Week 44: A Week to Celebrate Me!

Guess what this Friday is... If you guessed my birthday, you are correct! Can you guess how old I will be? Note to self: don't ever let a child guess. Last time I did, they said "40!" Not really a self-esteem boost : ) I will be 25 years old. 25. A quarter of a century. Wow.

A lot has happened in these 25 years of my life- a lot of huge accomplishments, a lot of mistakes, a lot of let downs, a couple broken hearts, a lot of wonderful surprises, millions of blessings....I write this post, and it's hard to believe that I am already 25 years old. And, I'm kind of fighting back tears (let's be honest, this is no surprise to those who know me) as I praise God for the wonderful life that He has given to me. Gosh, how stinking blessed am I to have had such amazing experiences, awesome opportunities, an outstanding Christian College education, seriously the best friends a girl could ask for, a wonderful loving family who supports me in everything that I do....I have soo much. Such a full life.

I will be honest and say that this birthday will be a little hard for me, just because I'm not home. I've been a bit homesick this past week. This is the first birthday that I am away from home and not celebrating with my family and friends back home. BUT I am excited to spend the weekend with new friends, great people whom God has brought into my life. Yet another blessing!

This week, I want to look back on my life and blog about different events that have shaped who I am today and just moments in life that stick out for one reason or another. AND if you're reading this and can think of some moments in life that we've shared together, I would LOVE to read those! It would be a wonderful birthday present to me! Write a comment, so we can remember together : )

Today, I'll talk about college. I've been thinking a lot about college lately, probably because I am leading a college ministry here at the corps. College was such an amazing experience for me for many reasons. I made some amazing friends there. I met my very best friend in college, I met a group of gals in college who will be life long friends, I found The Salvation Army in college, it was in college when I worked at a camp during the summer that I was saved...so many wonderful things. I'd say one of the most transforming times was when I was an RA (Resident Assistant) for the first time- my sophmore year in college. Oh man, I ran into pretty much every problem/situation in the book. In fact, I could probably write my own book about my experiences as an RA. As crazy and tough it was, I LOVED it. I seriously loved the girls on my floor, I had an amazing RD, wonderful co-RA's, friends who lived on the floor with me in order to support me during that year...God used that year to challenge me, grow me, mature me, and all of this led to me accepting Christ that summer at a camp. This picture was taken on my birthday my sophmore year of college. It was actually a really tough weekend- many problems on my floor and in the midst of it all, I had to go on a camping trip with all of West Hall. I figured no one remembered my birthday, but then all of a sudden one of my fellow RA's brought out boxes of cupcakes and everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to me. It was simple, yet just what I needed to feel loved at that moment.

I am in a MASSIVE amount of debt now because of college, but I would never trade it back. Each of the four years of college holds a special place in my heart. Frolicking around with blankets on our heads to surprise a friend, sledding down a tiny hill on pieces of card board, sliding down a super soapy slip 'n slide, creating a "turd popsicle," making up code names for certain people, beach and jungle themed pranks in rival halls, Trollstock....memories that won't be forgotten. Gosh, I am blessed.