Working with Axis has been so great so far, and I am not even on the road yet! I have my first presentation tomorrow morning at a local high school. This is Axis' first time speaking at a public school so that is sort of a big deal. I have been practicing all day with my awesome team director, Patrick and although I am nervous I think I will do ok. Helps that my boss has been really great and encouraging me all day. I think he knows I am nervous. I mean wouldn't you be if you had to stand up in front of about 200 kids at 8am to talk to them?!? Well I am feeding off of their energy and I will be practicing tonight a bunch.
Our team director is taking us out to dinner tonight as a team to celebrate our send off! We leave on sunday for....wait for it...CALIFORNIA! Wahooo! Now as an east coast girl I am pretty stoked to be hitting the west coast. I expect to try some in-n-out burger (which I have heard is amazing!) And take in the pacific ocean! I also get the privilege of speaking at two different high schools with my team in northern California.
I will be taking tons of pictures, of course, and possibly some videos because I love to do that. I am ready to hit the road and excited to experience California and build relationships to these students. As my team director told me today: we need to bring God with us because He will speak through us. I am excited to see what God uses us to do. Please pray for my team as we head out and please consider supporting me as I start with Axis :) the button is on the top right of this page. So feel free to click on it!
California here I come!!!
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
I love to eat lunch outside
The weather out here has been AH-MAZING the past week or so. Today it is 60 degrees and tomorrow it is supposed to get up to 66! I am loving it! We have been spending our lunch breaks outside in the sunshine....in January! This is still blowing my mind. I will give a story to have it make a bit more sense. Today I logged on Facebook and scrolled through my newsfeed to see so many of my friends complaining about the cold weather. Apparently, it is the coldest it has been in two years back east! (says a friend's status)
I looked up on my computer the temperature and back at school, in PA, it is 23 degrees and back home, in NJ, it is 18 degrees. I feel slightly bad for them since I am enjoying beautiful weather! But then again I look at the temperature and it says 23 degrees...that is not cold. It is cold but not that cold. The beginning of last week it was 1 degree when I came into work and before that it dipped into the negatives. So because of that reasoning I do not feel completely bad. Sorry east coast friends and family.
So, I am just going to enjoy the weather that I have now and it is time to take lunch. So outside I go!
p.s. Unfortunately this amazing weather makes me want it to be summer soon but alas...it is still January. No fair.
I looked up on my computer the temperature and back at school, in PA, it is 23 degrees and back home, in NJ, it is 18 degrees. I feel slightly bad for them since I am enjoying beautiful weather! But then again I look at the temperature and it says 23 degrees...that is not cold. It is cold but not that cold. The beginning of last week it was 1 degree when I came into work and before that it dipped into the negatives. So because of that reasoning I do not feel completely bad. Sorry east coast friends and family.So, I am just going to enjoy the weather that I have now and it is time to take lunch. So outside I go!
p.s. Unfortunately this amazing weather makes me want it to be summer soon but alas...it is still January. No fair.
Friday, January 18, 2013
Still that girl
I love music. There are some things that I cannot say that are said so much better through songs. I use music to 'escape' you could say. If I am mad, upset, and even really happy and excited I go to music. Music is really important in many of our lives. It really can affect us. There is music that pumps me up so I can go for a run and have motivation to do it. There is music that has no words, like movie soundtracks, that I like to listen to when I am reading my Bible, studying or just to relax. I have a playlist on my iPod of songs that I could listen to if I am really upset and need a cry or be able to get my feelings out. I also have songs that are happy and just cheerful roll-down-your-car-window-blast-your-music-beautiful-day kind of stuff.
If you have read some of my past posts you may know already, my favorite artist is Britt Nicole. The name of my blog is part of some of her lyrics as well. She has four albums (I have all of them) and they have gotten me through some of the best and worst times of my life. I can relate to many of her songs in some way. A song off her first album helped me through my first heart break. So I have a special spot for her music in my heart :)
Side note: (cause I like to do these) I met her one year at Revelation Generation and she was extremely sweet. She signed a cd for me and looked at me and said, "God has great things planned for your life." So, yeah, she is awesome.
Anyways...I am not here to promote Britt (she is just great). The other day I was driving back from work and I had a playlist going and one of her songs came on. It is called Still That Girl. The beginning few lines I love but it was the chorus that got me this time.
You were young, you were free
And you dared to believe
You could be the girl
Who could change the world
Then your life took a turn
And you fell, and it hurt
But you're still that girl
And you're gonna change this world...
You're still that girl
If you have read some of my past posts you may know already, my favorite artist is Britt Nicole. The name of my blog is part of some of her lyrics as well. She has four albums (I have all of them) and they have gotten me through some of the best and worst times of my life. I can relate to many of her songs in some way. A song off her first album helped me through my first heart break. So I have a special spot for her music in my heart :)
Side note: (cause I like to do these) I met her one year at Revelation Generation and she was extremely sweet. She signed a cd for me and looked at me and said, "God has great things planned for your life." So, yeah, she is awesome.
