Transition

I've become convinced that in the blog world time moves at a much faster rate than in the real world. It feels almost unnecessary to comment on the fact that it is somehow late May and once again the space between my last post and this one is far greater than I would have hoped, so maybe this is just my new normal. Yeah, we're gonna go with that- a new normal.

So, transition. What a crazy concept. Change, movement, different, forward. These are things that can be welcomed or very much resisted. When the transition is good, we often look forward to it with much anticipation. When it's not so good, we tend to dig in our heels and want to stay put. But no matter what, transition is hard. It takes work and is usually outside of our comfort zone. 

I'm undergoing quite a bit of transition right now. With living in a different city (living in a city, for that matter), experiencing apartment life for the first time, being done with full time ministry and moving on to 9-5 kind of work, being engaged and living in close proximity (finally!) to loverboy, and having a new sphere of people to interact with, life looks a whole lot different today than it did a couple weeks ago. 

But this transition I'm going through is thankfully the kind that I'm willing to greet with arms open wide. It's softened by loving family, friends, roommates, and a certain man who all make life a little more normal feeling amidst all the change. Plus, the whole time I have my ever-constant, never-changing, forever-faithful God by my side. He has carried me through transitions before (ones much more difficult than this one) and I have no doubt He will do it again. He remains solid when everything around me is moving, He stays the same when everything else changes. 

So even if this transition was the kind where I wanted to run away and hide under the covers, He would still be there, ever present, by my side. My job is just to trust. To choose to believe that God is constant and good even amidst transition. To trust that His grace is sufficient, that He is sufficient.

Transition pushes me to trust God more, to rely on His sufficiency. And that's always a good thing. Here's to transition!

Weekend Wrap-Up [Sorta]: Kindness Leads to Repentance

Oh my lanta, guys! Remember when I said I was going to get better at posting more often like FOREVER AGO!? I can't believe that we're already into mid April... 2014 is whizzing by! A lot has happened in the last month. So instead of doing my usual "Weekend Wrap-Up" I'm gonna call this one a "Lastcouplemonths Wrap-Up."

I celebrated my 24th year of life [can I get a "woop woop" for the mid-twenties!?].
I spent a week in sunny [and slightly rainy] Florida.
I got engaged [to "loverboy" as my mother has so affectionately called him since practically day one].
I got my first big girl graphic designer job.

Possibly our very first selfie? This was taken the day after our engagement and I think it accurately portrays our excitement. Please do not attempt selfies and driving at home. Stay safe kids.

It's been a pretty crazy season with lots of big and exciting things happening. God's been like "oh, here ya go!" and I've been like "Whaaaat?!" so it's been fun. :)

During my time with a lovely college lady this week I was shown Romans 2:4... "Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?" 

I feel like this verse totally blows the whole "prosperity gospel" idea out of the water. Maybe the whole reason God is being kind to you isn't because you're following Him and being a "good christian," maybe it's because He is a kind and loving and good God and wants to draw you back to Himself. 

The best way I can think of it is when you've been a big jerk to someone and they return it with a loving act or word. You don't think to yourself "wow, way to go me! I must have done something to really deserve that nice response!" but rather you think "oh man, I totally messed up! I was such a jerk to them but they were kind back to me!" and that often leads to repentance. To admitting that you were wrong and hopefully restoring right relationship with that person.

So as I'm enjoying this season of seeming blessings, I don't need to feel good about myself or anything that I have done to "earn" them. Maybe God has given them to me to draw me to Him. To show me how good and kind He is. To show me how utterly undeserving I am as a human being who sins, and how merciful and gracious He is to bless me nonetheless. To remind me of the gospel... that God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Thrifting 101: Five Tips

I would say that about 90% of my closet is thrifted. Clothes, accessories, and all. I've been told that I have a knack for finding good deals and awesome finds, and people are always asking me how I do it. Well, I'm here to tell all you fine people that it's not much of a science, BUT lucky for you there are some simple tips you can follow to make your thrifting more successful!

