whole gang at Dave n' Busters for Tiffany's 22nd birthday!

February 2011

February was an AWESOME month. Halfway through the cold, dreary month, we were hit with ICEPOCALYPSE. Basically, a huge ice storm swept through the Midwestern U.S. and shut everything down. And I mean EVERYTHING. I had had one snow day in my entire four years at college, but Icepocalypse changed it all. When the reports came in that a major ice storm was coming our school officials told us to leave and go home. They told us they wouldn’t be liable for anything happening to us if we stayed (i.e. if the power went out and we died of hunger/hypothermia/whatever). My roommates and several close friends and I decided to stay and stick it out, and it ended up being a blast. We made a mad dash to the grocery store where people had literally cleaned out entire shelves of bread, milk, water, and other essentials. The ice came and we spent days inside watching movies, dancing around the living room, sleeping in, and enjoying all of the time off of school. We also spent a good deal of time slipping and sliding around the Valley, even though it was a forbidden area because of all the possible tree branches falling.

The parking lot outside our apartment covered in ice!

Combo sleeping/movie watching done by Matt during Icepocalypse

Cabin fever during Icepocalypse

A thick slab of ice Matt pulled off the recycling bins

Playing in the school water fountain...or should I say ice fountain!

Venturing out into the tundra

February was also the month that my three best friends and I traveled to Ricci’s house (colorguard! delicious food! puppy! “welcome to tourism!”), Brennan’s house (Sasha! staircase photoshoots! playing Kinect!), and to Chicago where we had a blast ice skating (well, ok, Brennan and I had a blast ice skating ), eating Chicago style pizza, walking into shops, and exploring downtown. It was an awesome weekend!

Brennan, Ricci, myself and Tiffany at Ricci's house

Ice skating in Chicago

At the Bean in Millenium Park

Downtown Chicago

February was also the month Ricci turned the big 2-2!! We celebrated with dinner at Cheeseburger in Paradise (remember when she and our waiter fell in love?) and having a game night complete with an ice cream cake in our apartment!

Ricci's 22nd birthday dinner

Ricci blowing out the candles on her ice cream cake

March 2011

March was the month that I got to fulfill one of my lifelong dreams: to go to New York City! My spring break week spent in NYC was one of the best weeks of my life. From the urban ministry projects, to seeing two Broadway shows, to forming new friendships, to Central Park, to SoHo, to Times Square, and more, that week is one I will never forget.

Abbey and I at the soup kitchen in Brooklyn

Times Square

"If I could span the length of the isle of Manhattan, I'd bring it to where you are"

We got to see Daniel Radcliffe on Broadway. From the fourth row. For $30. AWESOME.

April 2011

In April my best friends and I spent Easter weekend in my best friend Tiffany’s hometown. We had an awesome weekend horseback riding, staying up late talking, playing with puppies in the pet store, and playing a billion games of barn volleyball with her cousins and brother (SO FUN!).

Best puppy EVER

I <3 horseback riding

Barn volleyball time!!!!!!!

April was also the month that Soul Singing in the Bedroom produced our first BIG music video. Our friend Derek helped us produce our song “Sneeze Monster” and he directed and filmed the music video (with the help of Ricci). Making the video was a blast!

Ready to begin shooting the music video

Pretty gangsta

My fellow band member

The whole crew!

May 2011

May was a month of BIG changes! I graduated from college with Bachelor of Arts degrees in English literature and Journalism. Graduation was an incredibly bittersweet occasion because I wasn’t ready to part from school or all my friends, but it was nice to know that school and all the work was over.

Best friends since freshman year <3

Zach and I on graduation morning

Roommates and best friends

The gang

May was also the month that my adorable niece Maddie was born!!! She is such a great little baby and has been such a source of joy for our family!

Happy family on Madilyn's birthday

Perfect child

June 2011

In June I was full swing into my job at a customer service call center, but I managed to have some fun as well. I paid a visit to my brother and sister-in-law in Texas and enjoyed meeting my niece for the first time. Unfortunately I got an eye infection the day before I left, so I was under strict orders to not get too close to the little babe. Regardless, I still had a good time with my family.

Siblings in Dallas

The niece!

June was also the month my friend Abbey turned 21. I paid a visit to her in Indiana and enjoyed a fun weekend with her.

