Funky Tunky

Oh what's up Wickatunk! here's my volunteer community that I'll be living with for the year:)


It's official! I've arrived at my school in New Jersey :) Things have been pret-ty exciting this week!
Last Sunday, my flight left at "O'dark thirty" (as AC says) and I had a layover in Chicago... my flight into Newark got delayed so I was late to orientation but there wasn't much but mingling and "getting to know you" sunday night. Two family friends from Colorado were at the orientation! Melissa was there Sunday night for dinner and Julie was there the whole week leading the orientation... small world!

This week we basically got to know our community members (when I say community I mean the 4 other volunteers I'm living with in NJ) and talked about the 4 tenants of Good Shepherd Volunteers: Simplicity, Service, Community, and Spirituality. Surprisingly, the one I wrestled with the most was spirituality. I got spiritual direction yesterday and the nun that I talked with told me that I needed to trust in God and myself. I think this means I need to be more confident in who I am. Its so weird... Not everyone in the world is Catholic or studying interior design! haha... but really- I was in a bubble in college and so this year is going to be such a great experience for being uniquely *me*

While we were at orientation, we felt our chairs shaking and got really confused... later to realize that it was the rippling from the earthquake in MD! Now we sit with flashlights and water bottles, preparing for Hurricane Irene... womp womp. My community is going to the library tmrw to get some books in case we get stuck inside/without other options for entertainment. It should be interesting ;) I'll keep you updated as long as I can! hehe...

Just a few last random notes/thoughts:
I love my community! I think we have a lot of differences but I think it's going to be lots of fun and a great learning experience for everyone.

The nuns are awesome and hilarious. Sr. Carol (who's probably in her 80s) apparently loves to text and is a spitfire when it comes to jokes and comebacks. Love her.

We haven't even started orientation to our specific work site and I'm already a little overwhelmed with the amount of info we've received.

The ID nerd inside me rearranged my room right away tonite to be better space planned ;)

This weekend is proving to me that it's too bad I brought my broken umbrella.

aaaand th-th-th-th-that's all folks... I'm POOped! see ya on the flip side of good ol' lean Irene

So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehn, Goodbye! .... for now :)

Packing for a year is so overwhelming... there's so much to think about! I'm still not totally sure what my role will be at the school, so I'm trying to be prepared for all situations (P.E. classes, substituting, etc)... It's been an emotional rollercoaster today- :) :/ :D :( :O I think God has great things in store for this year!

This isn't gonna be super long but I just wanted to do another post before I leave. My flight is early tomorrow morning and I'll get there tomorrow afternoon for orientation. Orientation is one week in Staten Island and then we'll move to the school next weekend. I'm not sure how much computer access I'll have this week but I'll try to let you know that I got there or at least post something on FB...

Thank you again to all of you who have sent your love and support... I really can't thank you enough. I am so blessed to be surrounded by such amazing family and friends. Until next time, Colorado, God Bless! East Coast, here I come! :)

When you wish upon a star...

"There are many ways to reach your dream, so don't be discouraged if you can't yet see the way on your own."

"Demand to be free of whatever categorizations or limits others try to put on you."

These are two quotes from Life Without Limits that stuck out to me today. What are my goals? My dreams? What's holding me back or creating a road block? For me, my dream is to have a family, live simply, have a home where I work to live rather than live to work. I've always dreamed of having a big vegetable garden... not only do I love veggies, but home-grown vegetables are so yummy and cheapppp! My road block? Society tells us that we should be $uccessful and work our way up the corporate ladder... a bit different from living simply on my garden ;) I just finished college with a Bachelor of Science- shouldn't I be getting a job? I just spent thousands of dollars on this degree... I am such a believer in the idea that nothing happens without reason. Whether or not I end up in interior design, the people I've met, experiences I've gained, and ideas I've had throughout college have all happened in perfect timing with God's plan and preparation for my future. Another part of my dream is to rebuild my childhood home wherever I live so interior design definitely plays a role in that plan. I haven't given up the idea of health care design, either. I would really love it, actually. But my dream is moreso the life of simplicity as a housewife. As I prepare to volunteer on the east coast, a simple life in a country house seems a little ways out and I'm not sure how that's gonna happen... but as Nick Vujicic said in his book, "There are many ways to reach your dream, so don't be discouraged if you can't yet see the way on your own." God knows the desires of our hearts- He put them on our hearts and will either fufill those dreams or change the desires of our heart- I'm so excited for this year and I know the experiences ahead will greatly prepare me for my future. Never give up and always believe in your ability to achieve :)

Winds of Change

Ok- I said I'd do a video last time but I haven't had time yet- Hopefully i'll do a video one of these days :) These past few weeks have been crazy, fun, crazy fun, and full of change pants. I moved home to my parents' house and in the mean time, accepted a position to do a year of volunteer work. First, moving home was crassayyyy. There were a couple hiccups in the day but it turned out just fine... It's crazy to be home again but I do love my framily. We've all been hanging out a lot doing lots of fun sings togesser... horseback riding, going to the county fair, white water rafting, shopping, going to old town Fort Collins, having meals together, laughing, and just enjoying each others' company :) I'll admit that being home definitely threw a curve in my routine for feeling healthier. I'm sure you know the feeling of being out of your routine in a new place. But it's getting better for sure. Two things I need to remember: to pray and to keep trying to do better when I mess up.

