From Country Dancin' to Hockey Games.

Having some goals and tangible activities in the forefront of my mind keep me grounded in the train of thought there is more to life than going to work and coming home and then doing it all again the next day.

Don't get me wrong, I think it is important to work hard and to bring your absolute best everyday to the job, even when exhaustion and frustration hits.  I believe my generation needs to know what it looks like to do whatever it takes in order to survive, myself included.

But it is also just as important to remember we are not robots.  We are not beings that were made to slave the day away.  Hence, country dancing and hockey games.

I had some amazing friends come visit from California and I wanted them to experience Texas.  And I mean truly experience Texas.  So, one Saturday night we decided to go country dancing.  In a the middle of nowhere Texas.  And boy did we dance.

And we loved it.

It was something that I have never done before and it really pushed me out of my comfort zone.  If you know me, I usually always turn down any sort of dancing.  One, because I don't know how and two, I feel silly doing it.  But I think we all need to push ourselves outside of our norm and just go for it.  It is exhilarating and embarrassing and fantastically fun.

There just isn't anything like getting together in a group of people where everyone is gathered for a common goal.  Dancing.  Twirling.  Laughing.  Yelling.  Cheering.

It is wonderful.

Going to a hockey game with my younger sister was really an experience all in itself.  It is fast paced and always unpredictable.  When a player scores, everyone just stands and cheers and you can't help but join.  You get excited when they do.  You get mad when they do.  It is what is exciting about hockey and any other sport really.

Camaraderie is made both on the field and off.  As I sat there for just a moment, even just for a few minutes, everyone was on the same team.  No one was there judging one another.  No one was there telling the other person they are not good enough for this reason or that.  No one is there for any other reason than to be one big team.

I wish life was more like that.  One big team.  But we sit and we compare ourselves with one another and the hierarchy system is then put into place.  And yet we are all striving for acceptance and community.  There is rarely a sense of true community.

I am thankful that I am purposely putting myself in places where I normally don't tread.  It is constantly teaching me new things and I am reminded there is too much beauty in the world being taken for granted.

I ask that you go out of your comfort zone and try new things.  Tread into those adventures you always dreamed of going into.

Who knows.  You just might surprise yourself.

My To-Do List.

Life after college is a strange one.  It pushes you into adulthood whether you are ready for it or not.  I have learned many things being in the real world and thought I'd share what's been on my mind recently. 

One of the things I have learned is time is precious.  Time flies.  Time moves.  Time pushes everything forward.  In a blink of an eye you are going to ask yourself where the last 5 years have gone.  What about the last 10?  I don't want to live a life where time is gone and I haven't taken advantage of the adventure that was right there in front of me. 

So, here I am publicly saying things that I want to do and improve on for this year.  You may be asking yourself why I am doing this.  Well here it is.  I want to share my adventures with you.  Yes you.  I want you to be a part of it.  So, here is my list.  Take it or leave it, but I am going to take life head on.  So what do you say?  Are you game?

I want to go country dancing.
I want to go on a spontaneous trip where no plans are made.  Just get in the car and go.
I want to learn how to burn wood and make art.
I want to spend an entire night outside looking at the stars in the middle of nowhere.
I want to go to the beach.
I want to spend an entire day at the river sitting in my hammock.
I want to get on a plane and visit friends I haven't seen in years.
I want to learn how to play the banjo.
I want to giggle more, laugh more, and laugh so hard I cry.
I want to go bow-fishing and deep sea fishing.
I want to be kissed at midnight on New Years Eve.
I want to write a song and sing it.
I want to go to a hockey game.
I want to spend an entire day without looking at my phone.
I want to learn how to make a pie.
I want to take more photos with and of people and places I love.
I want to stop comparing myself with those around me. 
I want to write more letters to people.  Simplicity will always be timeless.
I want to take a cake decorating class.
I want to pick an entire bouquet of flowers from a field of wild flowers and give it to someone.  Just because I can. 
I want to live with a spirit of wild abandon.
I want to have a moment where I have 20 seconds of insane courage.  Just 20 seconds of embarrassing bravery.
I want to make a difference for the Kingdom.
I want to love and care for those who are the nameless, faceless, and Fatherless.
I want to think more of others and less of myself.
I want to be a difference maker.
I want to see beauty in anything and everything.
I want to make compassion second nature and love my everyday attire.
I want to live a life full of adventures that leaves a legacy that is glorifying to my Savior.