Anyways...I am not here to promote Britt (she is just great). The other day I was driving back from work and I had a playlist going and one of her songs came on. It is called Still That Girl. The beginning few lines I love but it was the chorus that got me this time.
You were young, you were free
And you dared to believe
You could be the girl
Who could change the world
Then your life took a turn
And you fell, and it hurt
But you're still that girl
And you're gonna change this world...
You're still that girl
The beginning talks about looking at pictures from years past and how the girl looked in the picture and realizing how much had changed from the picture to the present. She then sings that you are still that girl, and you're going to change this world. I came across a few pictures and old videos from a few years ago and it struck me how much has changed in just a few years. As you know, I have graduated college and moved across the country and working with an amazing group called Axis (you should support me!) But looking through those old pictures I see the memories. I see the smiles and laughter. I see the hugs and affections from friends. I also see me. And part of being able to see me is being able to know who I was, what I was feeling, and what was going on in my head when that memory was captured. I see a girl. I see me.
Looking back at those photos I realize I have changed. I mean who doesn't when they go through college?!? Hearing the lyrics of you're still that girl made me realize, yeah I am still the same person, things have shaped me and changed me. Things have hurt me and I have fallen but I have gotten back up and grown from that. But I am still that girl. I sometimes do not know how to put my thought to words and that is where music comes in but that is where I am. I am still that girl from those pictures long ago. My surroundings, friends, and hair may have changed but I am still that girl and with God's help I am going to change this world.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Puttin' my edumacation to use
This week has been pretty good so far...and it is only Tuesday morning! Well, I guess you can say I had a pretty good Monday. So yesterday I got a chance to meet with two of my professors from Focus Leadership Institute who taught the marriage and family class when I was there two years ago. We are working on a family presentation and we got a chance to meet with them and pick their brains for a bit. It was so great to see them again and a lot of what we talked about I remembered from class with them or classes from Eastern.
When we left my boss gave me a few reading assignments and told me to look up some things that they had mentioned in our meeting. What do ya know but I was put in charge of researching Piaget and Erickson's developmental stages! Ok maybe you have no idea what I am talking about and this is possibly where my nerdy side comes out. Jean Piaget and Erik Erickson were both psychologists. They developed these theories on the stages of development that many people follow today. As being a psychology major in college it made me really excited to put my degree to use.
As cheesy as it sounds, I called my mom at the end of the day all excited. She seemed excited too! That all the money put towards college I am putting to use. So that was pretty exciting. So I thank my professors for all their knowledge and for teaching me!
Note: I think I am going to do a video update soon. So that will be fun!
When we left my boss gave me a few reading assignments and told me to look up some things that they had mentioned in our meeting. What do ya know but I was put in charge of researching Piaget and Erickson's developmental stages! Ok maybe you have no idea what I am talking about and this is possibly where my nerdy side comes out. Jean Piaget and Erik Erickson were both psychologists. They developed these theories on the stages of development that many people follow today. As being a psychology major in college it made me really excited to put my degree to use.
As cheesy as it sounds, I called my mom at the end of the day all excited. She seemed excited too! That all the money put towards college I am putting to use. So that was pretty exciting. So I thank my professors for all their knowledge and for teaching me!
Note: I think I am going to do a video update soon. So that will be fun!
Thursday, January 10, 2013
new chapter...new haircut
New beginnings. So I have a new job with Axis. (which you should support me :D) It is a new year and I decided...why not just cut my hair off. [Ok as a disclaimer it was not in an act of anger or disapproving of how I look.]
But a day before New Years Eve my best friend and I went to the hair salon and I went short. Like really short. Think...pixie. Now this was a bit different for me. I have had long hair my entire life. I got a chance to donate the 12 in or so I cut off to an organization which was really great!
It's strange. Not to have long hair anymore and I am working on figuring out how to style it and work with it everyday. But it feel nice. There are moments I miss my long hair but I think its more of an appreciation of it. The reason I decided to make a post on this was because...well I thought it would be different and not many people know I cut it off. Last night at the host home I am staying at the wife asked if she could see a picture of me with long hair because she just sees me as short hair and it seems so natural. That was weird for me. I thought about it and Axis people only know me with my short hair. I have wanted to do this for a while and as soon as the ponytail was cut off it felt good. I know there are articles saying that 'short hair makes women feel more confident' and stuff like that. I do not think it comes with the short hair. I mean I did not feel this overwhelming sense of confidence when my hair was cut off. That idea is based solely around self-confidence. Which can be a good thing. I feel as women we are constantly trying to find our self-confidence and self-worth. Some people search their entire lives just looking for that one things they feel is missing.
In 1 Corinthians (The Message) it says:
"Forget about self-confidence; it’s useless. Cultivate God-confidence."
