#Pursuit2014

As promised, here is goal no. 2 on my "bucket list" - I'm taking my first ever solo vacation!

This is probably going to be the biggest goal to accomplish on my list since I'm really going out of my comfort zone. I'm a planner and I love structured itineraries of what I'm going to be doing on a vacation. With this trip I'll have three solid days where I really don't know what to expect. So, you'd like to know where I'm going?!?

On August 6th I will be flying out to Colorado Spring, CO on my own to attend: Pursuit!!!

Boundless.org is a Christian blog/webzine for young adults that focus on topics from how to save for your first home to how to date well in the culture we live in. I have been reading their blog posts since I was in high school and they have acted as mentors through many phases of my life. As I mentioned above, this is a huge step out of my comfort zone and I don't know what to expect - but I will tell you this: I am SO excited!

One of the things I'm most excited about is meeting the authors of the articles I've been reading all these years! I'm probably going to have a few "fan-girl" moments for sure (Candice Watters, prepare yourself)! I will be posting photos during the conference on my Twitter account, @PumaAlie10 and I will update my blog from time to time. I will also make time to do touristy stuff such as the Garden of the Gods, Pike's Peak and the Air Force Base.

Another personal goal of mine is to accomplish the 5k that the conference is having while I'm there! I haven't been able to run since I hurt my foot in March (I ran too fast in a 4 mile race) and that's been hard on me. I plan on walking this 5k and it will be a great thrill for me to cross that finish line!!

I also have this strong desire to eat at the local Chick-fil-A! Oh, I can taste their yummy waffle fries and specialty sauce now...and the peppermint shakes...oh my!

Every morning I plan on waking up and running to my window to pull back the curtains and see a mountain! If I can't see one out of my window, the next best thing would be to run outside and start singing, "The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Music." Yeah, I'm pretty sure these goals will be accomplished! 

I started thinking about doing a vacation like this last year when a fellow blogger and co-worker, Laura, encouraged me to do it. She told me that one of the best things she did while she was single was take a solo vacation and I was instantly inspired. So on the "goal" list it went! Thanks for the idea, Laura (check out her blog here)! 

It feels like ages ago that I signed up for the conference and now I'm only 8 short days away from being in Colorado! It finally sank in last week as I was doing laundry that I am going! I am going to COLORADO! Yes, I have the goals that I listed above, but my number 1 goal for this trip is to learn how to trust. Trust that God is leading me to Colorado and that I have faith that He wouldn't allow me to go on this trip if He didn't want me to. I have a feeling that this will be a trip that I will cherish forever and the amount of support I have gotten when I tell people what I am doing has been so uplifting. There have been times where I've questioned whether I should do this or not, but I have this peace that now is the time for me to go. 

Let the countdown commence! 

 -A

PS: I would love any sight-seeing tips in my comment section below!

Self-pity

"Self-pity is our worst enemy, and if we yield to it,
we can never do anything wise in this world." - Helen Keller

This quote was in my devotional today and I thought I'd share it with all of you. Great thoughts from a great woman. 

-A

Nickel Creek Flabbergast Sold Out Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park Concert Goers

It felt as if the Rapture took place on July 9, 2014 as the members of Nickel Creek, Sara Watkins (fiddle, vocals); Chris Thile (mandolin, vocals) and Sean Watkins (guitar, vocals) left the sold out audience feeling as if they had gone to heaven last night with tunes such as “21^st of May” to kick off their summer tour in Grand Rapids, MI.

 

Nickel Creek, famous for their bluegrass roots and folk style of telling a story through their lyrics, opened the night with the first song off their new album, A Dotted Line, “Rest of My Life” and they did not disappoint after that. 

This band, recently reunited, is well seasoned in performing despite their musical hiatus of seven years and it showed with a “seamless” guitar switch when a guitar string broke off Sean Watkins instrument mid song. Watkins, who just released his own solo album, is the picturesque of hilarity and wisdom as he told the story of why he wrote the “21^st of May.” He told of seeing a multitude of billboards back in 2011 that proclaimed the end of the world and “wanted to pen one more song if that was really true.” Lucky for us, that wasn’t his last song.

Their camaraderie shined through each instrumental piece such as, “Scotch and Chocolate” and “The Smoothie Song” songs that they’ve been playing together for over a decade. 

This trio certainly has a love affair with each of their instruments and Thile’s enthusiastic partnership with his mandolin is a classic example of this. After watching it’s no surprise that he has won multiple Grammy’s and various other awards for his pure talent and he puts his all into each chord – especially the “angry” song, “You Don’t Know What’s Going On.”

