From Baylor Bound to Sac State Sent

As the first semester of graduate school comes to a close,

 I can't help but think back on how I thought my life (and my college experience) was going to pan out.

You see, going to Sac State was never in my thoughts...

and certainly not my top choice.

I was 100% Baylor bound.

My mind was made up sophomore year of highschool.

I never looked anywhere else.

The deal got even sweeter when one of my best friends, Kayla, was going to transfer 

there her junior year when I would go in as a freshman.

We were going to live together.

And have waffles on the weekends.

And love our lives together as Baylor bears.

Is the campus not seriously breathtaking?

Summer 2008 (before my senior year) I went on a Mexico mission trip, Kayla and I and met Hanna who was interning with the ministry...and she was currently a Baylor bear!

I remember talking to her and just being sooo excited to go to Baylor.

One night, we even all wore our Baylor stuff!

Me, Hannah, Kayla (Mexico 2008)

I applied and was accepted on November 12th! 

I literally cried when I got my beautiful acceptance letter (they make it look like an award, too) in the mail. It was the first time in my life I had cried for joy. That's how stoked I was about it. I quickly called Kayla, who had gotten her acceptance a few weeks before me.

Everything was falling into place.

So what if I had applied to other schools...I didn't need a backup!

I was in and ready to go!

Let's get back to Sac State for a moment now, shall we?

I remember my mom taking me on a tour of Sac State sometime that year. She was really excited to take me on a college tour and since it was close, it was easily affordable at that time.

I was a total brat.

I pouted in the back of the tour group the entire time.

I screamed at my mom in the car ride there.

I had worked too hard in high school to just go to a state school...

especially Sac State. 

I honestly don't remember anything about the tour. 

When they offered to take people to the Res Halls for tour,

I refused.
I ruined the whole day.

Spring 2009 came along with many other acceptances into universities.

My mom decided that if I was ready to pick-up and move to Texas,

I might as well visit the school.

So spring break, my mom took me to Waco.

She was always pushing for me to stay close, save money, and go to Sac State.

Why was I so against it: one word...

One ugly word.

PRIDE. I

 was top of my class and the logical step in my brain was to go to a big university, with an awesome football team, full of tradition, known...

One night on our visit, Hanna took me around and showed me all the cool things Baylor students do.

She took me to Common Grounds, to her apartment, the HEB, and we threw tortillas off a bridge!

It was awesome! My mom and I took a tour of the campus, met my advisor, explored the city, and just soaked it all in. 

My mom remembers us meeting with a professor from the Communication Disorders department. When I said I was from Sacramento, she said, "Oh, have you heard of Sacramento State? They have a good program, too." Apparently my face went blank.

I don't really remember this conversation...but I'll take my mom's word for it.

So there I was in Waco. At my dream school, seeing student life, soaking in the beautiful campus...

One of the last nights we were there, I distinctively remember laying in bed...I undoubtedly had the perfect visit but something just wasn't right. There was a feeling I had that told me that maybe I had this all wrong.

Thank you Holy Spirit, for that gentle reminder to trust God's plans instead of my own.

On our trip back home, my mom said, "Ya know, I really can see you fitting in here.."

What?!

After all that time her lobbying for me to go to Sac State, visiting Waco showed her how I could fit in...

and visiting Waco had me questioning my plans.

For the next month, I wrestled with God...and let me tell you...I put up quite the fight.

College decision day was coming closer.

One Sunday, my mom and I sat down to make the decision.

We made a good-ole-trusty-pro-con-list.

I cried...a lot.

I layed face down on the floor crying because I felt like I couldn't make a decision.

Thank you, mom for all your patience during this process!!

I chose Sac State.

I could get everything I wanted out of Baylor at Sac State.

I was going to live in the halls, do speech pathology, have opportunities to study/travel abroad, and I would figure out how to get connected to a Christian community.

My friends definitely did not understand. There I was graduating seventh out of a large class...

and going to Sac State.