Go on sale days.
My favorite place to thrift is Savers. It's not so classy that it's as expensive as shopping new but it also has a ton of gems. One of my favorite things about Savers is their sales! Every Monday the whole store is 25% off and on holidays that fall on Mondays (Labor Day, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, etc) their clothes, accessories, bed and bath, etc. are 50% off! If I can, I try and hit up their 50% sale days and get there right when they open since it can get super busy. Also, if you get there in the afternoon everything can be pretty picked over.

Have a plan.
Just like how most things in life go more smooth if you have a plan, it's always a good idea to have some kind of strategy in mind when you head out to go thrifting. What will you be looking for? If you have a short time what is the most important thing to look at? You can waste so much time just aimlessly wandering the aisles of thrift stores if you don't know what you are there for. [Which is fine, by the way, but only if you have the time for it!]

Try on a lot.
If you're going to succeed at thrifting, you're just going to have to accept the fact that you will need to try on A LOT of clothes. I pretty much go with quantity for the first round of trying things on, and if something looks even slightly interesting, I'll put it in my cart to try on. This is how you find those items that you might not have bought at an actual retail store. Plus, since everything is different brands they will fit differently so I usually look in sections that might be a little smaller or bigger than I normally wear. You never know what you might find since the sizing is done in the store and might be a little bit off.

Have a pattern.
Pretty much every time I go to Savers I always check out a few key areas. For me that's books, home goods, shoes, purses, and most recently, skirts. Oftentimes I won't even go through any of the shirts, pants, or other clothes if I'm just stopping in for a short trip. I just look at the things I'm most interested in and know I can find the best buys in.

Try out different things. 
I see thrifting as a way to try out different things that I might not choose otherwise. Go ahead! Try on that 70s style dress! Spot a leather fanny pack? Try it on! Some of my coolest finds were things that I wouldn't ever think I'd wear, but once I tried it, I liked it. Plus, it's all about confidence! Chances are, if you think you can rock it, then you can!

Bonus tip!
Sometimes thrift stores will give you a discount if you bring in donations! Check out if your local thrift shop offers this promotion... if so, it's a win-win! Spring cleaning to make room for more AND a sweeter deal! Happy thrifting!

Catch-Up

Wow! It has been absolutely FOREVER since I've posted on the blog. I guess life just got really busy and blogging took a back burner. But I'm back! I've got a couple posts up my sleeve and am excited to share life with you guys again. But for now I thought we could just play a little catch-up on how my "14 in 14" is going- the 14 little hopes and dreams [maybe even sorta goals] I have for myself in 2014. So thus far I have completed or made significant progress on five out of the 14!

#1. Run a 5k
I signed up for The Color Run in EC on April 27th! This run is known as the happiest 5k on the planet so I figured it would be the perfect one to start with! [I've also heard that there is a lot of walking due to the nature of getting colored chalk thrown at you... so let's just say it's a very good one to start with.] :)

#2. Learn a new song on the guitar
One of the lovely ladies I live with recently showed me how to pick "Counting Stars" on the guitar. I might not be a pro yet, but the fact that I know how to pick anything definitely warrants bonus points. 

#3. Live on a budget
It's happening! Since the beginning of the year I have been keeping a budget and it's actually pretty neat. Of course, I'm only in my second month of it, but it seems to be working well and actually giving me more freedom with my moolah.

#8. Make [at least one] art journal, mini-album, or scrapbook
A couple weeks ago I purchased a Project Life core kit along with some Sn@p products and started a 2013/2014 super easy scrapbook. I'm excited to continue working on it throughout the year... now I just need to remember to take and print photos!

#9. Wear my hair in a style I've never done before
Funny story. A few weeks back we had a Navigators conference in my hometown. This is literally the only place I will get my hair cut because the lady there just knows my hair so well and I haven't had an awkward cut since I started going to her years ago [prior to her I had a pretty long string of unfortunate haircuts]. So of course I made an appointment since I'd be in town and after she got done cutting my hair she asked if she could braid it and I told her that she could do whatever she wanted. So she did! And I ended up going to this conference looking like I was headed to prom- poufs, braids, twirly bun, the whole nine yards. It was pretty excellent. 

