Take a Hike!

Over a year ago, I was given a backpack and I've been dying to use it ever since! Well, this Memorial Day weekend I was finally able to put it to use!  I packed my pack to go on a quick overnight camping and hiking trip with my dad!

Ready to head off into the woods!

On Sunday afternoon, I met my Dad in Clemson and together we drove up to the Walhalla Fish Hatchery in Mountain Rest, SC.  From there, we took the East Fork (or Fish Hatchery) Trail to the Chattooga River.  It's a fairly easy 2.5 mile route with lots of beautiful sights, including the Fish Hatchery Falls! After we got to the Chattooga, we took a few minutes to watch the trout jumping in the rapids, and then we set up camp for the night! The entire walk in Dad gave me a speech about how the SC bear population is the largest its ever been, so needless to say we "bear-trapped" our food for the evening once we were done. But oh my- our dinner! We had chicken marinaded in sesame ginger sauce with carrots and broccoli over brown rice!  We wrapped everything in tin foil and cooked it over the open fire! It was so delicious!  We ended our evening sitting by the fire, listening to the river and enjoying the glow of the full moon!

Sleep wasn't exactly our friend that night. My yoga mat did nothing against the ground and I have a mummy sleeping bag. Mummy bags are great for the cold (which it definitely was), but are terrible options for people toss and turn and like to curl up in their sleeps (me).  And poor dad- he forgot his sleeping bag! Needless to say, neither one of us got much sleep that night. 

Ellicott's Rock

We started Monday morning off with grits over the campfire and then an early morning hike up to Ellicott's Rock. Ellicott's Rock is a giant rock placed in the middle of the river that was used by a surveyor to mark the boundary between Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. It was about a 3.4 mile round trip.  We did this hike without packs and it felt wonderful! Both of us were not looking forward to putting our packs back on to hike out later on in the day!

After the early morning hike, we came back and broke camp and then headed back out to the East Fork Trail. Once we got back to the car and dropped off our packs (and stretched our backs out), we headed over to the Fish Hatchery to take a look around! I had never been before, although Dad had so he had a good time explaining to me about the different types of trouts and how the hatchery worked. 

This was a great introduction to backpacking! I loved spending time with my dad, hiking through such a gorgeous place, and learning about the different plant life (Dad used to be a Forester- every trip into the woods is an education)! Even though it was a quick trip- over 8 miles in less than 21 hours- it was still a blast! I can't wait to do this again!

 The Fish Hatchery Falls (kinda hard to see)

 The Chattooga (and our view from our campsite)

the campsite

Dad showing off how to use a headlamp

 Our "Bear-Trapped" Food

Cooking Dinner over the fire

The result- yum!

The Two Trails we hiked!

Side Note- Mad props to Burt's Bees Herbal Insect Repellent. That stuff worked wonderfully and didn't smell terrible!

I Work Hard for the Money

      As of last week, I am officially a working girl. Last week was my first week at my new job and it was great!  I loved trying to figure out all the new words and programs I'll be using and getting to know my new coworkers better!

      Monday felt like a long day because it was mostly paperwork and reading document after document trying to familiarize myself with words and phrases that I would be using/needing for my job.  I was supposed to do some online training but the system was down so that got pushed back a few days. Overall, it was still a good day as I got a feel for the office and my new computer!

     Tuesday picked up a lot more! I shadowed one of my coworkers and dove right into the work! I'm very much a hands-on learner so this was awesome for me! Before I knew it, it was 2 o'clock and we figured we should probably stop for lunch then!

    Wednesday and Thursday were just like Tuesday- busy! I enjoy this new job because the day really does fly by and I am constantly doing work!  It's also great because when I need to buckle down and do a task, I can plug in my headphones, turn on itunes, and get down to business!  Thursday evening I finished all of my training and received my administrator credentials/access for one of the programs we use for work! Yay!

