Live God...

Ephesians 5:1 Imitate God, therefore in everything you do, because you are his dear children.  (NLT)

 

I am going through a spiritual journey right now that I am asking God to really open me up to whole heartedly.  If you have never read the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan I am recommending it now!  A couple of girlfriends and I were supposed to have read it earlier this year but never got to it.  I was planning on taking the book with me to Australia and reading it there but decided not to put it off.  I am so happy I did not put it off anymore.  I really enjoyed the book in its entirety.  I have gained better insight about myself and my life as it is, was, and what it should be.  It may be too radical a book for some people but I really don't think that it is and appreciate the personal examples the author uses for a reality check. 

 

A part of my leaving the USA for a bit is to get away from personal influences that greatly impact my day to day.  By leaving I'm creating a more vulnerable situation for myself where I have to rely on God.  I'm potentially going to be out of my comfort zone but will never be out of his range.  One of the passages in the book discusses the author in college and the professor asking the students, "What are you doing right now that requires faith?"  That hit home for me for the obvious reason of my upcoming trip being a faith walk.  I am preparing myself as well as I can but only God knows what I am walking into.  As I am now and as I've lived, my personal life has been too comfortable for me to have had to rely on God like I should.  "God doesn't call us to be comfortable.  He calls us to trust Him so completely that we are unafraid to put ourselves in situations where we will be in trouble if He doesn't come through."  So as much as I prefer to feel safe and protected, if God's kingdom needs to be advanced then I'm going to need to get over myself YASAP (yesterday as soon as possible).

 

I am beginning to look at my Australia trip through a new lens.  Beyond simply taking a break from social work and being refreshed from my 3 years of physical, emotional and spiritual drainage, I hope to come out of this with a better concept of God.  I didn't think that it could get any better, happier, more exciting but it has.  As I pray more and prepare myself mentally I am also taking care of myself spiritually.  Thanks to you all that are praying, a revelation is taking place in my life :-)

 

Especially created for me by my friend Monica for my 26th birthday. 

(the price tag is a joke from a story I told her and does not reflect an actual price lol)

7/6/13 :-)

Hi, nice to meet you!

People can be sweet in case you were unaware.  Now I'll be honest, my hometown is not the friendliest place but neither was the city that I recently left from.  I am generally a smiling, sunshine spreading (occasional tutu wearing) type of person.  Throughout my adulthood this has been appreciated.  It was especially welcomed at my previous job.  Being home I've recently encountered more people that are welcoming of this, after all of these years I have been accepted!!! LOL

My sister is in town from MI for the week and we had a sister's day out (the first in years).  We went kayaking, to eat at a local restaurant, and then to get our nails done.  My pedicurist was freaking HILLARIOUS.  I've only ever had my nails done a few times in my life but this is the most that I've ever had a conversation with the person doing my nails.  Her personality made me happy and she showed my sister and I YouTube clips of dolphins "humping" women, which I promise is not as bad as it sounds and actually was kinda funny/disturbing (she was cautioning me about swimming with dolphins).  She was very encouraging about me going but took on a motherly tone about me going alone.  She also gave me several travel tips.  Her husband was not as animated but equally funny.  LOVED THEM!

I met with someone that I used to go to church with growing up.  I had not seen her since I left for college but we connected after her mom told my mom that she had gone to Australia before.  It was funny because we ran into each other earlier in the day at the gym knowing we were meeting up later to eat lunch together.  Anyway, she told me about her trip to Australia when she was an undergrad as a part of a study abroad experience.  Actually she is the second person that I have talked to that has studied abroad there.  I've actually collected some pretty good information from people that have been there, which has been great.  I'll obviously have my own experiences but it's nice to hear from other people.  Something that kinda sucks is that 1 AUD is currently equivalent to $.92 USD so I'm pretty much looking at a dollar for a dollar.  This sucks compared to how it was when other people that I have talked to who have been there and the USD was significantly worth more.

As I closed out one of my memberships with a place that directly takes money from my account the lady I spoke with was great!  I informed her of why I was closing out the account and she was so sweet and encouraging about my upcoming adventure.  She told me about her faith in God and happiness with being alive (breast cancer survivor).  She actually used to be a competitive weight lifter for the U.S. as a member of one of the armed forces.  I really enjoyed talking with her and we talked for a few minutes.  She traveled around the world and even domestically competitively lifting, how cool is that!?!  She said that she was going to pray for me and my trip as well, and not without failing to mention that God answers her prayers. :-)

Most people are loveable when given a chance.  Just listen to their stories!

Awww... poor Daddy!

My dad is not happy about this trip.  Still.  After all of these months of reminders and everything.  He has tried to say that he can see me on a motorcycle.*  He also asked me, "If I tell you I love you 20 times and really mean it will you not go to Australia?"  My response, "You better love me!"  End of conversation.  He has also only recently seen my most recent body art and did not appreciate it, per usual.  He blames himself for not giving me enough attention.  If you knew my family you would know how hilarious this whole thing actually is.  I love my dad, and I promise I don't intentionally try to scare him.

He really just wants me to go with other people and I can understand his perspective.  What he does not understand is that I did not have anyone to go with me.  Now there have been people who have said if I would have told them they would have saved up to go too.  Oh well, too late, I'm going, kisses and hugs!  I'm doing research, exercising caution, praying for protection and discernment.  Other people are praying as well and let's be honest, what can be more powerful than multiple people praying for the same thing?  Nothing.  God is that awesome!!!