14 in 14

Happy New Year! What better way to ring in a new year than by creating some new goals?? [Well... besides celebrating with family and loved ones, of course.] Here are 14 goals I have for the year of 2014... if they happen-- they happen, if not-- nobody's the wiser (besides all of you lovely people). So maybe these are more hopes and dreams rather than goals. I'm hoping for 2014 to be a bit more healthy, a tad more responsible, and a lot more creative! 

1. Run a 5k
2. Learn a new song on the guitar
3. Live on a budget
4. Try a recipe outside of my comfort zone
5. Repurpose something
6. Get a job (after EDGE Corps ends in May)
7. Finish reading the Divergent Series (and see the movie of course.)
8. Make [at least one] art journal, mini-album, or scrapbook
9. Wear my hair in a style I've never done before
10. Actually print and use something from my Printables board on Pinterest
11. Purge my closet
12. Memorize The Navigators' Topical Memory System (60 Bible verses)
13. Knit something- scarf, blanket, headband...
14. Keep up with the blog! 

What are your goals, your hopes and dreams for 2014?

Guest Post: Ministry in Nursing

Editor's Note:
I met Becki through the Navigators in college (how else would I have any friends?!). She is a joy and cares deeply for others. Becki is a registered nurse in Eau Claire and is currently working in oncology. She loves drinking coffee, playing Scrabble, and dancing. She hopes to be able to travel the world, meet interesting people, and become a wife and mother someday. Becki can do almost any impression of Kristen Wiig and she has seen every episode of The Office multiple times. Whether for a laugh or a good cry, she's your girl! -HB

Ministry in Nursing

When Heather asked me to be a guest blogger, she told me to write about something I’m passionate about. My first thought was, “Would anyone really read a whole blog post about how much I love coffee?” 
[I’m sure there would be a few interested readers.] 

But the thing I am really passionate about is my ministry in nursing. I say ministry in nursing because I decided a while back that I never want to view nursing as just a job that pays the bills, or as a career that runs my life, but as a ministry that God has chosen, prepared, and designed me for. While many of my fellow RNs would say that they chose nursing (for the patients, for the intellectual challenge, for the job security…), I would say that God chose nursing for me. 

I am thankful that in months of applying for nursing jobs and waiting, God corrected my mistaken identity. You see, for a while I thought my identity was in being a nurse. I felt like if I didn’t do what I had gone to school to do, I wasn’t living out my calling. But then I realized, I would only ever live out my calling if I understood my identity as a beloved daughter of Christ. 

We can choose to live in God-centered identities that pursue His mission or we can choose to live in self-centered identities that wear a “Jesus is my homeboy” t-shirt. 

I have been an oncology {cancer} nurse for about two months. Being a novice at anything is unsettling, but especially so when it revolves around other people’s lives. When I tell people I work with cancer patients, most people’s first response is:

“Oh, that must be so sad! Isn’t it difficult?”[To this question, I have no easy answer.

If I’m being flat out honest – yes. It is extremely difficult. But it is also extremely rewarding. One day I might be holding a patient’s hand while they cry and the next I might be singing Christmas carols with a patient who loves to sing. One day I might see someone on the edge of death and the next day I will send a patient home ready for another day of life.  

It is a rollercoaster of emotions and a mess of mercies. 

In the short amount of time I have worked as an oncology nurse, I have learned so much from my patients. One man gave me this simple advice on his 87th birthday: “Be honest. Work hard.”As a dying woman wrote her own obituary, she told me the best thing she ever did was ‘marry a good friend’. 

Each patient teaches me the value of life. Every person deserves dignity in life and in death. [After all, Christ died an undignified death so we might have LIFE!]

They are teaching me to live a life that is worthy of the calling I have received (Ephesians 4:1). A life that brings hope, peace, and unconditional love. A difficult but eternally rewarding life. 

So while I know it is difficult, I would challenge you to live this kind of life. Remember who(se) you are. Allow God to show you why you’re here. And as my good friend Heather puts it,
Live Loved. 
Becki

Woah.

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