Sooo in between taping boxes and scrubbing my shower, I was applying, interviewing and accepting volunteer work on the east coast! I'll be at a high school for at-risk youth and I couldn't be more excited and humbled to have the opportunity to work with this school. I'll be living with the four other volunteers who are working at the high school as well as three nuns. I'll be substitute and ropes course certified upon arrival but until I feel comfortable substituting, I'll be helping in classes as needed, doing admin work, helping with after school activities, and helping wherever they have need. I can't wait to get the year started- It's going to be a great year of growth and learning! All of the readings and songs in mass this morning were about having no fear and knowing that we can do anything with faith in God. "Do not be afraid I am with you, I have called you each by name.... I love you and you are mine"-- that song was played this morning and whether or not you like the song, I do haha, and it makes me cry every time. I have no idea why. It just gets me! Remember that time I didn't trust God and everything turned out great? Oh yeah... that happens a lot ;) but really, I think it was really affirming- since all of this happened so quickly, it's nice to hear that God has a hand in it and I'm not just crazy to suddenly decide to do this work.

The last thing I want to say is how blessed and thankful I am for all of the love and support from my friends and family. I am truly humbled by all the support I've gotten and will keep you all in my prayers and in the loop as I begin this year long journey on the east coast!

Ad maiorem Dei gloriam

Joy-filled

Here are just a few of the recent events in my summer :)

Jen's at it again! Quite the cowgirl


A walk through CSU's flower garden. Kate is doing her masters at CSU and I drop her off right next to the gardens so one day, I went for a run and then walked through the gardens-- something I've wanted to do since coming to school :)


Azra (our German exchange student from last year) came back! We were so excited at the airport-- but I was too excited to take any actual pictures of her when we finally saw her... haha so here's Lucy and I before she came through the gate!


We (but mostly my amazing Dad) threw a surprise party for my mom! This picture's worth a thousand words-- she was SO happy!


We ate great food and danced into the night!

Hipsters and King Soopers

I would just like to start today by pointing out that my friend, Emily Snyder, thinks I'm hipster for blogging. You should get to know her cuz she's so hipster she doesn't even know that she's hipster.

Most recently, I've been learning how I can turn something that sounds unappealing into something that is fun and for the greater glory of God. I got a part time job at NY&Co. and at first I didn't really want to do it. After some thought and ingredients for a positive attitude, I'm really looking forward to it! First, I'm thinking I definitely need a little laughter. Laughing (as u can probably tell) is one of my most favorite past times. Even hipsters laugh sometimes. So should you! Second, I think it's important to think of others first . So with this job, I can go into it with the attitude of serving others and making the women who come in the store feel beautiful as we all are! Third, we all need to wear something outrageous once in a while- like the hats em and I found for the fourth of july. Maybe I'll wear my tiara as I get ready every day. (btw- don't name ur kids nevaeh- heaven spelled backwards. it's cheezy) Fourth, jam to good music on the way to work and on the way home. Gets ya goin every time... and last, whatever you do, dooon't make gun hands in photos. If they end up on facebook, you'll be embarrassed and depressed the rest of the day while you work. hehe but really, there's always a way to make something unappealing become appealing. If you need help with this just let me know- I'm happy to offer my brilliant solutions when I can ;)

I got off track with eating the past couple days but I'm ready to get back on track. It's so easy to beat ourselves up for messing up but the reality is that we are human and we fall. Wanna know one of my little tricks!? First, I'll point out that I really love nuts and seeds. I bought these cinnamon covered almonds from Kings that have a little sugar on them too... so every time I crave sweets, I just have an almond or two (being careful not to grab 10 cuz I could honestly eat the whole bag hahaha) and it generally helps! I've also started eating hardboiled egg whites and that really kills a craving to eat and eggs are cheap! But I like the almonds cuz they're still healthy but give u a little kick of sugar and taste oh so yummy :)

for my next blog, i'm going to try to do a video-- stay tuned :)

Steubenville of the Rockies

"Pooped" would be an accurate word to describe my physical state at the moment ;) I got the chance, very last minute, to chaperone Steubenville of the Rockies this weekend- a regional 3 day conference for high school youth. They had speakers, a worship band, mass, adoration, confession, a concert, small groups, and lotttts of goofing around :) it was definitely a great experience! Btwn 1,000 and 1,500 youth were there and it was truly a blessing to see them all search for answers and try to build a relationship with Christ. I will definitely keep them in my prayers- especially as they go back to their schools and friends and try to defend their faith... The photo (tho crappy quality) is of all the youth and chaperones from our church- we had 19 teens, 4 chaperones and Lisa... we're all lookin pret-ty BA with our foco shirts. It's ok to be jealous :P Even though I was there for the teens, I definitely think God spoke to me a lot as well. It was cool because the first song the band played on Friday was "I am Free" by Newsboys (I was just talking about my goal to be freed in my faith and physical life in a previous blog), followed by a few other songs about being free in Christ. It was so great to be affirmed in that goal.

"Do you feel like you can have an open personal relationship with Christ? What's holding you back?" This reflection question was convicting for me because it really challenged me to think about what I put in the way of my relationship with Christ, even after years and years of practicing my faith. It also helped me think about what things I hold onto in my life that I turn to for safety but actually keep me from happiness. After reflecting on all of this, I am sure God and I have a lot of chit chatting to do in the next year ;)

Lots of good things this week- for starters, the whole fam is home! YAY! Bbsitting, job hunting, fam time, meeting up with friends, softball, Bachelorette (yes, the secret is out. I watch it. Annnd it's exhausting to keep up with this chick and her drama).... Gotta go to bed to get some energy back for all this ;)