inspired by charlie from LOST (pathetic that i'm inspired by a fictional tv character) i'm listing the top ten best moments of my life so far. it might seem easy for some, but for me this was very difficult. i tried to list things as if i were about to die. not to be morbid, but to see what i'd come up with. because it seems to me that if i knew i were about to die, i would be less likely to think of superficial stuff and more likely to think of the real, truly life changing stuff.
meeting my maker finding i can know Him on a deep and very personal level. realizing just how gracious He really is, that He could sacrifice so much to love such a big headed and arrogant idiot. me.
finding new heights church my church has really become my family. here i realized i can be myself, He sees everything. all my faults, my screwups, even who i am at the very core, the stuff that i would be mortified anyone saw. and with all that, God still wants me. and better yet, He desires me on a level no one on this earth ever will. and i can't even begin to wrap my brain around it.
meeting nate kissing him for the first time and our wedding day. i am truly blessed to have met nate. he puts up with my blonde moments (i have many). he's patient as i learn how to be wrong sometimes. he extremely kind, detoted, loyal and as corny as it sounds, he is very wise. i've never known a person who thinks through things quite like him. he balances me out.
raising tony having the wonderful opportunity to raise my brother. tony has been a blessing in our lives. watching him grow and become an outstanding adolescent has been awesome. the transformation he's been through since he came to our home is amazing. yes, he's still annoying. but he's simply fulfilling his job description of a teen. it'll pass in due time. ;-)
lost i'll never forget when/where i was when i got the call that our best friends hadn't been heard from since they went out hiking on memorial day. that was one of the scariest experiences of my life. waiting for them to be rescued. feeling so helpless. thinking i would never see them again. horrible. i can't imagine what it was like for their family. and although they were rescued and I heard stories of what it was like, i can only imagine what it really must have been like for them. realizing those days could be their last...this was definitely one of the most memorable moments of my life.
girl-friends there is an incredible value in good friendships. i remember when i first began to realize how valuable it was to have a girl-friend i could talk to about anything. for some time i thought all i needed was my husband. and for the most part i do share just about everything with nate. but there are some things that i keep just between me and my best friend and times when i know, she is the only one that will get what i'm trying to say. it was also then i realized my husband couldn't possibly be expected to be, do and fill everything for me. he will never be able to fill the "girlfriend" hole and i shouldn't expect him to.
discovering camping, hiking & enjoying the outdoors. i'm so grateful to live in the northwest. God is so creative. i love it that i'm able to work in a creative field and create. it makes me feel close to my creator. spending time outdoors in the middle of His creation helps me refocus on the important stuff in life.
moving out i moved out (was kicked out) of my home at 18. in hindsight this was the best thing God ever orchestrated in my life. (well, who am i to know if it was the best thing ever) but looking back i know He was in it. leaving home allowed me to see my parents for what they really were. damaged and not perfect. it wasn't until i got out of the situation and years later that i began to see what was really going on in my home at that time.
philippines i went to the philippines on a missions trip when i was 15. i can't begin to describe how impactful this trip was for me. i wouldn't recommend the group i went with or the reason i went. however simply in going, it extremely expanded my world view. i feel especially fortunate to have it opened to me at such a young age. i'm definitely an advocate of travel out of your home country. i'm even more of an advocate that it happen when you're young.
Mt. St. Helens a pilot friend of ours flew nate and i for a ride over Mt. St. Helens. i'll never forget that view. i got a little air sick but it was certainly worth it!
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