     Before I knew it, it was Friday evening and my first week of work was done! I had an awesome week and my coworkers thought so too! They gave me a checklist of things to get done for the week and I got it all done and more! This week they're going to give me a bit more responsibility and let me "dip my toes in the water" with being responsible for one our classes! As I go along, I'll get more and more classes until I'm completely responsible for all of our North America classes! Whoo!

     The one downfall to this new job is that my office could be used as a training facility for people going to Antartica! It's soo cold! I keep saying I'm going to bring a blanket. I'm pretty sure they think I'm kidding, but you just wait- I don't like to be cold! But, as long as I can drink Diet Dr. Pepper and listen to music while I work, I think I can suck it up and deal with it!

     All joking aside, I love my new job! I'm really excited for what's in store for me and what the future holds. I'm so thankful to all the people that prayed I would find a job and that it would be good for me. God has blessed me immensely this year and I am so excited to use this new job for His glory!

Signed, Sealed, Delivered... I'm Hired!

My year started off with a bang, just not quite the one I wanted. I found out in early January that I did not get into the Second-Degree Nursing Program at Clemson. After an hour, I was completely ok with that. I knew God had a plan for me and realized I had to quit trying to pursue my own.  

I've been chasing after a career path in the medical field for quite some time now. It seemed every time I tried to go further in the field it didn't work out for me. Looking back I completely realize that it was all a part of God's plan.  Each of those steps is not the path I would have chosen for myself. Throughout this entire journey, I had to rely on God because each decision I made for myself was wrong. Through Him I came to be where I am today.

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." Psalm 119:105

Since my senior year of college, I've had to truly turn to God for direction in my life. If I had gotten into grad school, I wouldn't have moved to Greenville. If I hadn't moved to Greenville, I wouldn't have gotten my job with Hope Reach. If I hadn't had my job there, I wouldn't have met the Martin Family.  If I wouldn't have met the Martin Family, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to try and pursue further education. And, if it wasn't for the Martin Family, I wouldn't be able to say,            

"I have a job!"

I am so incredibly thankful for the Martin Family. They have done so much for me in the almost two years that I have known them. They invited me in to big moments in their family's lives and helped share in mine as well. As I was leaving their house on the Friday that I received my rejection letter from Clemson, Mrs. Stephanie said, " Don't worry about. If you don't get in, we'll help you find a job. If God closes this door, He will open another one." Little did she know how prophetic her words were. 

Less than a month later, Mrs. Stephanie came to me with a job opportunity at the place where she works. Over the next few days, she told me more and more details about the job. All I could think was "this sounds perfect- and it's really different from the medical field so it would be awesome to explore that avenue!" 

I went home the weekend of February 8th to do my taxes and talk to my parents about this opportunity. Initially, I was told it would be contract position, which would mean I would have no benefits and have to pay my own taxes quarterly (yuck).  After looking at a possible salary and calculating having to pay my own taxes, and buy all the extra insurance, I was still able to budget enough to live on, contribute to savings, and pay off my school loans!  I was pumped! As soon as I came back from that weekend, I set up a meeting with the boss of the company.

On Friday, February 22, I had a Skype interview with the boss (it's a good thing it was a skype interview- I was sweating bullets!).  After discussing my skill set and why I thought I would be a good candidate for this position, we actually started talking about the job. And this is where the good news begins- it was actually a 

FULL- TIME STAFF POSITION WITH SOME BENEFITS 

and the salary was a bit more than I thought it would be as well! The phone interview went extremely well, so we then arranged an in-person interview so I could meet the rest of the office and make sure I got along well with them.

After much traveling and sickness, we finally arranged to meet in-person on Monday, March 25. That was an awesome experience. I got to check out the office (where employees work on Macs- score!) and meet the rest of the staff who were amazing. 

The next day, I arranged another phone interview with the CEO who lives in NY. We talked for quite a while and it went fairly well! After that, I was just waiting to hear back about the job. On Thursday, March 28, I got an email saying "Welcome!" I just had to send them a few things before the official contracts came out. 

I received the official offer of employment on Wednesday, April 3. After looking over it for a few days and talking to the boss on the phone to clarify some things, 

I officially accepted the offer of employment 

on Monday, April 8, 2013 at 4:08 PM! 

