Journey Forward: A Letter to Myself One Year Ago

Dear Rebecca, 

You are burning the candle at both ends.

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This is what you do. It is going to take it's toll on your body, your heart, your patience and your relationships. You will break and be remade (both figuratively and literally).

Things work how they are supposed to though, for reasons you have yet to see. 

The effort you've put in now, the pain, the exhaustion, the stress will pay off in spades. 

You will make it to Bali and have a week of wonderful. 

You will renew friendships and reaffirm things you know about yourself but have put on a shelf; that you are strong, that you are able, that you need to change your life and it cannot wait. 

You will find the strength to do this thing because you know it is your future. Don't settle. Find balance. 

You can't change anyone but yourself; this is your time for you. 

You will heal and learn to trust God and the people He puts in your life. You will learn to love in a way you didn't know was possible. 

Everything will be topsy turvy but you will find your way. 

Your year will be full of adventures you haven't planned and people you've never met. 

The things you value will change but the most important things will remain. You will learn that you don't have to please everyone all the time. You will get better at saying no. You won't feel the need to over-analyze and gain approval of every facet of your relationship because ultimately, it isn't about what works for others. 

Be confident and trust your instincts. After all, you have to take risks to truly gain. 

Playing it safe won't cut it. 

At the end of this year, you will still be burning the candle at both ends, but your time will be spent in dramatically different ways. You will be in school and you will be academically challenged for the first time. Skating by won't work anymore.

You will spend your weekends going non-stop. You will get lost in those weekends and it will keep you going. 

Take time for yourself and the things that restore you.

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Keep putting one foot in front of the other and things will work out the way they should. 

Chelsea from LifeIsASunset hosts the Journey Forward challenge. 

Please stop by Chelsea's page if you are interested in other journeys. 

She has had an incomprehensible year. 

Keep her in your thoughts and prayers. 

I Need a Friday

I am in serious need of a Friday, preferably one in Bali. Just recently, I made some very big life changing decisions. Isn't it funny how you can see so clearly once you've taken a step back and separated yourself from things a bit?

My separation came in the form of an awesome Balinese adventure. I realize not everyone can jump on a plane and travel 30 hours to Indonesia to gain some perspective...unless of course you are Liz from Eat, Pray, Love. Did anyone else get stuck in India for a very long time? She just went on and on!

In my case I travelled for my best friend's wedding. Enjoy the pictures...yes, everything was that beautiful.

Have a great weekend everyone, and try to survive the heat sweeping the East Coast!

Who Am I

Not to throw total clichés in your direction, but I'm learning more and more about who I am. My theory is - I'm still figuring it out because I keep changing things up. So rather than opining about who I am, I'll give you some fun facts about me and let you form your own opinions.

I LOVE summer. I have really, really great girlfriends...and Key West makes for a great vacation.

A lot of people love summer. I never claimed to be unique! 

Today, my best friend sent me a message that was really truly beautiful. She told me: 




"Believe in love. Believe in spontaneity. Trust yourself. And trust him. Don't think about the details. Enjoy every moment for what it is. Jobs, careers, locations, dreams - are all written in pencil. Be yourself on this one. from the first moment on. Be honest with yourself, and then be honest with him." 


 It is hard to do all of these things, but can you be truly happy if you don't?