.landslide.

Maybe you are one of those people who loves to sing in the shower. Or maybe you are like me and prefer the car. I love to sing and I am fully aware that God did not give me the gift of music. But I usually am alone in my car and find this the perfect time to pretend to be a famous pop star, even if for just a little while.

Tonight I was coming home from my eGroup and a song came on the radio that I thought I knew pretty well. Just to give you an idea of what my singing is actually like, I usually hit about one note out of ten on a good day. I don’t even know the name of the song that came on, but it is an older song (think like Dixie Chicks era). So I’m driving down the road singing,”…landslide dunh dunh yeah!…see my reflection in a unh unh hill…” I embarrassed myself in front of myself! I quickly realized that I had no idea what any of the words actually were and to top it all off, I was missing the timing of the song as well! It was a hot mess and I am so glad that I was the only one there to actually witness this catastrophe.

But it got me thinking: how often do I allow myself to think, “Oh, this is so easy! I’ve totally got this. God, feel free to just sit back and relax, everything is under my control.” I allow myself to overstep God’s timing and my need for dependency on Him because I want to be the star of the show.

This morning in my study time of the book of Genesis I read about how Abram and Sarai became impatient with God. God promised them that they would have a child and they kept waiting and waiting, realizing very quickly that they were not getting any younger. So Sarai gave Abram her handmaiden and bore a son through her. But this is not how God instructed them to conduct themselves. Sarai was missing the timing of the song and was trying to take the show in to her own hands. This led to tension between the Ishmaelites and the Hebrews for centuries.

Our actions may not have such a strong impact as Sarai’s but our actions still carry consequences. We can either approach a situation thinking we know everything and we can handle it or we can come at it with grace, fully acknowledging that God’s timing is so much better than our own. What a wonderful God that He gives us the choice and what a blessing to be reminded to trust in Him. God’s timing may not always be how we plan things, but we can have full confidence that it is the best timing.

.ruined creation.

I am an avid reader of the local newspaper every morning. I was expecting the news today to be all about the football game yesterday and detailing the stats and players, trying to suggest how the team can improve or who to bench next. A normal Monday morning article. But this is not what I saw today. Instead this was the cover story. An article detailing out a new gathering on Sunday mornings in my city that celebrates life without God. They are not a church, but they act just like a church. They had singing, a sermon, and even small groups.

As I read this article, I couldn’t help but wonder what did God think when this was happening?

Very recently I was told about If:Equip (read more here) and have loved their study methods of God’s Word. Right now we are going through the book of Genesis and I adore this book of the Bible. I have studied Genesis in the past and really fell in love with it then. But today’s study was on Genesis 6 where God looks over all He has created and finds that the people are just committing so much evil that it breaks His heart. I love how the Message version states this:

God saw that human evil was out of control. People thought evil, imagined evil–evil, evil, evil from morning to night. God was sorry that he had made the human race in the first place; it broke his heart. God said, ‘I’ll get rid of my ruined creation, make a clean sweep: people, animals, snakes and bugs, birds–the works. I’m sorry I made them.’ Genesis 6:5-7 (emphasis added)

How do you want your life to be defined: as the one who broke God’s heart by pursuing evil or the one who found favor in the eyes of the Lord? Have we become the ruined creation that breaks the heart of God?

All of this just reminds me of the urgency of the Gospel and our obedience. In the If:Equip study today, Shelley Giglio said that everyday is another opportunity for us to believe God and to obey Him. Out of our belief comes our obedience. What is your obedience, or lack of obedience, showing God and those around you what you truly believe? What does it look like today for me to choose to follow after God and to find favor in His eyes instead of tears of regret?

Today let’s forsake the identity of a ruined creation and boldly proclaim that God desires a redeemed creation through the life saving sacrifice of His son.

.meant to be.

Relationships. Singleness. Marriage. These three words carry immense weight in our lives. If we are in one season, we want to be in another. If we have no one, we want someone. And sometimes if we have someone, we want someone else.

Today we started an amazing new series at church called Meant To Be that focuses on relationships from God’s perspective. This morning was just the introductory message and I am already in love with the series!

Time for a little background on my life. I spent my undergrad years at a school where the unofficial motto was, “Ring by spring or your money back.” Sadly I allowed that catchy phrase to dominate my thinking while I was there. I had the mindset that I just had to find somebody to spend the rest of my life with while I was working on my degree or else my life would just be over come time to walk across that stage and receive my diploma. So graduation day came and went and I did not have a nice shiny rock on my left hand. I didn’t even have a nice guy to hold my hand. A part of me felt like a failure because I wasn’t able to find Mr. Right in a sea of Christian college guys. Another part of me felt a little annoyed because no one was really going to give me any money back!