Regardless of others' opinions, I knew it was the right choice. 

God flipped my plans upside down and I felt so at peace.

A few weeks into freshman year at Sac State (the night before my 18th birthday).

Would I have had a great college experience had I gone to Baylor?

Absolutely.

Guarantee it.

But I certainly wouldn't have had the experience I've had a Sac State.

And I wouldn't trade it in for the world.

I have met some of my best friends.

I've literally traveled the world.

I grew leaps and bounds in my faith.

And I have ridiculous amounts of pride in Sac State than the average student.

Stingers up!

It may have taken me a few years to figure out why I was here.

But it's pretty clear to me.

This is exactly where I was meant to be.

Thank you, Lord for being in control of my life. Thank you for breaking my plans and allowing me to see that You are what matters, not my pride and what I think I deserve. I love being a Sac State hornet and am so thankful for everything that I have experienced here. 

What area in your life are you refusing to let go?

What would happen if you let go and trusted God to guide you through His Holy Spirit?

Go ahead...I promise you it's worth it.

Thursday Three

It's Thursday.

It's time for a Thursday Three.

Enjoy this little glimpse into my life lately...

as shown through pics on my iPhone. 

#1. It is ridiculously cold outside today. It's currently 45*. Yeah, I know that this is much warmer than a lot of other places...and my friend Lexi is suffering through 4* weather right now. But. Today dropping below 50* means it was time for me to bundle layers on layers on layers. Top layers include a cami, v-neck, sweatshirt, and North Face fleece. I have on tall Christtmas socks that go up to my knees. And I topped it off with a knitted headband that Laura gave me for my birthday! Here's the funny thing: as I walked to class, my whole 5 minute commute (I LOVE living on campus) I was seriously warm...almost hot. Felt like I was taking a nice relaxing walk on the beach. As soon as I got to class, you bet I shed my sweatshirt and North Face. Ha. [Side note: I think my hair is looking longer? yay!]

#2. Let me let you in on a little secret. The tabs on bread actually mean something. Luckily, my dad has worked for Sara Lee for a long time so I've been all caught up on this info. Thanks Dad! Each day of the week has a different colored tab which tells you which day the bakery baked it! This allows you to choose the freshest loaf of bread. If you're interested in the knowledge of bread tags, read up about it here. I was grocery shopping late (thanks Safeway for being open til 1am) with Lydia. These were on the back wall of the bread area. Apparently bread men these days need a little extra help with these visual cues? I don't know. But, you're welcome for this knowledge that will change the way you choose your loaf of bread. 

#3. It seems like Kim has been making appearances in my Thursday Three posts regularly but I can't help it if we always seem to have fun. Last weekend, I went with her and her family (husband and son) up to her sister's house in Camino (Apple Hill) to chop down a Christmas tree! It was pretty anti-climactic in my opinion. But hey, that's ok! The rest of the night was a whole bunch of fun. More of their family joined us at her sister's house. We ate pizza together and then set off on the great task to decorate her sister's family's tree. This is a system and a process people! Luckily Kim's niece, Katie, filled me in on the details. 

Here are the rules: 1) Bulbs go on first 2) Small ornaments go on top...bigger ones on the bottom 3) Don't place ornaments of the same color and/or design too close to each other 4) Don't be offended if someone moves the ornament you put on

It was just a lot of fun meeting people that Kim talks about all the time! :)

Well, that's it folks. Stay warm. Choose the freshest loaf. And enjoy this holiday season!

Thursday Three

Oh hey!

It's Thursday...which means another Thursday three post. 

Wanna be caught up? Check out previous Thursday Three posts here and here.

#1. This little boy brings me so much joy. Last week, I stopped by to say him and his mama (and his cute little brother too). We had hotdogs for lunch and when we headed outside, he was a big help raking the leaves!

#2. This short but sweet postcard arrived in my mailbox last week from Ian, my older brother who is currently on deployment. "The motherland" is a reference to Spain...our dad's side of the family is from Spain. His wife visited him a few weeks ago, brought these back, and mailed them out for him. So nice for an older brother to say "I am very proud of you". I'm super proud of you too, bro!

