Reflections on Our First Christmas

Tonight I'm wrapped up in a blanket with some hot apple cider. Nate is playing the Wii and our washing machine is working on our post-trip laundry. Nate and I are only three-fourths through our Christmas Travel Blitzkrieg (Once we're home for good, I'll write a nice, long post about our December!), but I can't help but feel a little reflective tonight.

For those of you who may not know, I am nostalgic and somewhat sentimental. I love taking trips down memory lane, especially when it comes to Nate. I remember the first time I saw Nate, the way the snow fell on the night he asked me to be his girlfriend, and the words he spoke to me on the night he asked me to be his wife. I love firsts and even more so, I love remembering firsts. My downfall, however, comes when I put undue pressure on particular experiences, experiences such as our first Christmas.

Due to certain situations, I knew this would not be an ideal Christmas, but in my mind I did picture us having a few more ornaments on our tree. I knew we would be busy, but I did think we would be able to get enough sleep to be rested during our traveling. I knew I was being exposed to a few more germs than usual due to working with hundreds of kids, but I was hopeful we'd stay healthy through the holidays.

But here we are with exactly two ornaments adorning our tree, slightly exhausted, and fighting off colds. An ideal first Christmas? Maybe not. But as I opened my eyes on Christmas morning, I rolled over and put my arm around my husband. And in that moment God reminded me of His goodness. He is good. I am blessed. And I'll choose to reflect on that for a while.

New Directions

(Yes, that is a Glee reference.)

I've always had a very wide variety of interests which has proved to be both a blessing and a challenge. I love learning about different topics and using a multitude of avenues to connect with others, but I've had a difficult time finding a career direction. In college I often compared it to when I was young and spun in circles with my arms out. (Please tell me I'm not the only one who did that! :-) I loved feeling the centripetal force and seeing my surroundings blur. I even liked the dizziness that came after I stopped. However, in the past few years I've felt like I've been stuck spinning when I'd rather be walking forward. I finally feel like God has brought me to stillness by putting His hands on my shoulders and pointing me in a new direction.

My temporary job as an administrative assistant began at the end of September and was slated to last three to four weeks. Two and a half months later, this position officially ended last Friday. The people I worked with were phenomenal, and I was blessed to have a temp job to fill my time of unemployment. But I can now happily say I am employed!

I applied for a youth development position through AmeriCorps a couple of months ago. I didn't hear anything for quite some time, so I thought that was another dead end. However, in a whirlwind that only God could orchestrate, I received a phone call at 5 p.m. on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving; I interviewed with the organization the day after and was offered the position at the end of the interview. My first day is tomorrow! I am still not exactly sure what I'll be doing on a day-to-day basis, but I'll get to work with the youth on academics, athletics, and overall relationship skills. It will be a challenging learning experience that I'm very excited about.

While I still have a long way to go in figuring out what God has in store for my life, I'm looking forward to taking a step in His direction.