Happy birthday Abs!

July 2011

In July I got to check off one of my bucket list items: see Death Cab for Cutie in concert! I went with my good friend Derek and had a blast. Despite the sticky hot weather and obnoxious people around us, it was a fantastic concert. The band was awesome and sounded just as good live as they do on their albums. I loved it!

DKK and I at the concert

Bennnnnnnn <3

Death Cab for Cutie

July was also the month that the final Harry Potter film was released in theaters. I delighted in making myself into Luna Lovegood (one of my favorite characters) for the premiere. My friend Sarah and I had a great time going to the premiere together!

Luna!

Other fun July moments: hiking in Glen Helen with Audrey, hanging out with Jane: batting cages at Youngs, DDRing at the local Putt Putt arcade, and more.

Hiking in Glen Helen

DDR!

August 2011

In August we had a visit from my brother, sister-in-law, and niece and it was awesome getting to hang out with them for awhile. It was also great to be able to cuddle my niece and play with her as much as possible (as opposed to in June).

Best niece ever

I also got to visit my friends at school and have a visit in Indianapolis with my best friends and former roommates Tiffany and Ricci.

Hanging in Indianapolis!

Ricci and I in Indy

September 2011

In September my dear friends Abbey and Amanda came to visit me for Labor Day weekend. We had a blast watching movies, going for ice cream, visiting IKEA, hanging out in sunflower fields, and more. 

With Amanda and Abbey in my hometown

Hanging out in the sunflower fields

September was also the month I took a big leap (over the ocean!) and moved to Bratislava, Slovakia for my internship. It was a HUGE change, but I am so grateful I got to do that internship. 

From Ohio to Slovakia

October 2011

October was the month I really got into my internship and began to explore Eastern Europe. I visited Budapest twice, Vienna twice, and saw other places in and around Bratislava. 

Budapest

Vienna

November 2011

November 2011 was one of the best months of my year. It was the month I visited Auschwitz, Salzburg, Brno, Prague, and Vienna. I spent my birthday in Prague, got to see Switchfoot in concert, became close with some Vienna friends, and just enjoyed life in general. It was a fabbbbbbulous month.

Salzburg

Prague on my 23rd birthday!

Switchfoot concert!

With friends in Vienna

December 2011

December was unfortunately the month that I had to leave Europe to come home. Of course it was bittersweet because I was coming home to family and friends, but it was sad leaving everything and everyone in Europe behind. Christmas with my family was awesome (despite the fact that I battled the flu for the entirety of our celebrations) and I got to end the year with my best friends as we rang in the new year.

Saying goodbye to my gracious Slovak hosts Frank and Alenka

My closest European friend and I at the Christmas party

With my boss at the Christmas party

Maddie meeting Santa for the first time

Christmas with Maddie

Family gathered at our house for Christmas

Best friends toasting at midnight

Celebrating the new year with my best friends

2011 was such an amazing year. It was a year filled with happiness, travel, fun times with family, making new friends, exploring new ideas and places, and so much more. I feel really blessed to have had the year that I did. It was definitely the best year I’ve ever had! I look forward to what the new year brings for me. I can’t wait to see what new  things I learn and what new places I see. My next post will be on the goals and dreams that I hope to accomplish in 2012.  

Before I came to Slovakia to work for TWR as an intern in September, I was questioning what the next step in my life would be. I knew my internship would be over in the middle of December, and I knew I’d have to make further plans for after I returned. I’d thought about graduate school for awhile, but the thought of acquiring more student loan debt at this time in my life really scared me, though I am still anxious to try for grad school again in the future. I thought about trying to stay in Europe, hoping maybe something would be available through TWR, another organization, or perhaps even teaching at an English speaking school (me? a teacher? whaaaat?!) I thought about my lifelong dream to go to New York City, and the possibilities there in book and magazine publishing. But the more I thought about these dreams the more I wondered if they were the same dreams God had mapped out for my life.

What my internship at TWR has taught me is that my skills in writing and editing can be used for God’s glory. I never thought of entering the missions field because I don’t necessarily see myself as the type of person who can evangelize large groups of unbelievers. But at TWR I’ve learned that the skills I do have can be used to further God’s kingdom as well, even if, at times, it may not seem as significant as those handing out radios across the world to people who’ve never heard the Gospel.

