New City. New Blog. Still Loving Jesus.

Today is officially my second day in the beautiful city of Dallas, Texas and my first day of work at Vickery Place Animal Hospital. It's hard to believe that I'm actually here. I've been looking forward to moving here for so long and it's so weird to actually be here to stay. Since I moved away from the desert, I thought I would change my blog up a little bit. It's a new phase in my life and I wanted my blog to represent that.

For those of you who don't know, "Pressing On" is a song by Relient K and it's one that I've always loved. It's based on Philippians 3:12-14 and talks about not looking back, moving around adversity, and finding joy in Jesus. It's about keeping your head on straight so you can press on towards the beautiful goal that is Jesus Christ. Now, I don't think that the past can be severed from the present or the future. I believe in learning from your mistakes because they glorify God, and being confident in the knowledge that God takes you through the tough - and stupid - times in life to draw you back to Himself. However, I want to leave sin in my past and look to Jesus in everything I do. That is why I am pressing on. I'm also pressing on through the pain of leaving my family and many of my friends in New Mexico. I want to be here, but I'm having a hard time reconciling that with the fact that I don't get to go home at the end of the day and pick up my wonderfully crazy mom from her daily 10-mile run. I don't get to come home and have my dog Fudge wag his little nub of a tail with excitement. I don't get to see my beautiful sister and be super weird with her everyday. I don't get to play tennis with my dad or go visit him at Noodles. I don't get to see my brothers kick a** at their concerts. It's so hard to sit here and think about all of these things I left behind, knowing that I have a life here now and I have to press on through the tears and the pain of my own decision. Ok, so I know that is super depressing, but God is making me stronger through this. He is drawing me back to Him and I am relishing in the glory of that fact alone. I love that I want to get up in the morning and spend time in the Word! I love that I'm praying more and worrying less! I'm loving that I am stepping into a whole new phase of my relationship with Christ! I will miss every single person and thing that I left behind in NM every single day, but if this is what I need to be closer to Jesus, then I say bring it on! The goal is to keep my head on straight through this transition and in clinging to Jesus, I am doing just that.

In addition to Philippians 3:12-14, I am loving another verse in chapter 4. It says:

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." -Philippians 4:6

I love this verse because right now, there is a lot for me to be anxious about. I'm trying to budget my money so I can figure out what I can afford, looking for an apartment, getting ready to go to a new church, trying to make new friends, and on top of all of that - thanks to many of my Zeta sisters and some family members - I am now anxious about meeting a guy. Yup. This verse is so helpful when I get overwhelmed by all of these things. I am turning my anxious feelings into prayer for the first time in my life and I must say...it's pretty stinking awesome!

Oh and I'm going to do my best to finish the Greyhound stories after this post since it has been 6 months since the last story. It's crazy how time flies, but the stories are too funny not to tell!

Until next time...Go Mavs! :)

Hello, my friend

Oh my! As of today, I have neglected this thing for 4 months! I guess part of it is because I don't feel like I have anything noteworthy to write about and also, this is the first chance I've had to just relax for the past 4 months. This semester has been crazy, exhausting, quick, hard, busy, and full of ups and downs. As of Wednesday afternoon, all that was finished, and now, I officially have one semester of college left! I cannot believe it's almost here! This is something I've dreamed about for so long and now I'm actually making plans and getting stuff all figured out! I know that in the end, it'll be really bittersweet, but now, I'm just flat out excited!

The plan is to leave this beautiful place I call home and venture into something totally new - a city. I was born in Plano, moved to a small town in Maryland when I was 6, and moved to Albuquerque when I was 14. After 8 wonderful years in New Mexico, I'm packing up and moving to Dallas. Why? I'm not quite sure. It's a fresh start and it's familiar, but the unfamiliar part is that I'll be on my own. I'm excited to start planning everything over the next six months and pumped to see all that God has in store. He moved me to New Mexico for a reason and has taught me so much in my time here. It is strange to think that in just six months, I will leave the place where I truly grew up - physically, mentally, and spiritually. He has given me a fantastic group of believers as friends who are so passionate for the Word and some of them are already living in Dallas! I'm heading out there for spring break to visit and I cannot wait! I am thrilled to start this new chapter of my life with Jesus leading the way. He truly is my Rock and my Light and I cannot imagine life without Him. I am so thankful for all of the lessons He has taught me and all of blessings He has so graciously given me. His love and mercy and grace have pulled me out of the pit time and time again. He is so good.

I am currently praying for a roommate for when I go out there. I honestly have no problems living by myself in a studio apartment or loft somewhere just outside of the city, but I also know it would be easier financially and socially if I had a roommate. I am just about as social as they come, but it would be great to have someone to go out with. I would love to bring my current roommate with me, but unfortunately, she has one more semester of school left after I graduate. I am dreading leaving her because God placed her in my life at the perfect time and she has truly become one of my best friends. We know each other so well and I'm going to be so sad when I don't live with her anymore. Anyways, if you're reading this, I ask that you would start praying for a roommate for me for Dallas. I want to move at the end of May/beginning of June, so it would be great if I found one before then. I am also super pumped to attend the Village Church in Dallas and to start getting involved there. God is doing great things through the Acts 29 movement and it will be so neat to be able to experience it first hand.

Before any of that happens though, I still have one more semester. I have 3 classes left for my major and the rest are workout classes. I'm taking jazz 2, ballet 2, beginning weight training, and pilates. It's going to be great! But even before that, I have my Christmas break. On Saturday, I'll go to Tuscon with my parents, come back on Sunday, then stay in Las Cruces until Wednesday the 15th. On that day, I will leave for Charleston, South Carolina on a Greyhound bus. I know it's going to be quite an experience, so I'm definitely going to blog about it and post pictures! But get this-!- they have wi-fi on the bus and plugs! At least I can update this thing right from the bus! After 2 days on the bus, I'll arrive in Charleston for my friend Nicole's wedding! I'll get there on Friday morning, get ready, hang out all day, then do the rehearsal and the dinner that night. The wedding will be on Saturday and I am so privileged to be a part of this special occasion. I'll leave Charleston on Sunday night and get back to El Paso around noon on Tuesday. Then, I'll drive back to Las Cruces, pick up some things, and will FINALLY be on my way home to Albuquerque for the break! I'll spend the holidays with my wonderful family, and on New Year's Day, I get to celebrate my grandparent's 50th wedding anniversary! Then, after 2 more weeks, school starts again on January 13th. Bleh! I don't even want to think about that right now! I am, however, looking forward to this much needed break from school. I'm excited to talk theology with my mom and football with my dad, to shop with my sister, and to (hopefully) see my brothers and their band perform! It is going to be a jam-packed, but phenomenal, winter break.

Until next time, remember to eat a little something out of all of the food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corn, and syrup.