1. Choco Boy. Seriously one of my favorite snacks of all time. I fell in love with them while in East Asia and practically ate a box every day. I typically ate them at night when Lydia and I played Skip-Bo. I bought a ridiculous amount of boxes to bring back to hand out to family and friends so that more people could join in my love for the delicious cracker and chocolate snack shaped like mushrooms. Lydia assured me that she'd seen them in the states before so I started eating the ones I brought back knowing I could just buy more for the friends and family I originally bought them for. But! We couldn't find them anywhere. Serious disappointment set in and months went by with no prevail. Then, an unexpected text came in...with a picture of these bad boys! Lydia's mom found them! And bought us three boxes! I was as happy as could be. Thanks Mama Wendy for hookin' it up! Here's the real challenge: using self-control to not devour these in one sitting. 

Family Farkle Fun

Friday night, my family got together for dinner and games.

How great is it to spend time with family when it's not a birthday, wedding, funeral, or holiday?

Real great.

We gathered around 7pm at my grandma's house. I brought Lydia...

cause she's basically a part of my family now-a-days anyways.

We had a simple but super delicious dinner.

Then, the game began.

We played Farkle.

You don't know what that is?

Neither did I.

It's basically a dice game and you're trying to rack up points!

There are quite a few variations of scoring, but, you can get the general idea here.

We each put in a dollar to gamble to see who could get to 10,000 points first!

It was a close game at times, but eventually Grandma Betty blew us all out of the water.

The worst part:

EVEN BY THE END OF THE GAME, SHE DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO PLAY.

She never developed a strategy. She was just super lucky in her dice rolling.

Typical grandma move.

Maybe I'm just a little bitter because Lydia and I were going to use the 9 dollars to buy fro-yo.

I came in absolute last.

Oops.

We decided for Christmas we were each gonna pay 6 dollars to pay.

5 for the winner.

1 for the loser.

I'm looking forward to it!

I seriously love spending time with my family. Go ahead. Plan a game night.

Get together with your family.

Laugh together.

You won't regret it.

Motorcycles and God

This weekend, I got to spend a few days with my daddy. And boy oh boy, do I have the best daddy in the world! We had a ton of fun together but one of my favorite things we did was go for a motorcycle ride when I arrived Friday afternoon.

I had only done it once before and I sure was excited to go again. 

Being the passenger gave me some time to think.

And I started to realize:

riding on the back of a motorcycle is kind of like trusting God.

Let me tell you how.

TRUST. 

Yup. It requires a lot of trust to ride on a motorcycle. It requires total confidence in the driver. I've only been on a motorcycle with my dad as the driver (and he told me to make sure that's always the case). Why? Because I know that my dad loves me and does everything he can to protect me. When I ride with him, he makes sure to drive safely because he has precious cargo with him. And guess what? We are precious cargo to God. I have to trust that my dad knows what he's doing. I certainly have no knowledge of how to drive a motorcycle. So you just sit back and hold on for the ride, trusting that eventually, we will make it safely back home.

HE'S OUR PROVIDER.

All I had to do to prepare for the ride was make sure that I had long pants and boots (or good shoes). The jacket, helmet, gloves, and sunglasses were all provided for me. He even put the backrest on so I could have a more comfortable ride. God is the same way. All he wants from us is trust and faith in him. After that, he gives us the Holy Spirit and everything else we need in order to follow and be obedient to Him. 

WE MUST FOLLOW.

Taking turns on a motorcycle is one of my favorite parts of the ride. There's just something so freeing and adventurous about it! As we came to the first stop sign my dad looked back at me and said "Remember, just follow me on the turns." That's it. No other advice was needed for the ride other than to follow. It was important not to lean too far, or not lean far enough. Just follow his shoulders. Jesus called his disciples by saying, "Come, follow me." They weren't exactly sure what they were in for, but if they were willing to follow, Jesus was ready to rock their worlds. 