I began thinking of my other skills and desires and how I could use those to continually further God’s kingdom. In recent years I’ve seen myself learn how to take on leadership roles in school and other venues. I’ve seen in myself a compassionate spirit who thrives on deep conversation about life and understanding our place in this world. My desire to travel and to meet people from all over the world has grown immensely in the last few years. I began to wonder how I could use those desires and parts of my personality for something good in this world. 

Last March I had the opportunity to go to New York City with a group from my school. We partnered with the Center for Student Missions (CSM), a non-profit organization that hosts missions groups in cities all across the United States. During that week we worked at several urban ministry sites, learning something new about the city and about what God is doing in the city at each one. I’d always wanted to go to New York, but once I got there and saw how desperately God is needed there, the more my heart began to change. 

So I began thinking about CSM and the work they do. I found myself going back to their website to read about the organization and read up on the positions available. The more I kept going back to it the more I felt God’s urging on my heart to apply. So I applied for a city host position, and two interviews later I got the job. 

That being said, at the end of January 2012 I’ll re-locate to New York City to work for CSM as a city host. It’ll be my responsibility to show groups around the city as they explore different missions sites and learn about what God is doing there. I am so incredibly excited and feel so incredibly blessed. 

The job is only temporary, and though I do feel a calling on my heart to come back to Europe at some point (perhaps even longterm?), I am really excited for this next step. What better time in my life, when I am young and free and passionate, than to go work for this organization? I can’t wait to show groups around the city and help them discover the many wonders of New York City. Subsequently, I hope to be sufficient enough a leader that the groups I host also understand the needs of the city. It’s not all bright lights and Broadway. It’s a city full of aching people who are desperate for God. I can’t wait to meet those hurting brothers and sisters and show them the Christ-like love that the city may be denying them.

So while I will be incredibly sad to leave Eastern Europe, I’m glad that I now have something to look forward to once I’m home. God really does provide and care for his children’s dreams. 

I write these posts not necessarily for my reader’s benefit, but more for my benefit. So I can look back in twenty years and remember the type of music I used to listen to when I was young and vibrant

So, 43 yr-old me (oh gosh!) here’s what the 23 yr-old you has been listening to lately:

Hello Saferide, “The Quiz”- this song is so ME. I love when songs are really personal and have minute details that no one but the songwriter really understands, almost like they’re her own inside jokes, like when she mentions “a bit too much sci-fi in your shelf of DVDs” and asks “Do you talk in the middle of Seinfeld?” 

Jeremy Messersmith, “Love You to Pieces”-as if his song “Beautiful Children” wasn’t enough to tug on my heartstrings, this song just makes me love him even more. When a man tells you he’s going to love you until you burst, you better believe it. Especially with that beard/hair/emo glasses combination he’s got going on. 

Mat Kearney, “Learning to Love Again”- I knew so many people who loved Mat Kearney but I didn’t get into him until this fall. This song sticks out to me because it just evokes so many beautiful images-not only the image of running through a field with arms wide open, but the image of friendship and heartbreak and hope. I also love that this acoustic version is just as good as the album version. 

Snow Patrol, “New York”- This song is so incredibly tragic and beautiful. I love how he describes the neon lights and heat of the ocean separating him from his love. I also love the lines “I’d tell you that I loved you, before I ever knew you, cause I love the simple thought of you”-so, so beautiful. 

Jem, “Finally Woken”- Jem is such a feel-good artist. I remember my roommate Tiffany and I dancing around our dorm room to her song “Wish I” back in 2008, and still 3 years later I love listening to this album. I think these lyrics especially relate to my life lately, because I’m in this limbo state-a post-grad with so many possibilities ahead, and her lyrics express that: “I’m feeling so calm/ I’ve got a big smile/ I have a view of the sun/Right over the sea/And now I can feel/Life is flowing through me”

Switchfoot, “Where I Belong”-this is definitely one of my favorite songs on the new Switchfoot album. I think it’s about trying to fit into a world that we weren’t necessarily made for. I particularly like the lines “On the final day I die/ I want to hold my head up high/ I want to tell You that I tried/ To live it like a song”