*Several years ago I asked my dad if he could picture my older sister driving a motorcycle and he quickly responded, "Yea!" and sort of chuckled.  I then asked him if he could picture me driving one and he thoughtfully responded, "Nah.  I can see you on a scooter."  My jaw dropped and I laughed feeling kind of hurt.  He tried to back-step and said, "One of those really cool scooters."  That did not help.  This has been an ongoing story of much laughter over the past few years.  Every time I do something adventurous it comes up.

...it's gotten quite serious...

My exam is paid for and now scheduled and I have been working my butt off in preparation!  It's like college all over again *gag.*  I've studied at home, at the park, at a local café, at the library and at my brother's house (their back deck is perfectly quiet).  I'm more going through the motions in preparation for studying, as in putting everything in the same place so that I do not have to look through multiple worksheets and books with various information.  I'm recalling a lot of the information after reading through the material which brings me some comfort.  I can tell you what brings no comfort... reading about people that have taken the test multiple times and failed.  "Why would you read that?" you ask?  Well, I'm a researcher and I looked into good testing strategies for this exam as a not-so-great-test-taker.  That being said I checked out a blog with really good information and suggestions for taking the test and the comments section below had people thanking the blogger for the helpful information as well as people including their own tips, but intermingled in there were people saying how they had taken the test multiple times and had not passed and asking for more suggestions. 

They also reinforced what I already knew, the test is not looking for the practice answer it is looking for the textbook answer.  That is a whole different way of thinking.  (Oh boy!)  I had to schedule the test for a later date than I wanted because my options were either this upcoming Wednesday or the week of my trip.  I am not ready to take the test so this week was not an option, meaning the week of my departure it is.  Which gives me no time to get everything done regarding my license before I leave because of the time constraints that go with the accompanying process.  I may have to lay things out for my parents to help out, LOVE THEM :-)

Now about Australia...

I've been working out fairly consistently in my effort to be more able to be active throughout my time there.  As in I'm trying to build stamina and a little bit more muscle (you never know, gotta stay safe).  I am reading a book someone that did what I'm doing suggested I read.  It's called In a Sunburned Country and it's written by Bill Bryson.  The book is informative and has scary facts (Australia is home to the deadliest snake, spider and jellyfish in all the world), as well as funny stories of his experiences there (running through a wooded area in an attempt to get away from dogs he could hear barking and chasing him but never saw), as well as historical, artistic, cultural and architectural facts.  It's a fun and easy read and I am really enjoying it so far, minus thinking that somehow I am going to unknowingly come across some poisonous creature.  That's what insurance is for right? :-)

7/6/13, only 19 days away!!!

...because I can...

Hello Sunshines!!! :-))

As I have talked with more people about my upcoming trip, I am learning more that there are a lot of people that have done this exact thing.  I am more than willing to acknowledge that this is not the "norm" however it is not as wild as it appears.  It has been fun to talk with people and hear that they are also planning a trip in the future or have actually done this themselves.  More often than not I am hearing that people wish that they would have done this while they had the chance.  One guy I talked to asked one of the common questions of why I am going and I nonchalantly (& looking back laughably) responded to him, "Because I can afford it."  Then I began to think, "Well, I can't really afford it...?" and he interrupted my thinking by saying, "But you can afford not to afford it." 

Correct.

As I have told many people that are attempting to understand the practicality of my decision, I am single, I have no children, I have no major commitments, I am in good health, and I currently have enough money saved up.  When else will this be the case?  In youth we have the willingness to go on adventures and the energy to follow through but not the money.  In old age we (might) have the money but are missing the energy and health.  Most of my peers are in committed relationships and that is where they want to be and that is their priority.  As I am now and as my life is now, I am more interested in travel and more in love with exploration.  So that is what I am choosing to do.

(And contrary to multiple (well intentioned) comments I plan on coming back single.  I do appreciate the optimism though! LOL)

Miss your faces!

...update...

I received some constructive criticism on my lack of updating you all on what I was doing now as well as putting in quotes that you all may not care about.  I do appreciate the honesty :-) 

In the 1 ½ weeks after I left work I packed up my apartment, got rid of a lot of belongings, finished painting my bathroom (so I can get back my security deposit), and got to see some people for a last visit.  Tears were shed and prayers were said.  I can honestly say that this has been the most emotional life change I think that I have ever experienced and did not feel alone.

Now at 3 weeks out of work…  I have officially moved out of my apartment and back to my parents’ house, my childhood home that I lived in from ages 0-18.  I’m pretty sure that the house has not shrunk but with me and my stuff it definitely does seem that way.  I went from a king sized bed to a twin sized bed, which contributes to me feeling like a giant.  Not to mention that there is barely enough space for all of my stuff, and I can touch the ceiling in most rooms without jumping (in my apartment I needed a ladder to reach the ceilings, other than in my mini bathroom).  Even my hometown seems to have shrunk now that I’ve been here for longer than a week now.

I now have a new credit card and let my bank know when I would be out of the country to avoid getting a stop placed on my account.  Unfortunately I will have to pay the US to AU fees when I use it but given my options it was the best deal.  My mom got me life insurance so on top of the insurance that I paid for to travel outside of the country I have that as well.  I feel like some sort of an adult… lol!?!

I only recently started studying for my licensing exam and have already gotten frustrated.  The test serves no practical purpose in practice and costs $260 as an unethical money making scheme as far as I’m concerned.  What other reason could there be for making a test that asks for the “best answer” based on what the people that made the test think rather than the best answer in practice?  I’ve already vented to a couple of other social workers as well as my unknowing mother.  Grrr… The things that we must do to fit into society are infuriating.  I plan on writing them a letter, after I’ve passed of course. J

I’ll update you more later! 

7/6/13!!! J