I found myself seriously questioning God. What happened God? Did you forget about me down here trying to find the one who you have picked out for me? Do I need to change the way I look or act? Is it something that I have done or am not doing? What am I going to do with my life now?

Recounting all of this makes me seriously disgusted at myself for how immature I really was. I spent a lot of energy and time focusing on the wrong things, the wrong one. I was desperately searching for someone to love me while blatantly pushing aside the One who has always loved me. Don’t get me wrong, I have never been the type that always has to be in a relationship. But I have been that girl who doesn’t always find contentment in God alone.

Praise God that He does not allow us to remain the same. Praise Him that He desires to see us grow and mature as we seek to know Him more.

Today Pastor Steven reminded us that singleness is not a disease or something that automatically ostracizes someone from society. Singleness, just like marriage, is a season and a gift. Every season has its strengths as well as its struggles and it is time for us to stop being envious of someone else’s season. (Trust me, when Pastor said this I was so convicted of the times that I have had the grass is greener on the other side mentality!)

Singleness may not be what I would have planned for my life. But I have to trust that God knows what He is doing. And I will continue to trust Him because He has never failed me. God has been with me every day, even on the days where all I wanted to do was fantasize about my wedding day and pin things on Pinterest to my “One Day” board. How can I do anything else but trust a God who so intimately knows me and yet so unconditionally loves me?

So this is my season. And in God’s timing, He will either sustain me in this season or allow me to enter in to a new one. But I will choose to trust Him and serve Him no matter what season I am in. My life was meant to be given back to God in total adoration of His life given for me. What is your life meant to be?

.citizens of heaven.

Today my grandfather passed away. Dealing with death is always tough and so I am going to go ahead and ask for anyone’s forgiveness ahead of time if you happen to think that writing out your feelings on a blog is a bit insensitive. I have come to learn that I cope best when I am able to write out my thoughts and force myself to make coherent sentences.

My PawPaw, as all the grandkids referred to him, was someone I will never forget. First and foremost, he was a man of God and I am a beneficiary of his faith. Faith multiplies and if you don’t truly believe that yet, come spend some time with my family. Because my PawPaw loved God, he taught my dad how to love God, and it trickled down from there. And one day, even though he won’t be able to meet them, there will be more generations who will follow after God because of the seeds he sowed during his time here.

My PawPaw was an interesting character. He always seemed to be trying to invent something, raised goats, and was Texan through and through. I inherited some of his stubbornness which I have come to see as a good thing because it means that I am willing to fight for what I believe in. Every time I was around him he always made sure to let me know he was proud of me.

But today my PawPaw became a citizen of heaven. There’s part of me that is jealous because he has now seen Jesus face to face. Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith. Jesus, the one who gave everything for sinful mankind. Jesus, the one who loves unconditionally. Jesus, the one whose name was written on my PawPaw’s heart.

Sometimes we don’t understand the why behind things that happen to us. But for those of us who are Christians, we can have that blessed assurance that God’s ways are for the best. Yes, they are sometimes painful, but God never promised us life would be easy. In every season of life, God is good and God is still God and I will hold on to that promise.

So I praise God for the life of my PawPaw and for the seeds of faithfulness he sowed. Because of one man’s faithfulness, generations are now faithful. And for that I will be forever grateful.

PawPaw, tell Mimi hi for me and enjoy being in the continual presence of the Lord. I love you.

.this extraordinary journey.

 

Last summer I found out that I had been accepted to the Masters of Accountancy program at UNCC. It was a door that I thought had been shut, and God reminded me once again that His plans are revealed to us on His schedule, not ours. Today I have officially finished the program and can now say that I have a Masters degree. (I still have not fully registered this fact in my mind!)

Admittedly, I thought that this past year was going to be simple. Undergrad was easy for me and I thought that the MAcc program would just be an extension of that. When I received my first test back, I was in shock that I had failed it. I immediately wanted to give up and say that it was not possible for me to do well in this program. I stupidly thought that God had obviously made a mistake and that I was going to disappoint everyone because I wouldn’t be able to make it through the first semester. There were so many days when I would walk in to class with the feeling that everyone in there was thinking that I was wasting my time because I just wasn’t smart enough to be in there.

My whole life school had come easily to me. And when I found out that it was no longer this way, I wanted to give up. I didn’t like that my friends were always out having fun and I had to stay in and study. I convinced myself numerous times that it was okay if I wanted to give up because many people in life never go to grad school and they seemed to turn out okay. But then God would remind me that He called me to this season of life.

