365 days in the magic city

well, it's been a year (and an extra few days) since the parents and i moved all of my stuff across 4 states in 3 days from austin to birmingham. and in this past year i've definitely learned and experienced some things...i'm not going to share/reflect on them all but i've been reflecting on a few of them the past few weeks and thought i'd take some time to share.

*seeing the national champion tide's 1st and last football games in person...while one of those i didn't have to pay for the ticket, the $$ spent in pasadena to not only experience college football at the rose bowl but to witness #13 was absolutely priceless

*knowing that i'm only a car ride away from my family/friends in memphis & the friends whom i consider family in alabama makes tough days a whole lot easier...2 of my dearest friends have had babies in the past yr and i'm not sure how i would've handled being many more hrs away from them (though i guess i could just ask heather lacroix who was in nigeria for both of those)

*making new friends: around september, i told alana that i didn't want to have to start new friendships but in all honesty that comment came out of frustration rather than trust. every place i've moved, the Lord has graciously provided me w/ friends whom i can live life w/ and find encouragement and so on so why would He fail me now. while yes, it can be difficult to start over in the friend department, it has been comforting to see my Father provide sweet ladies who love the Lord show interest in my life and that they want to be my friend. plus, i've had the added bonus of living w/ one of my best friends from college which definitely made the transition to birmingham a whole lot easier...what a treat it was to struggle and live through some newness of the past year w/ a friend whom i already knew and felt comfortable sharing my junk with! i love alana!!

*learning to stick to a budget financially based on a salary i've never been used to or in all honesty didn't count on making with a masters degree. but the Lord is faithful and is my provider in all things even with some extra funds when i needed them and the conviction that He calls for us as believers to be financially responsible and to live with His Kingdom in mind. it's been a tough year having to realize and work through wanting to buy some clothes or go see a movie or go to panera on my lunch break and so on but i'm thankful for the lessons i've learned and what the Lord has taught me and how He's challenged me to truly take on the responsibilities He expects from me.

*working at banana republic which is probably where i've learned the most and what God's used to break me of a lot of pride and selfish issues along with showing me that a job is a job and at one point in the past few years i shared with Him that my main desire is to invest in others and have the opportunities to work in an environment where i can build relationships and invest in my co-workers which let's be honest is what He's so graciously provided me at banana. and who cares how many degrees i have, i needed to get those 2 degrees to learn a lot so they just fit in the process of it all. i do have social justice, ministry, inner-city work desires that i do believe that the Lord will provide me opportunities to live out but it all just comes with the process.

so, i've learned and experienced a lot in the past year to which i'm forever grateful. eagerly anticipating all that the next 365 days will provide!