A week away from 37....

One week from today I will be at a Packers-Chiefs game ringing in the beginning of my 38th year.  Three years away from the BIG 40!  Yikes!  It seems crazy to think about how quickly life has flown by.  I will be celebrating my 20th year out of high school next June!  WHAT? 

I used to think people were crazy when they said that they didn't feel old.  Now I completely understand.  Despite the occasional achy joint, I don't feel like I am about to turn 40. 

I have thought a lot in the past few weeks about life, and what I want the next half of my life to look like.  I mean I would like to live till I'm 80, but the chances of that happening are pretty slim.  Just due to genetics, quality of life, and the fact that I put myself in crazy situations quite often!  Ha! 

The truth is that I have learned so much in the past 37 years, I have experienced so much, and I don't regret any of it!  I wish that things could be different in some ways, but I I'm also thankful for the experiences that have made me stronger....

I love lists and so I am creating two lists in honor of my 38th birthday.... 


My 37 most life changing events, and 37 things that I have been learning.... 



37 Life Changing Events/Memories  (in random order)

#1  My birth (ha!)

#2  The day I decided to follow Jesus

#3  Playing in our stock tank pool in our backyard in Mexico, MO

#4  Growing up with my two sisters, there are so many memories, I can't even describe them all

#5  The day I was baptized

#6  Deciding to take the job at Rawhide Ranch

#7 Stepping off the plane and onto California soil for the first time

#8  My first crush

#9  The first time a boy told me he liked me and meant it (if only I had known then, what I know now!) 

#10  My first kiss

#11  The first time I got rejected because I wasn't pretty enough

#12 Moving into Pulliam dorm at HLG (now HLGU)

#13  Summers at the pool in our neighborhood

#14  Spending time with cousins at Grandpa and Grandma's

#15  Driving to/from Michigan

#16 Deer Season (I still claim it was a holiday for our family, ha!)

#17  Hearing a missionary speak at camp for the first time

#18  Swimming in a pond for the first time

#19  Summers at Rawhide

#20  Getting my Master's degree

#21  My first roadtrip to Colorado

#22  Moving to Egypt

#23  The first time I felt threatened because of the color of my hair and skin

#24  Riding a camel up "Mt. Sinai." 

#25 Snorkeling in the Red Sea

#26  Seeing the Pyramids, and going inside them

#27  Seeing an Elephant walk down the street only 30 minutes after landing in Bangkok

#28  Teaching in Bangkok

#29  Visiting the Civil Rights Museum

#30  Going to The Crossing

#31  Learning Thai

#32  Living in Kuwait

#33  Seeing 12 year olds being used to earn money for their family through prostiution

#34  Moving back to the states

#35 Teaching at a private school

#37  Touring Anne Frank's House



37 Things I've Been Learning  (random order)

#1  Not everyone is going to like me (I keep re-learning this over and over!)

#2  God is bigger than my greatest fear.

#3  God's design for me is to love and show that love to the world.

#4  People don't always make us feel loved

#5  We are all just trying to make a difference in this world

#6  Friends aren't always there for our whole lives, some of them just need to be around for seasons

#7 It is okay to say no

#8  It is okay to cancel plans

#9  It is okay to not be perfect

#10  Loving people is the best way to give my life worth

#11  It's okay to have a sensitive empathetic heart

#12 Sometimes it isn't about being right or wrong, it is about listening

#13  Life is made up of small moments, that make a huge impact

#14  Sometimes you have to keep giving, even though you are getting nothing back in return

#15  People need handmade cards with quotes on them, it helps them feel encouraged

#16 Prayer works

#17  Perfection is not something that will ever be easily attained

#18  Hiking is sometimes the only way that I can have a quiet place to talk to God

#19  I will never be what everyone wants me  to be

#20  Sometimes it is okay to just do what I want, even if that means doing it alone

#21 My worth is not determined by the number of FB likes I get

#22  Solitude is worth a lot, taking time away in quiet needs to happen more

#23  God doesn't put people in my life by accident

#24 Some people are just meant to teach us something

#25  I need to put more time and effort into memories and people, not things

#26  Toxic people don't have to be a part of my life

#27  Boundaries are meant to help us grow and protect us

#28  It's okay to let someone go

#29  Time spent hearing other's stories is never a waste of time

#30 The more we understand about each other, the more we are going to be able to accomplish

#31  Not every Republican is racist, and not every Democrat agrees with abortion

#32  It is okay to sometimes say nothing at all

#33 Just because I have never been married and don't have kids, doesn't mean I am a failure at life

#34  There is evil in this world

#36  I was made for adventure

#37  My life is only lived well because I let love overflow out of me


I can't believe I am going to be 37!!!!