Two Weeks Vacation

Hi from Glasgow! I didn't think I'd be able to blog while I was away, so this is fun. My brother and I galavanted across Switzerland last week and are getting to know Glasgow this week. We've been to Edinburgh and caught the tail-end of the Fringe Festival, and today we have some biking adventures planned.

The two of us have learned a lot, even about communication. When we were in Switzerland, he was just about the only human being I could talk to or have any sort of meaningful conversation with. A week of this and you almost feel like Castaway. No, that's dramatic. But really, you learn to hold your tongue a lot and go with the flow a lot and choose to remember the adventure instead of the hassle.

Of the European countries I've spent any time in, I'd say that Italy (six years ago) is inspiring, Switzerland is breathtaking, and Scotland is great fun. The Scots are a dadgum fun people. I confess you'll be hearing much more about Scotland than about Switzerland. I had a difficult time connecting to the culture in Switzerland, and you can only write so much about beautiful mountains. The minute we arrived in Scotland though, we felt like part of it all.

Much more will be coming, so stay tuned. I'll tell you a story or two.

The Way You See It

When life fills with change, I notice the way I see things. We all have our everyday routines and may not think much about how we look at life because it's so... ordinary. But perspective can make a gloomy day cozy or it can transform a friend's thoughtful gesture into an annoyance.

This has been on my mind since Sunday, when I sat next to a blind woman in church. My church likes their music loud, and they usually stick to contemporary songs. But these old lyrics were sung so we could hear the voices next to us: "Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of Earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace." When I heard her voice for the first time, she sang about looking at Jesus. I know what it's like to look someone full in the face while everything else fades away, but my idea of the face of Jesus is clouded with thousands of other images of faces. It's possible that the only face she knows intimately is Jesus' face. Perhaps people who can't see the world around them can most certainly see, but they see different things and in different ways. It's possible that they see more of what really matters.

I sit at a desk from 8:00 in the morning to 5:00 at night, every day. With two days left at my current desk, the way I think about my work is opposite of how I'll be thinking about it at my new desk. Here, all is coming to a close. There, all is just beginning.

I'm about to travel to new places and see people go about life in ways I've never seen, and I'm sure it will change my routine back here in Colorado.

Everyone needs a perk-up now and then -- a little jolt in the ol' daily grind. Sometimes we can't keep it from happening, and sometimes we have to nudge it along. I'm ready to freshen up a bit and take notice of how I see things.

What's New...

Ever had a good friend grow distant, and when you see each other it's awkward because in the same moment you know them so well, but don't know them at all?  Blog, let's make up and be friends again. This is awkward, and I've missed you.

We'll do a life update today, only because I've been on excitement overload for the last month and there's a lot to share. One week from today is my last day in the office. The non-profit world has taught me well. I've learned about people, the importance of strategy, problem solving and seen what goes on behind the scenes. I've also learned that when it comes to non-profits and me, I'm much better on the outside looking in than on the inside looking out. So off I go to a new workplace to learn an entirely new set of information. I'll be working at a small financial planning firm in downtown Colorado Springs (why, yes, the offices do face the mountains!) and studying financial terms and concepts. A whole new world, but one worth learning.

So I step out of my office for the last time and step onto a plane bound for Geneva just a few short days later. Jonny is studying in Scotland this fall, and we're going to explore some of Europe for two weeks before classes begin. You will most definitely hear about it. I'm hoping to take some video footage and perhaps my first vlog will come out of it. We'll have to see.

I return from Europe to start my new job and then board another plane with another man headed for another place I've never been. Boyfriend Matt is taking me to visit his Minnesota hometown. I thought I had an adventurous life, and then I dated Matt. My heart has nearly burst a dozen times from all the adventure we've had.

Needless to say, life is rich and full at present, and I'm reveling in the new. God is kind, and I'm as convinced as ever that He hears even our smallest, most insignificant prayers.