Let me put this out there as a disclaimer before I begin writing: The only things I know about Chris Martin’s religious beliefs or the beliefs of his other bandmates in Coldplay are from what I’ve read in different articles or interviews with them. I am simply deriving my beliefs from those interviews and from what I interpret of the band’s lyrics. All of this is simply my opinion as both a Christian and a Coldplay fan With that being said…

Shortly after the release of Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends in 2008, I picked up the Rolling Stone edition that featured Chris Martin on the cover. The article obviously focused a lot on the new album, the style of the music, and the meanings of the lyrics, but what interested me the most was how the article also highlighted Martin’s trepidations about Christianity in his young adulthood. He’d been raised in a strict Christian environment where he said he greatly feared God, but not in the way that Christians are to fear God, but in the way that he was afraid any slip up or wrong-doing would doom him straight to the fires of hell. Dan Kimball’s article here highlights some of the interview since I’m unable to find the full text online (sidenote: Dan Kimball spoke at my university for a week last year. He’s phenomenal.) The most important part of the interview and Chris’ experiences with Christianity can be found in these questions:

According to the Wikipedia page about Chris, “In a 2005 Rolling Stone magazine interview, Martin said of his religious views: “I definitely believe in God. How can you look at anything and not be overwhelmed by the miraculousness of it?” In the same interview he spoke of going through a period of spiritual confusion, stating ‘I went through a weird patch, starting when I was about sixteen to twenty-two, of getting God, religion, superstition, judgement all confused.’” The more I thought about Chris and his experiences with faith the more I understood the lyrics in many of Coldplay’s songs both on the Viva album and the former albums as well. I tend to like bands for their lyrics and how poetic they are and Coldplay’s lyrics have always had such an impact on me. After the Viva album and reading this article I began to appreciate their lyrics even more and understand more where those lyrics were coming from. Let me give you some examples.

1. First, from Viva La Vida, the song “Cemeteries of London” has lyrics that read: “God is in the houses/And God is in my head/ And all the cemeteries in London/I see God come in my garden but I don’t know what he said/for my heart it wasn’t open/Not open” I think these particular lines have something to do with a search for God and an attempt to try to understand what God is saying, but an inability to because, as he said “my heart it wasn’t open.” I’m not sure if he laments that he hasn’t opened his heart, or is struggling to open his heart to God now. Regardless, he still feels a presence of God as he sees him in the house, garden, and in his head.

2. Secondly, from LeftRightLeftRightLeft, the song “Death Will Never Conquer” offers up lyrics that mention heaven (which is a pretty big theme in Coldplay’s lyrics). Part of the song reads “One day death is gonna conquer me/ I’ll be down where the waters flow/I hope sweet heaven is the place for me/ Let me know boys let me know.” Sure many people (even non-Christians) desire going to heaven after they’ve died, but I think this  rings even more poignant in Coldplay lyrics because of the fear Chris admitted to having of going to hell for his sins. I think it’s also worth it to note that the lyrics say “I hope heaven is the place for me” as opposed to “I know heaven is the place for me.”

3. From their third album X&Y, in the song “White Shadows” part of the lyrics say “When I was a young boy/I tried to listen/Don’t you wanna feel like that?/We’re part of the human race and/All of the stars and the outer space/We’re part of the system plan/All this noise, I’m waking up/And all the space, I’m taking up/I said I cannot hear you, you’re breaking up/Maybe you get what you wanted/Maybe you stumbled upon it/Everything you ever wanted/In a permanent state/Maybe you’ll know when you see it/Maybe if you say it, you’ll mean it/And when you find it, you keep it/In a permanent state/A permanent state/Swim out on a sea of faces,/The tide of the human races,/An answer now is what I need./See it in a new sun rising/See it break on your horizon/Oh, come on love, stay with me…” I think this song is about searching for some truer meaning. He notices the stars and the outer space and that he’s part of a plan, or something bigger than himself. He’s searching for meaning but doesn’t know how it will come to him: “Maybe you stumbled upon it/ Maybe if you say it you’ll mean it” I think the most poignant lyrics are “An answer now is what I need/See it in a new sun rising/See it break on your horizon” As many people see God through nature and the beauties of the universe, so too does he find the answer to living in sunset breaking over the horizon. The white shadows that are mentioned frequently throughout the entire song  are the representations of trying to grasp the unknown and understanding what you cannot see.

