girl friends

Our days were a little different this week. We had two 9-5ers earlier this week with our staff team to plan for our semesters. Then we were back on campus! It was sweet to catch up with girls, but A headed out of town for a men's retreat for the last half of the week. Which totally made me not look forward to Wed-Fri, BUT two of the amazing women I get to hang out with came and slept over! What a fun part of college ministry! I told them hubs would be gone and they got excited about making cookies, watching Grey's and hanging out Thursday. It was so sweet.

Meanwhile, all week my homeland is getting a taste of my life up here in the tundra. 6 inches of snow in Atlanta!?! That's like the Blizzard of '93. That serious. My sister who lives next to Piedmont park sent me a few along with my in-laws in Snellville. It was shocking!

After being in meetings all day, I got a curious text from a girl that I've been friends with since elementary school: Jac. The Southern snow had caused her to be diverted to the Minneapolis airport for an hour. I wanted to badly to run out of my meeting and say hi! Oh well, another time.

Then I got a text an hour later from another friend Ali. We've bonded since 3rd grade and we loved living through middle and high school together. We parted ways for college and since I am TERRIBLE at keeping in touch and actually picking up the phone, we hadn't talked in several months. Anyway, she's a lawyer now and weirdly has a client in Minnetonka. Woah! Crazy world! She and a colleague made it through the snow and after settling into their place I got to pick up Ali and drive around getting lost grab dinner with her. We haven't seen each other since we graduated college. Now- nearly 3 years ago! It was such a blast to catch up with her and a sweet surprise.

Here's Ali and I from our senior year in college when I took a road trip to visit her in Nashville. Yes, we drank energy drinks in her dorm before going dancing. Ha, that seems so far from my life right now!

It got me thinking about how much my life has changed since graduating college. Here are some things God has done in me and to me post-Athens, GA.

1) Gave up my dreams of overtaking the political PR world to see God work in the hearts of college women. Now I see it as such a blessing and I'm so grateful, but then, it felt like ripping away my dreams for something so humbling in the eyes of the world. But ya know, when you worship something that's not actually God, it's going to hurt, but always be better to have more of God than something flimsy and fake.

2) My heart grew to see God move all over the world! I headed to Johannesburg, South Africa for a few months and it changed me. I love praying for people to know God everywhere.

3) Moved to Atlanta. So fun. It was quintessential 20s living. Townhouse, Atlantic Station, friends everywhere, family near, independence, first job, discovering new favorite places, Piedmont Park. LOVED it!

4) Met a man who's more than I ever thought possible. I mean, dang! He's cute, former football player, dark with blue eyes, fun, funny- hilarious actually, smart, wise, practical, adventurous, strong, natural leader, planned, spontaneous, determined, ambitious, and a very, very godly man. What more could I have ever even dreamed? Then it got better: We got married!

5) Moved to (gasp!) Minneapolis, Minnesota! Wow! ...isn't it cold?...and far?...and don't they have funny accents? Ha, yes, yes, and yes. But it's home for now! Definitely hard at first. Another "trusting God that He's good and in control thing," but I love being married and this is our home!

6) Marriage brought out my domestic side. Now I love to cook, decorate, and I'm even daring into sewing and thrifting. But it's so much more fun when it's not for me, but for us!

Here's the real crux of my last 3 years: trusting God is always better. Really, like I said in #1, it always seems scary, but God is trustworthy. We won't experience it unless we take a step of faith and see. And He never lets us down. He doesn't withhold anything that's good for us (Ps 84:11). It's just that I forget how BIG and good He is and I begin to think I know more. But really, I don't have to worry because He's got it for me.