LISTENING REQUIRES EFFORT. 

The first part of our ride was pretty quiet. I was too concentrated on getting comfortable to be able to talk or ask questions. Mostly, our quick conversations happened at stop signs or red lights. But as the ride went on, I got better at leaning in close to say something and I got better at shifting my ear to listen to what my dad was saying to me. It was a little uncomfortable at first-it requires movement and on a motorcycle that can be a little scary. But, it got easier! The same is true in our relationship with God.

WE ARE ALWAYS LEARNING.

The most uncomfortable part of riding on a motorcycle is the wind in your eyes. Even with sunglasses and the helmet shield, I could still feel the wind whipping up into my eyes. At times, I would just close my eyes and I had no clue how my dad was keeping his eyes open to see the road! I made a comment about my eyes and he said, "You're gonna have to learn how to hold your head." You're just gonna have to learn. Him saying that gave me hope that there was a way to make this stop! I tried tilting my head to the left, right, up, and down...and I finally figured it out. God is continually sanctifying us, making us more and more like him...more and more like the driver. It takes some willingness to learn and be teachable. 

IT'S ABOUT A RELATIONSHIP.

The best part of the ride was that I was doing it with my dad. It was memories we were making and I was loving every minute of it. Yeah, maybe it would have been cool with a stranger. But I'll take making memories with my daddy over making memories with a stranger any day. That's what the Bible and Jesus are all about: redeeming us broken, imperfect people to the righteous, holy, powerful God. It's about raising our view of Him and getting to know his character. It's about having an accurate view of ourselves. It's all about a relationship. I did not do anything to earn a ride this weekend. All I did was ask. That's all you have to do to have a relationship with God: Thank Jesus for dying for your sins, acknowledge Him as Savior, and ask Him to be on the throne of your life. It just takes faith! How great is that? It's not about being good enough of earning anything. We are saved through faith NOT by works. 

HE DOESN'T NEED US, BUT WE NEED HIM.

When we got back, my dad said "Wow, that was fun!" and I totally agreed. But here's the thing, my dad could have totally went on the ride without me. He didn't need me. He is perfectly capable of riding alone. But, I would be pretty useless on the back of a motorcycle if I didn't have a driver. I am helpless and not capable. It is only by the power of the driver (and God) that I am able to do anything. But, I know that my dad enjoyed having his daughter ride with him. It's not that he needs me, but he wants me. 

Like riding on a motorcycle, when we continually pursue God and His Word (the Bible) it makes us hungry for the adventure more and more. 

Thursday Three

It's Thursday!

That means it's time for another Thursday Three post...and also I can officially say hello to a four day weekend!!

To see my first Thursday Three post, go here.

#1. Happy Halloween! This was taken at Sac Cru's Halloween Bash last Thursday night. Me, Lydia, Laura, and Aubrey all dressed up as copy cats. Elvira was a fox for "what does the fox say?". I had a ton of fun dancing my little heart out. I love these girls a whole lot. 

#2. Remember my second pic from last week was a selfie of me in the bathroom? Well, I sent it to my friend Kim (who also was the one that hung the picture for my third picture last week) and she didn't know what a selfie was so I explained it to her. Then today, she sent me this text. She seriously cracks me up. 

#3. Name tags are serious business in Housing and Residential Life at Sacramento State. During training in August, I could not find my name tag no matter how hard I tried to find it! I finally gave up and had them order me a new one. I figured having the same one for three years already was some kind of record. Well, last Friday I was cleaning out my car and what do you know? In my trunk, in a black garbage bag was my name tag...along with a phone charger and dining commons mug. Oops. 

Thursday Three

Happy Thursday and Happy Halloween!!

My lopho and long time friend, Lexi, posted a "Thursday Three" post this morning and I was inspired to do my own!!

Here's how it works: Thursdays you will get three random pictures from my phone (old or new) with an explanation. Fun?