On Monday, May 6, 2013, I will officially start working at PPS International as a Project Coordinator for a Major International Company! What will I be doing, you ask? Well, lets just say if I described my job to you, I would feel a lot like Chandler from Friends because nobody will ever remember what I do! The best way to describe it is that I'll be doing logistics (think the UPS commercials) for the North America Branch of a major company! 

This past Sunday, I heard a sermon on bold prayer. One of the points was from Luke 7: 23,

 "And blessed is the one who is not offended by me." 

The preacher then paraphrased that verse by saying "blessed is he who doesn't run away when he doesn't get exactly what he wants- God says no to good, to give us awesome."  I never got what I thought I wanted, yet God continued to bless me- with amazing people and opportunities I didn't deserve but by His grace received. There were good opportunities He gave me along the way, but they were all in His plan to get me to awesome!

Oh, and the best part of my new job- they keep Diet Dr. Pepper stocked in the fridge :)

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11 

I, I, I Work[ed] Out!

(in a sing-song voice)  I'm baacck!

Considering my last post was in late January and it is now one week into April, one could say I've been on a blogging hiatus. While that's true, yes, I've also just been really busy!

As mentioned before (see "The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Marathon) I hurt my back last October while running my first marathon.

I had a 4-mile race shortly after and did no more running until the day after Christmas- I just had to check out my new Garmin GPS Running Watch! Both experiences were not very good so I decided that the best thing for my back was to take a break from running. From past jobs at a physical therapy clinic, I knew back injuries were serious and I didn't want to do anything that could permanently stop me from running.

My plan was to take a full month off from running. Well, I did. And then I took some more.

My back was still bothering me and time just really wasn't my friend for the next few months so I continued to take time off from not only running, but all exercise as well.

In late February, I went to see a chiropractor and felt much better! I wasn't too sure about seeing one at first, but once I did, I realized why everyone goes to one! It was a wonderful experience!

I started doing some sporadic exercising in March- a 1-mile run here, yoga there, but nothing consistent like I needed to be doing.

That all changed this week.

I worked out 5 out of 7 days this week!  Before the marathon, I was working out 6 of 7 days, so I'm still not back to where I was, but it's definitely a start!   Either way, this is a big accomplishment for me!

I'm coming back, baby!

Who needs Resolutions?

Since this isn't about New Year's Resolutions, it is completely fine that it is coming at the end of January!

Instead of resolutions, I thought a really fun thing to do for the New Year would be to make a New Year's Bucket List because everyone wants to get those lists accomplished!

So I, along with a group of friends from church, have come up with our 2013 Bucket List! Some of it is stuff we've done before, some we haven't done in a long time, and some we've never done before! So, bucket list may not be the best name, but it is shorter to say than "that stuff we really want to do, or do again list!"

1. Play Paintball. 
2. Go to the Shooting Range
3. Shoot Clay Pigeons ( this kinda goes hand in hand with #2)
4. Go Camping
5. Go (Real) Hiking ( also can be done with #4)
6. Do the 47-Mile Hope Relay
7. Hit Fastballs at the Batting Cage

I'm sure as the year progresses more will be added, but for now this seems like a fun filled way to have a great year!

not MY plan

" For I know the plans I have for you", declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."     - Jeremiah 29:11

Since Last August, I have been back in school taking some prerequisite classes for the accelerated nursing program at Clemson.  Right after last semester ended, I emailed the people at Clemson for some last minute questions and found out that I would be hearing back from the admittance committee the first week of January.

I didn't really think about it over Christmas break, but on January 1st the email came to the forefront of my mind.  I had been continually praying about this process, but on January 1st my prayers changed. Jeremiah 29:11 became my constant prayer as well as peace and serenity in following God's will in whatever it may be.

On January 11th, I had just finished watching the Grey's Anatomy episode I had missed the following night and decided to go check the mail for that day.  I know it's just a TV show, but I have followed Grey's since the beginning and for the hour that I'm watching it, I am fully invested in that show. That particular episode had me tearing up a bit so I was already emotional when I went to check the mail.