4. From Viva La Vida the song “Glass of Water” deals particularly with Heaven and wondering whether or not they will go there. Part of the song goes “Oh they say you could see your future,/Inside a glass of water/With riddles and the rhymes/Will I see heaven in mine?” Obviously he’s searching for some answer about his fate, but it seems that perhaps he’s trying to decipher that answer through “riddles and rhymes” Another part of the song says “So he wrote it on the wall/The hollowest of halos/Is no halo at all/Televisions said and past/In figurines and leaders/saying nothing at all/And he chimed stars in heaven aligned” The imagery of a hollow halo I think represents a empty faith or lack of faith altogether. The image of the figurines on TV could represent televangelists and how their words don’t mean much to him as he says  that say “nothing at all.”

5. The most well-known track from Viva la Vida is, of course, “Viva la Vida” and though many would say the song has to do with revolutions and war as the album as a whole was inspired by the French revolution, but after reading that Rolling Stone article, I couldn’t help but see connections in Chris’ relationship with God with the lyrics in the song. In the article he discussed how he turned away from organized religion and struggled with the idea that he might go to Hell. I think that idea is shown in this song when he says “One minute I held the key/ Next the walls were closed on me/And I discovered that my castles stand/Upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand” The pillar of salt is a Biblical image as Lot’s wife was turned into a pillar of salt, and I think the image of the castle standing on the salt/sand refers to Matthew 7:26 in which Jesus talks about the “foolish man who built his house on the sand” The metaphorical key that he once held could represent some sort of key to Heaven or salvation, and after he turned from faith “the doors were closed” on him. Further, the lyrics “Revolutionaries wait/For my head on a silver plate” is a reference to when Herod in the Bible commanded that John the Baptist’s head be brought to him on a plate. The song also references Jerusalem bells and Roman calvary choirs, but I think the most telling lyric in the song is “For some reason I can’t explain/I know Saint Peter won’t call my name”  In the Bible Jesus called Peter as a disciple, one of his followers, so to me, this lyric evokes an image of not being ‘called’ to follow Christ. It seems that he is saying he is not called for Christianity. Also, though Peter was a disciple and loved Christ, he denied him three times before his death. I can’t help but wonder if Peter’s denial or questioning of Christ is why he’s mentioned in this song. 

Those are just a few of the songs where I hear hints of God and Christianity in Coldplay’s lyrics. I think a lot of musicians who write their own lyrics include the theme of religion or faith into their songs, and Coldplay is no exception. I think Chris’ past concerning the church as well has a lot to do with the lyrics found in Coldplay’s lyrics. I love thinking deeply about the meaning of lyrics, and I feel like I could do that all day long with Coldplay  

Listen guys, if you know me at all, you know how much I love and adore the greatness that is Coldplay. The four men in that band do not realize how much they mean to me. They’ve been with me since I first bought Parachutes back in 2002. Their songs have taught me lessons about life, love, and everything that comes in between.

With the release of their new album Mylo Xyloto just around the corner, I feel like a kid who can’t sleep on Christmas eve, wondering what Santa will bring by the morning time. But this is a little different. Because Santa doesn’t have to compete with Youtube. And Santa doesn’t release singles months before the entire album. And Santa doesn’t do live shows and sing his new songs. Wait. That doesn’t make sense. This analogy is getting a little out of hand. I just had a visual of Santa running around with a “Make trade fair” mark on his hand singing “Viva La Vida” at the top of his lungs. Haha.

The point is, there is so much anticipation leading up to this album and so many awesome things that have accompanied it. Of course I’ve already listened to a few of the singles they’ve released and I’ve spent hours listening to all the new songs available on Youtube. I may have even followed a link my friend Derek sent me with the entire album streaming on it. Yiiiiikes. But I still look forward to the day when it downloads on my iTunes and I get to place it nicely into my iPod library. It’ll be like welcoming home a new baby. And hitting play will be like listening to that baby’s beautiful, blessed cries. Okay, what is it with me and analogies today? They really don’t even make sense.