Let's get this started!!

#1: This is Lydia and one of my bestest of friends. This picture was taken on her birthday (last Monday). We were in the library and she was studying for anatomy. You can check out skeleton parts and I couldn't stop laughing!! So, I made her pose for a picture. Aren't I a good friend?

#2: Everyone has bathroom selfies on their phone, right?!?! We'll, I went home this weekend and my mom and I went shopping (we're really good at it ;)) I got this sweater and I wore it on Tuesday. I was feeling real fresh so I took a picture of myself and sent it to my friends on snap chat...not even ashamed. 

#3: This one requires a little more explanation.

 Who? Me!

What? A framed 8x10 photo of me with a speech bubble that says "It's easy to be happy!"

Where? The children's ministry office at Fremont Presbyterian Church. 

Why? We took church directory photos in the beginning of summer and you get a free family portrait to have. I took the photo by myself and then left the country. Apparently my picture was in the envelope in the church office for a long time. I worked in children's ministry in Summer 2012 so my old boss, Kim, took my picture, framed it, and hung it on the main wall of the children's ministry office. "It's easy to be happy" was a catchphrase of our summer.

And there you have it folks! Just a little glimpse of things that make me chuckle. 

Have a safe Halloween!!

Deployed Brother

This morning, I got a phone call from Ian who has been deployed since June. 

It was the best 4 minute 37 second phone call I've had in a long time.

Being in a submarine definitely puts a damper on communication.

He called once in September and we exchanged a few texts in June.

I email him occasionally and he emails back when he can.

He said he emailed me once this deployment but I never got it.

The internet and email system is real spotty.

But regardless of how little I hear from him, I know he loves me. 

There's not a whole lot you can talk about in 4 minutes and 37 seconds but I could just hear the joy in his voice.

Plus, he woke me up (totally worth it) so I was just trying to get my brain to work!

Aly has been with him for four days in port and I know that he has really enjoyed that. 

Aren't we happy for airplanes?!

It was a last minute trip and it's the first time they've seen each other in four months!

My brother is legitimately one of my best friends.

Yes, he still beats me up but I'll admit that I start it...

and I kinda like it as long as I don't get hurt.

He's a real fun big brother. 

Our relationship really started to solidify in high school.

 I was the freshman.

He was the senior. 

It was one of my favorite years of high school, getting to have him on campus.

It wasn't so bad being "Ian's little sister."

At least he was cool and did well in school.

When he left for the Naval Academy, it was really hard not getting to see him very often.

We've had our ups-and-downs but the best part is that we are family.

He can never get rid of me.

Thank you Ian for sacrificing your freedom and spending time with your wife so that our country is protected and that we can have our freedom.

I know how tough it is not being able to see your family when you want to

and have the government tell you when and where to do things.

Thank you for always having my back and believing the best in me.

Your encouragement means so much to me.

You're a great example for me to look up to.

I am one happy, proud, and lucky little sister.

Now, get ready for some blasts from the past:

Aren't we the cutest ladybug and Power Ranger you've ever seen?

After a performance of a play I was in freshman year of high school.

Surfing in Santa Cruz

Ian's Eagle Scout ceremony.

Picking Ian up from the airport on one of his trips home from college.

Sometimes we do adventurous things like go on hikes in Tahoe.

Ian flew home a day early to surprise me at my concert. Too bad I went home after school and saw the toilet seat up (no boys lived in the house) and I just knew he had been home!

But thanks for the kind gesture, brother. 

Sleepy brother on our trip in Monterey.

Awkward but happy hugs!

Our trip to Annapolis for Ian's graduation!

We met in New York City for a day in Summer 2011 when I was living in New Jersey and he was living in Rhode Island.

Christmas 2011.

At the Washington National's game in June 2012. The day he told me he was going to propose to Aly!

Their wedding. April 13, 2013.

Ian, you're the best.

I can't wait to see you again!!