Dressed in a chic black lace dress paired with black pumps, Sara Watkins can definitely hold her own amongst the men of the trio. Watkins, who has an impressive solo career, showed the audience at Frederik Meijer Gardens her spunk as she played her fiddle and chimed in with perfect harmony with Thile and Watkins. 

The set included a well-rounded mix of their new album and their older music which pleased the devoted and recent fan alike. Nickel Creek played for a solid 90 minutes and finished the night with an encore featuring Sara’s breathtaking “Where is Love Now?” and the rambunctious crowd pleasing song “The Fox.” Nickel Creek makes the audience feel that they have found a musical soul mate and before the climax has been reached, the love affair is over and reality is back once more.  

Set List Includes (may not be in order):

“Rest of My Life”
“This Side”
“Destination”
“The Lighthouse”
“When You Come Back Down”
“21^st of May”
“Scotch and Chocolate”
“The Smoothie Song”
“Elephant in the Corn”
“Hayloft”
“Anthony”
“You Don’t Know What’s Going On”
“Somebody More Like You”
Encore:
“Where is Love Now?”
“The Fox”

PS: This was seriously the best concert I have ever been to (sorry TSwift) and many tears were shed on my part. I was fortunate enough to snag front row seats for me and my friend, Bethany and the only thing stopping me from jumping on stage was a massive row of flowers (and the guard)! My favorite parts of the concert were when Chris, Sara and Sean would talk to each other and the audience. I couldn't help crying when Sara sang "Where is Love Now?"

And I swear Chris was looking right at me when he sang "When You Come Back Down" *sigh* 

If I never go to another concert in my life, I'm ok with that. 

Love, 

-A

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They're gone... :o(

Become a Member

If you're single, you've heard this phrase often... "Oh, you're single? Well, you better take advantage of that now before you get married and have kids...because then, life as you know it, will be OVER!!"

I used to scoff over that statement - "pfft, life won't end once I'm married! What are they thinking?!"

...but not anymore!

I've decided to embrace it and really take advantage of my life right now before I kick the "single bucket!" I’ve come up with a list of things that I want to accomplish before life as I know it is "over."

1) Become a Member

It has always been a desire of mine to find my own church family and become a member of a local congregation. I wasn't sure if I wanted to keep the denomination that I grew up with, so for the first 4 years of life on my own, I went to non-denominational churches. One I stayed at for three years and was in their choir and was even baptized on my birthday last year. I thought for sure that this would give me a sense of "family away from home" but something still didn't feel right. After that I made the decision to try out a church of the denomination that I grew up in. That's when I discovered Immanuel Lutheran Church! What a difference! I remember the first church service I went to brought me to tears because it reminded me of being home and took me back to my roots. That was May 2013 and I am proud to say that on June 1, 2014 I became an official member of the church! Becoming a member makes me feel a part of my city and helps me to build relationships and connections within the community. And of course, grow in my relationship with Jesus.

Along with finding my own church home, I decided to further my community connections and become a member of Frederik Meijer Gardens. What fun! With this membership I'm able to join classes, networking events, enjoy concert pre-sale access and entry into their fantastic sculpture park and gardens. This is where I will be seeing my favorite band, Nickel Creek perform! 

I really don't believe that life and all its joys will end once marriage enters my life. Most of my girlfriends are married and have children. It's true that it's harder for them to be footloose and fancy free but they haven't stopped living...quite the contrary! Two of my married friends have each gone to Israel with their husbands and one even did a tour of Europe! My point is that life is what you make it by what type of attitude and perspective you have and my friends have been great examples of that.

The Apostle Paul was probably one of the Bible's biggest advocates of remaining single to better serve the church for God. It took me awhile to grasp where Paul was coming from and how I can be content  with my life right now. What he is suggesting isn't for single people to sit idly by and wait to get married to serve God or for their lives to start. Paul encouraged the members of the church to live a life of fullness for the glory of God. Paul states that we can do this by serving the church and living with a contented spirit by appreciating the blessings that God gives us - even during the season of singleness.

I am excited to share the different goals that I have come up with for this season of my life. I would also like to hear some of your own “bucket list” goals single or in general! Please leave a comment below.

-A 

*Note: Speaking of "kicking the bucket" I looked up the reason behind it and it's really quite morbid. Here are some other strange phrases that I found that relate to "kicking the bucket"...  

"Dead as a doornail"

"Dead as a dodo"

"To count worms"

"At peace..."