Not cozy, but happy

It's 1 a.m.

That's like 7 or 8 p.m. to normal people. It means I got off work an hour ago, and within the next hour, I'll head to bed.

It means I might be watching TV, getting on Facebook, eating, cleaning, doing crunches, checking the bank statement or making pie. Yes, I've done them all during the last year and a half at this currently not absurd time.

And tonight, Wednesday night, is the second-to-last night I'll look at the clock flashing those numbers and not be startled as to why I'm not zzzing in dreamland.

What's on the task list tonight? Cleaning. Filling boxes. And gearing up for the future.


Transitioning
Right now I'm inhabiting a stripped apartment cluttered with boxes - cardboard milk boxes, white printer paper boxes, transparent plastic boxes, shoeboxes. Plastic shopping bags, suitcases, a duffel bag and plastic drawers. All stacked in random areas of the apartment, some half-open, some packed tight, some completely empty. They all have something in common though.

They hold my things. Not my life, but they're all a part of me. Small, but still a part.

Soon, in less than 48 hours, we're all headed north to fill a new role.

I'm not cozy right now, but I'm happy. I'm not excited to leave Amarillo, but I'm excited to enter small-town Nebraska. I don't like that pictures are absent from the walls; plates, silverware and food have been taken from my drawers and cupboards; my couch is sold and gone; and I have to endure deep-cleaning. But I know that what's coming is good...worth all of this once-again uprooting what has settled.

I don't want to leave the people I've met here; the friends I've made; the beautiful landscape; the convenience of the the city. But more than that, I want to make new friends; go back to old ones; be near my family; soak up the country; and especially fill a job position that allows me to reach out to the community.

Hope and joy
Amarillo's right in the middle of a rainstorm as I'm writing this. The sound of the wet splattering against the windows is not comforting. It's actually cold out, about 50 degrees, the wind is driving the cold through, and it's, of course, dark. Not comforting weather. If everything was in place, not being uprooted at this time, it would be cozy, to be indoors with a book and a coffee. But my life's about to be shipped north. I'm not cozy, but I'm still happy.

I used to dread growing pains. But after having gone through so many, as each and every one of us does, I'm learning to not to worry about not being comfortable at that very moment.

I'm definitely learning to give it all up to God. I know without a doubt He takes care of me in all circumstances, as He most certainly has up to this point. I can't see very far into the future, and it's scary not being able to see. But add some trust into the mix, and that gives us hope and joy.

Cleaning for now? Yes. Concentrated on the upcoming move? Yes. But dreading the transition? Absolutely not.

Live, move, be

Why do you want to climb Mount Everest, 
they asked him.

"Because it's there," 
answered George Mallory.

Mallory was a mountaineer who participated in one of the first British expeditions to climb Everest, the tallest mountain in the world, in the 1920s. His answer to why he wanted to take on this adventure was simple, true and solid.

And it's one of my favorite answers to anything related to travel and exploring this planet. 

My other favorite answer to the "why" question: because I can. Yeah! I'm healthy, young, fit and able, and I have an appreciation people and events that shouldn't go to waste. I can!

Just a-writin' what I know
Life's path is intriguing, with its twists and turns, unexpected bends and God's way of revealing things to you that have been there all along.

I'm a writer, and naturally I want to record events...and have fun with it. So this blog is a mixture of stories, experiences, photos, and random and inspiring thoughts from me. From people to places, food to art, moments of greatness to moments of joy, it all appears in this blog via photography and writing.

It's a more creative way to expand upon photos you'd normally see on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and other social media sites.

'Cuz this is what I do. I observe. I describe. I relate. I put thoughts on paper.

(And yes, just like all stereotypical writers, I drink coffee. Brewed by my own hand, thank you very much. Unless it's a social situation, I normally don't step foot in overpriced coffee shops. Really, how hard is it to brew a cup of you-are-now-awake? That's why they invented Folgers.)

My original dream was to write for a magazine - travel or fashion or food or fitness - I'd take any of those with no second thoughts. Unfortunately, that's what everyone in the writing biz seems to want to do. Then I caught the notion that I don't have to cross my fingers and wait all my life to get that job - if you love it, just do it.

So read it or not, this is my outlet and I'm a-practicin' my writin'. 

Soakin' it up, writin' it down and learnin' at every step
Like I said, I want to share things in an inspiring, creative and pure entertaining way. (But please, this is not entirely about me. Share your stuff and feel free to comment!)

Life is a journey, a constant one. I'm in my mid-20's, and I know I have a bunch to learn. And to be honest, I never want that to cease.

I'm not sure what the plan is for me in the next 60 years of my life. All I know is I want to explore it, experience adventures, soak up this life like a sponge - and also use it all to point to the Creator. I'll stumble, I'll fall, I'll sometimes drag my feet, heck I might leave big gaps of time between posts at times. You might find some parts trivial, like, why is she spending an hour writing about the weather? Or books? Or words? 

But I guarantee you, I'll make it interesting.

I'm leaving my trail of bread crumbs right here. And those crumbs will appear in the form of writin' and photographin'...

Acts 17:28 says, "For in him we live and move 
and have our being."

So I will live, move and be.