Weekends Are Made For Adventures (Part I)

Among the chaos and stresses of life stem the opportunities to

explore.

love.

adventure.

learn.

laugh.

Transitioning into grad school and a new job position has posed quite a challenge this semester.

It surely hasn't been a walk in the park.

But here's the thing: we can still choose joy!!

It's incredibly important to take time away and really focus on things that matter.

The past three weekends have been full of lots of exploring, love, adventure, learning, and laughing.

First, I went to Sac Cru's Fall Retreat.

Then, Aly (my super cute and funny sister in law) came to visit! Before spending a few weeks in Fallon, NV for training, she came for a weekend in Sacramento before my mom and I drove her to Nevada.

Aly flew in 10 hours early and was able to surprise my mom at her birthday dinner. It was so nice to be able to spend the whole day with her before having to share her with everyone else in the family.

Ready for picture overload?

Good!

First, this text came confirming her visit!

Then we were reunited Friday afternoon!

We hid in the bathroom of the restaurant until my mom arrived so Aly could surprise her. 

The girls in our family went out to dinner at Rio City Cafe to celebrate my mom's birthday! (missing Aunt Toni in Maryland!)

Saturday morning my dad came and took us out to breakfast. Here's their album cover photo.

I love my daddy!

We went to Fox and Goose in the historic district of Sacramento! If you ever go, get their lolliberry scone. You' won't regret it!

Then we hung out at my grandma's house to see more family and then we were off to Nevada!

First, we took a pit stop at Apple Hill...but everything was closing down.

Luckily, we were able to get some apple cider for the road!

We stayed in South Lake Tahoe for the night. We had a yummy dinner and enjoyed quality time together. 

We had pancakes for breakfast made by this speedy pancake machine. We were seriously fascinated. 

We dropped Aly off at the base and after a tearful goodbye, we headed home. 

This was the first time I've hung out with Aly since their wedding in April and it was so much fun. She made the reservation for the hotel and when they asked the last name it was under, she said my last name! It caught me off guard for a tiny second and then I was just reminded that she gets to be a part of our family for my whole life. 

Thanks Ian for picking such a fun and loving wife. 

We sure do know how to have fun!

Give Me S'more

Sac Cru Fall Retreat 2013

I love s'mores. They make me happy.

Funny thing is, I legitimately don't like roasting marshmallows.

I can never seem to get them quite right!

Every time, I ask, beg if necessary, a friend to roast one for me and I give specific directions:

puffy, golden brown...no burn.

This weekend, Stephanie came through and I enjoyed two delicious, perfectly roasted s'mores.

This weekend was Sac Cru's Fall Retreat and it was wonderful.

But if I'm really honest with you, the s'mores weren't even the best part.

This is who I spent my weekend with! I got to make new friends and deepen relationships with old friends, too. It was so fun getting to hear people's stories and just have an all around great time together. We are one big happy family. 

We worshipped together. When you have an accurate view of God, you can't help but worship him! 

This is always one of my favorite parts of retreats, weekly meetings, and church. 

My new favorite song from the weekend: You Have Called Me Higher. 

We have lots of fun together too. CRUlympics!

And we danced...a lot.

Isn't this one happy picture?! Bob Fuhs (Director of Ocean City, NJ Summer Project) was our speaker this weekend! He talked about how Jesus is the One we are looking for, when believe in him, God gives us his assured affection and acceptance, and that we cannot live the Christian life alone-we must rely on the Holy Spirit!

His wife Jill led women's time where she taught on the Need's Cycle and how when we do not address the heart, we cannot break the cycle of sin. It isn't about the behavior...it's about the heart. 

This led to a mini OC reunion! Kevin, Jonathan, and I went in 2011 and Aubrey and Laura went this summer! Summer Projects are just awesome and you should consider going on one. ;)

Overall, it was a weekend for the books!! Or a blog in this case...

Please pray for Sac Cru as we continue go out to reach student on Sac State's and surrounding Los Rios campuses. 

Photo Creds: Lydia and Kenny