Point is: it’s a really exciting time to be a Coldplay fan. It’s like the weeks before/after a new Harry Potter book/movie when there are numerous interviews/articles/videos/photos to sift through. Here is what I’m loving in this Mylo Xyloto craze:

First, as an homage to the Mylo Xyloto cover seen here, the Coldplay website has a feature that allows you to input your initials to make it look like the cover. I jumped on this immediately when I saw my friend Derek had done it, and subsequently displayed it as my new Facebook profile picture

Second, Coldplay and American Express allowed fans to make personalized butterflies that may be shown on a live music video Coldplay does from Madrid. I also jumped on this opportunity. It was really fun to do, and anyone who’s seen Coldplay live knows how butterflies play an important role in the show

My butterfly

Photo from the concert I went to in 2009

Third, Coldplay released these photos earlier this week to get fans excited for the new music video to be released later in the week. I remember looking at it and thinking “What?!” with a little chuckle, but the confusion was worth it. Because it resulted in this superb music video here:

I mean, who knew Chris Martin was so talented on a uni-cycle?!

Fourth, this little gem was released early in the week. I was a little nervous to see how Coldplay would incorporate Rihanna into one of their songs. They don’t really have the same musical style, but I knew Coldplay was moving in a new direction and I was beginning to trust their judgment. When I heard the song with Rihanna included I actually really liked it. It took a little while for me to get used to, but I eventually came to love it. I may have even spent all day Monday listening to it at work. While working, of course.

With all of this excitement, I will say that it’s a bit disappointing that Coldplay will be in Germany right before I leave Europe in December. I think it’d be the experience of a lifetime to see Coldplay in a different country than the States, but I guess I can do that some other time Hopefully they come to the States sometime next year!! In the meantime, I’ll just revel in the beauty of the new music and the excitement of a new release!

I can’t get enough of Mumford & Sons lately. Their lyrics are so raw and genuine and each song tells a unique story that I think most people could find some relation to. “You were young, I was not old, but our story was not told.”

2. Coldplay- “Princess of China”

This video is not the best quality as it’s a live recording, but this song sounds like it’s going to be amazing on the new album that’s coming out in a few weeks.“You could’ve been a princess, I’d be the king. Could’ve had a castle and worn a ring, but no-o-o-o you let me go.”  Two other new Coldplay songs I’m loving are Up in Flames  and Charlie Brown.

3. Avett Brothers- “For Today”

My love for the Avett Bros. knows no bounds. It’s pretty impressive when a band can just stand in a hallway with their voices and some instruments and still sound amazing. “I can see clearer and I’m getting closer to finding out just who I am without you in the way.”

4. Adele- “Rolling in the Deep”

Sing it, girl. “You had my heart inside of your hand and you played it to the beat.”

5. Death Cab for Cutie- “Tiny Vessels”

This is an oldie, but a goodie, and it’s a DCFC oldie that I’ve been digging all week. Ben Gibbard is hands down one of the best lyricists on the Earth. Every song tells a story and this song is no exception. “You are beautiful, but you don’t mean a thing to me.”

In my final year at university, I took a creative non-fiction writing class where we’d take creative prompts and ideas and write about our lives and experiences. One prompt we were given was to define, in two pages or less, happiness. I carefully thought about my idea of happiness and arrived the next day with my essay. When we got into groups to read our responses aloud, I was surprised that the people I worked with had described happiness as a certain feeling, whereas I had described it as certain moments- those ‘infinite’ moments in my life when I’ve felt like nothing could stop me or bring me down. Moments where I’ve felt one hundred percent at ease with where I’m at, who I’m with, and what I’m doing. Aren’t we all searching for moments like that? Moments where we feel truly happy?

I think, no matter what country we live in or what language we may speak, we’re all searching for moments of happiness and joy. We’re all looking for friendship, love, family, beauty, and contentment. But where we find these things is different.

Besides finding happiness in the big things like friendships, travel, family, crazy moments with friends, or memories, I also find happiness in the small moments. I find happiness in the sound of making people laugh. I find happiness in the way the air smells after it’s rained. I find happiness in writing. I find happiness in the smell of books and beginning a new one. I find happiness in watching little kids run and play without a care in the world. I find happiness when I love a song so much that it makes me want to cry. I find happiness in making new friends.

Other people might not find happiness in these things, but to me, these are essential to my happiness. I am so lucky to be living in an international environment where I can interact with people of different nationalities to find out what happiness means to them. Not necessarily by asking them directly, but through their smile, their expression, and their words.

