Golden Hour

So proud of this dude and all he’s accomplished!

Sometimes you just need to take a break from life and rest easy in the peace that comes from a change of scenery and joyful moments with faraway friends while keeping your past connected to your future. Last year when I made the move down from Seattle to Austin one of my youth students (J.Money) accompanied me on the journey. On the road, he read me his college application letter—which included a sweet paragraph about how I was a primary positive influence in his life—and he asked if I would come to his graduation at the end of the school year. I thought it would be a great trip back to take and would be a fun way to celebrate such a special milestone moment in his life. So I told him I would be there and a couple of months later, I booked my flight back to Seattle for the summer of 2018.

In the past month, some family circumstances came up that could have potentially held me back from going on this trip, and I actually considered just canceling the trip altogether. However, thanks to the support and wisdom of my close friends, I decided to go ahead and make the trip happen! Shortly before leaving, I had some difficult conversations with people I loved and their response was not what I anticipated. The whole situation left me feeling weak and defeated. I felt so lost in the muddy mess, and as I boarded the flight to Seattle, I hoped and prayed that God would bring peace and light to my wounds and discouragement. I knew I needed some saturated free time around my Seattle family of friends and I clung to it during my stay.

Each day I got to spend time being refreshed and supported by at least 4 different friends, not to mention my amazing friend Allison, her husband and son, who opened their home for me to stay while in town. I also had opportunities to wander casually around the city I love so much and remember some of my favorite times. The cherry on top was watching J.Money graduate! He was just starting Middle School when he started attending my Youth Ministry in Seattle and as he grew in faith, he became one of our best Kid’s Ministry Small Group Leaders + live storytellers + kids worship leaders. It was an honor to help him navigate faith + life, especially helping him share his ‘coming out’ story to his family, and being able to walk through life side-by-side with him and his family each step of the way. I cannot wait to see all that God does in his life as he pursues faith and education to become a teacher!

My trip to Seattle was definitely needed and it brought new dreams, goals, and a reaffirmation that I am exactly where I need to be in my life and career. If you ever get a chance to get away from your daily routine and just surround yourself with people who breathe life and joy into you, do it—you won’t regret it! Also, if you ever get a chance to hop a flight to Seattle, you’ll be blown away by the beauty of the Pacific Northwest—the tall trees, the stillness of water everywhere, and a wonderland at every turn—you won’t regret that either!

Enjoy some snaps from my trip: 

Opinions Around Town

Let is never be said that Seattle is short on words . . .

Congratulations to J.Money! The principal at his school gave one of the best graduation speeches I’ve ever heard. I wish they had recorded it so I could share.

LOVED teaming up with my wing girl/best friend Heather to surprise my Bestie mom, Patti for brunch! // The only downside to the trip is that while closing the trunk of my friend’s SUV, I didn’t realize how heavy the door was and didn’t step back far enough. The result was the trunk coming down hard on my nose! Not sure if it’s broken, but it hurt so bad!