So many people look for confidence in themselves. But like that verse says, it's useless. We are humans; we fail and we fall. We fell in the beginning because we chose badly. I know I am very critical about myself and I am sure you are too. By finding confidence in God, we don't have to do that anymore. He loves us for who we are because He created us. We can fail a million, billion, or gazillion (which we will) times but no matter how much we fail...He will always love us. He will look at us just as we are and not see all the faults that we 'claim' to see in ourselves.
So I can cut off all my hair, change the way I dress, wear ridiculous high heels all the time. (which would be incredibly painful!) But He will still love me for me.
So maybe instead of just trying to find confidence in yourself, find it in God because I believe He is up there rooting for me to succeed even when I don't believe I can.
But a day before New Years Eve my best friend and I went to the hair salon and I went short. Like really short. Think...pixie. Now this was a bit different for me. I have had long hair my entire life. I got a chance to donate the 12 in or so I cut off to an organization which was really great!
It's strange. Not to have long hair anymore and I am working on figuring out how to style it and work with it everyday. But it feel nice. There are moments I miss my long hair but I think its more of an appreciation of it. The reason I decided to make a post on this was because...well I thought it would be different and not many people know I cut it off. Last night at the host home I am staying at the wife asked if she could see a picture of me with long hair because she just sees me as short hair and it seems so natural. That was weird for me. I thought about it and Axis people only know me with my short hair. I have wanted to do this for a while and as soon as the ponytail was cut off it felt good. I know there are articles saying that 'short hair makes women feel more confident' and stuff like that. I do not think it comes with the short hair. I mean I did not feel this overwhelming sense of confidence when my hair was cut off. That idea is based solely around self-confidence. Which can be a good thing. I feel as women we are constantly trying to find our self-confidence and self-worth. Some people search their entire lives just looking for that one things they feel is missing.
In 1 Corinthians (The Message) it says:
"Forget about self-confidence; it’s useless. Cultivate God-confidence."
So many people look for confidence in themselves. But like that verse says, it's useless. We are humans; we fail and we fall. We fell in the beginning because we chose badly. I know I am very critical about myself and I am sure you are too. By finding confidence in God, we don't have to do that anymore. He loves us for who we are because He created us. We can fail a million, billion, or gazillion (which we will) times but no matter how much we fail...He will always love us. He will look at us just as we are and not see all the faults that we 'claim' to see in ourselves.
So I can cut off all my hair, change the way I dress, wear ridiculous high heels all the time. (which would be incredibly painful!) But He will still love me for me.
So maybe instead of just trying to find confidence in yourself, find it in God because I believe He is up there rooting for me to succeed even when I don't believe I can.
Monday, January 7, 2013
my Axis adventure begins!!
Hey friends! I am sorry I have not been updating but I have not been able to get internet where I am staying, only when I am at work. So we have some down time and I am updating :)
Started training last week and it is kinda scary. So much material and three of the other team members were a part of Axis last semester so they already know all the material. So we are starting fresh. I am learning a TON which is so much fun. I have really missed learning since graduating college. The thesis of Axis is that the issue is NOT unanswered questions...the issue is unquestioned answers and that is our goal. To get students all over the country to ask themselves the hard questions to get those answers they never have gotten before. Going through the material is getting me to ask some pretty tough questions as well.
The Axis staff is so great! We have had a bunch of meals the past few days at different staff members houses and they have been amazing! Last night I learned, with another team member, how to make authentic corn tortillas and we had a mexican feast in celebration of Kings Day. Which is the Mexican holiday like our Christmas.
There are two teams that travel with Axis during a semester. One team is leaving bright and early tomorrow morning for Texas. My team leaves later in the month so we will be working on other presentations and preparations. I am excited to get on the road! Although I am not sure where I will be headed first I am excited to visit new places. :)
Please pray for the Axis staff as we start to head out. High schoolers are a tough crowd and I pray God can open their hearts and minds to some great conversations and thoughts.
More updates to come soon!!
Started training last week and it is kinda scary. So much material and three of the other team members were a part of Axis last semester so they already know all the material. So we are starting fresh. I am learning a TON which is so much fun. I have really missed learning since graduating college. The thesis of Axis is that the issue is NOT unanswered questions...the issue is unquestioned answers and that is our goal. To get students all over the country to ask themselves the hard questions to get those answers they never have gotten before. Going through the material is getting me to ask some pretty tough questions as well.
The Axis staff is so great! We have had a bunch of meals the past few days at different staff members houses and they have been amazing! Last night I learned, with another team member, how to make authentic corn tortillas and we had a mexican feast in celebration of Kings Day. Which is the Mexican holiday like our Christmas.
There are two teams that travel with Axis during a semester. One team is leaving bright and early tomorrow morning for Texas. My team leaves later in the month so we will be working on other presentations and preparations. I am excited to get on the road! Although I am not sure where I will be headed first I am excited to visit new places. :)
Please pray for the Axis staff as we start to head out. High schoolers are a tough crowd and I pray God can open their hearts and minds to some great conversations and thoughts.
More updates to come soon!!
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