So maybe I should re-title my travel blog “The pursuit of happiness”

Second, I must express my apprehension/excitement at Mitch Hurwitz’s announcement that Arrested Development will be coming back for one season before the release of their feature film in 2013. I managed to watch all three seasons of Arrested Development in about a week after getting the first season for Christmas last year. I will never forget the night that I got back to school from Christmas break and watched the third season almost all the way through with my friend Derek. Maybe it was the fact that we watched it until about 2 or 3am, but I could not stop laughing at some of the antics on that show. It’s subtle humor that not everyone appreciates, but it completely cracks me up. From Buster’s prosthetic hand, to Gob’s magic show (“They’re illusions…. tricks are what a whore does for money!”), to Egg (her?), to the romantic tension between George Michael and Maeby, to Tobias’ one-liners, to Franklin’s “It Ain’t Easy Being White”, this show is pure brilliance.  I feel like I should be super excited for an additional season and a feature film, but I am nervous  that I’ll just be disappointed. This show had 3 great seasons and ended on a high note. Why ruin it by coming back and possibly disappointing the huge AD fanbase out there? Maybe I just need to have more of an open mind, but I just want to remember these characters for what they were. It’ll be weird to see ‘where they’ve been’ for the past five years. I am excited, but I am also nervous about the whole idea. Hopefully it’ll be as funny as the three seasons were.  

Third, I am a little bit sick of hearing about how good 50/50 is. Mainly because the movie theaters in Bratislava don’t have it yet, and my heart is aching for some Joseph Gordon-Levitt, haha. Hopefully I’ll be able to catch it on DVD when I am back home.

Finally, this video is so completely precious. She is trying so hard yet just can’t get it down. This is probably the hardest part of her day, too, which makes me feel so nostalgic for childhood and the innocence of being young.

If you want a little more detailed information about my life at the present moment, please read here

I think the nerves are finally starting to set in, as I’ve had a permanent stomach ache for the past few days. Last night I could barely sleep because I kept waking up and thinking about things I still had to do. I then had a long conversation with God, asking him to calm my nerves and my heart, and then, soon enough, I was asleep. 

I think one think that’s made me so nervous is how little control I have over this whole thing. I am a planner and an organizer, and God has been teaching me that only He has control over this transition. That’s a lot for me to handle, but I am definitely learning a lot through it. 

Francois Rabelais’ last words were “I go to seek a Great Perhaps” and I feel like that’s what I am doing. Living in Europe is going to be such a different experience from my life in the States, and my internship will be something completely new and a great learning experience. Every new day will bring something different, I’m sure, and I can’t wait to see what that is. I hope this experience will open my eyes to the many different cultures in Europe and learn more about God’s people. Most of all, I hope my time at the internship will benefit the organization and the people that they serve. I think this will be the Great Perhaps of my young adult life and I want nothing more than for it to glorify God.

See you here on the other side.

<3 

I think many people talk about their dreams but do nothing about them. I don’t want to ever be one of those people. I know I have a lot of ambitious goals, but, especially in the last few years, I’ve done everything I can to actively pursue those goals. I always dreamed of going to Paris-I made it there. I dreamed of exploring the streets of London-I did just that. Since my childhood I dreamed of going to New York City and this spring I spent a week there, soaking up the sights and savoring the city I’d always dreamed of.  I dreamed of working in publishing, so I applied for internships and positions at major companies. I dreamed of working in missions and I dreamed of living overseas and am able to take advantage of both of those dreams with my internship coming up in just one week. 

Too often I think people talk about their dreams whether than make the active pursuit of their dreams through their actions. One book/movie that really helped me realize that I don’t want to be the person who looks back with regret later in life is Revolutionary Road by John Hughes. 

This book focuses on April and Frank Wheeler, two suburbanites who abandoned their dreams when they became pregnant and who regret the lives they lead-lives of conformity, responsibility, and hopelesness. In an effort to keep on surviving their everyday existence, April and Frank end up resenting each other and wishing they had pursued their dreams instead of giving up. They are all words and no actions. 

“It takes backbone to lead the life you want, Frank.”

“I saw a whole other future. I can’t stop seeing it.”

Maybe I just haven’t faced true responsibility yet, or true roadblocks, but I hope I never give up my biggest dreams, and I hope I always put actions behind those dreams. Because if I don’t, I’ll never get anywhere.