Heading down to get the mail I just had this feeling I was going to get a Clemson letter in the mail. Each step toward the mailbox made my heart beat a little faster. Then, as soon as I opened the mailbox the Clemson letter was the first thing I saw. I knew right away that I had not gotten into the program because it was the smaller envelope and nowhere did it say Tiger Town Bound. As I headed back up to my apartment I opened the enveloped (in reality it was more like I ripped it open because of course the thing had to be sealed with something akin to superglue) to confirm what I already knew.

Once I read it, the tears came right away. I called my parents and one of my best friends right away, knowing that my other best friend would be home from work soon.  From opening the letter and talking to everyone, it seemed like a lot longer that an hour had passed.  Looking back, once I initially told them I didn't get in, the next thing I was said was "now I'm in all of this debt!" I think I may have been more upset about that than not getting in.

But, after that initial hour, I was all cried out and I realized that I was ok with not getting in. After talking with my parents and friends about what that meant and what comes next, I was genuinely ok and actually a little bit excited. I figured out I am going to go ahead and finish out this semester, so if it is in God's will for me to try this again, I will already have the classes done. Then, once the semester is over I am going to head back out into the workforce for awhile and get out of debt. Being back out in the workforce became more and more appealing to me as the night went on and brought a great sense of peace to me. Immediately I was able to recognize that this peace did not come from me.

"Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."  - Mark 11:24

I had been praying for peace and serenity for whatever God's will for my life was and I had it.  My prayers were further affirmed because by Sunday night I had three different people with connections offer to help me find a job or that would send my resume out to people.  Laying in bed on that Sunday night I thought it was so fitting that I had spent so much time working with the sheet music for It Is Well With My Soul, as it was the constant refrain running through my mind:

IT IS WELL, WITH MY SOUL, IT IS WELL, IT IS WELL, WITH MY SOUL 

                                                              

A Pinteresting Christmas

As is the usual with this blog, this post is late. In my defense, I just gave my final Pinterest gift on Friday so I have an excuse this time!

Along with the vast majority of females in America, I turned to Pinterest when it came time for Christmas! I used it for decorating ideas, party food ideas, wrapping ideas and gift ideas! This is mostly a picture blog of how everything turned out!

DECORATING IDEAS:

•  little tree on a table 
• ornaments in the lantern 

PARTY FOOD IDEAS:

• When it comes to Christmas treats and snacks, I had that covered way before Pinterest came around!
• However, I did find this fun idea: Hot Chocolate Bar!

WRAPPING IDEAS:

• Pinterest showed all these cute ways to wrap using brown shipping paper, so I gave it my own little twist!
• I bought tan paper (not as dark as shipping paper and had a hint of shimmer to it!) then I used either red or green ribbon on top. Then, I used a red paint pen on the green ribbon presents and a green paint pen on the red ribbon presents to write out who it was to! Since all my presents looked the same, I didn't need to write who it was from!

• This may have been my favorite present to address! Can you guess what/ who its for?

and last but not least....

PRESENT IDEAS:

• So, as of December I officially have two uncles that are music ministers. I was planning on doing the present ahead of time for the first music minister and when I found out the other was accepting his call into Ministry, I thought to myself "this is perfect for both of them, especially since Uncle Ryan will have a new office to decorate!" ( and if you know my Uncle Ryan, you know he could care less about decorating- he put up stuffed deer, antlers, and fish on his wall)
• I made the It Is Well Music Shadow Painting. The pictures are a semi step-by-step of how I made this.

• After about 4 layers of orange paint, I could still see the sheet music through the paint, so I threw a coat of tan over it and solved the problem! Then once it was dry, it got another coat of orange!

• I stenciled on the caribou/moose for the hunter and the bird on the branch for the first music minister.

• For my second pinterest gift, I made long-distance mugs! One of my best friends is moving to Louisville, KY, so of course I had to make these for her!