It was tough. It was lonely at times. It was exhausting. It was rewarding.

I honestly do not know if I would have been able to make it through without God and His guidance. Just when I thought that I probably wouldn’t even get in to grad school, I get the email that informed me I was accepted. Through the MAcc program I found a job and I have started the CPA exam process. If you would have asked me even a year ago what I was going to do with my life, public accounting and becoming a CPA would have been far removed from the list. But praise God that He intercepts my plans with His greater purpose for my life.

In a few short months I will be starting work at a firm that I cannot wait to become a part of and I will continue to pursue my CPA license. And all of this is only because of God. When God calls us, or, in my case, blatantly shows us where to go, we need to go. But we cannot become idle in our going. We have been called to a place for the work that He has set before us. God shows us where to go so that we can then put ourselves to work. God will sustain us in our working, but we would never grow if God did all of the work for us. Some days we want to be lazy, and some days we want to just rest. And God will give us those days. But may we never become content in our laziness for there is no growth in that state. Work is tough and work is rewarding. Anything worth having is worth working for.

I only know a few details of what is to come in my life, and that is an exciting thought to me. This means that God has more room to work in my life when I leave my schedule open for Him. There are still going to be days where I will want to throw in the towel and walk away. There will still be days when I get lonely or exhausted. But I will remind myself of what God has brought me through to attain this degree and I will know that God will sustain me now. May we never forget to remind ourselves of God’s past faithfulness. And may God continue to provide us hardships to endure as He sustains us for this extraordinary journey of life.

.yet to come.

Tonight was a monumental night. I had the privilege of seeing the land where the new facility for the Elevation University campus will reside. Oh how my soul was refreshed!

Ever had one of those moments where God informs you that you are where you need to be? I pray that one day you will experience it, because it is amazing what a reassurance from God will do for you.

The new site is located in the heart of the University area of our city. And for those not from around the Charlotte area, the University area is a unique place. Of course we have the school, but we also have a large amount of businesses. This may seem like a strange situation to you, but I absolutely love it!

We had our meeting in one of the large conference areas of the business area located basically in the backyard of the new site. Before heading to see the site, I had a nice walk to my car. And I’m not sure what it was, but I loved that walk to my car. This may sound strange, but I was genuinely happy. I was just walking by myself and loving being surrounded by a large building where people work everyday. And God reminded me of something in that moment.

God has designed me to love business. God has created me to love the city of Charlotte. And amazingly enough, Charlotte is full of places of business. God showed me on that short little walk to my car that he has placed me here for a reason. All of my passions are here: business and the city of Charlotte. How many people live a life driven by their passions?

This afternoon I listened to a message from Christine Caine and she was speaking about passion and how so many members of the church have lost sight of their passion for the church as a whole. She continued and said that we live out of our passions, we are driven by our passions. No one has to force you to do something that you love to do. Shouldn’t this be how we live out our lives?

I have a passion for being in the business world. I have a passion for the city of Charlotte. And I have a passion to see lives changed in this city. I am passionate about Elevation Church, not because of the buildings or programs, but because of how God is using it to change people. That is where our passion needs to be.

Why do I have a passion for business? I’m not entirely sure, but I know that God has given me influence and there are people I will become acquainted with through my job over the next few years who are looking for a change that will last. Why can’t it be me to be that influence? Why can’t you be the influence to those around you?

When we live out of our passions, we make an impact. God has given us all unique passions that we can use to make a difference in this life for him.

Our church is in a wonderful season right now and I am so thankful that I get to be a part of it. The best is yet to come!

.glory in the escape.

At the beginning of the year, my sister challenged our family to read through the Bible in 2014. We all chose the same reading plan on YouVersion and I have loved how simple it is to stay on track! Honesty moment: I have always struggled with finding a passion for the Old Testament. I think it stems from when I was little, the big stories of the Old Testament were all that were taught to us over and over again in Sunday School and it became boring to me. It hasn’t been until the past couple of years that I have begun to love the Old Testament a little more than the New Testament. I studied the book of Genesis during one of my years in BSF and God really showed me through that study that there is a lot to learn in the Old Testament about who God is and about how the entire Bible points to Christ.

In this current reading plan, I am about halfway through Exodus. And admittedly I was not too thrilled about reading it today because I already knew the ending to the story: God calls Moses, Moses goes to Pharaoh and performs signs and asks for the people to be freed, Pharaoh says no over and over again, God implements the Passover, Moses leads the Israelites out of Egypt, they cross over the Red Sea, the Egyptians get killed, The End.

But just like He always does, God showed me something new about the whole story. Moses was not the hero of this story, God was. When Pharaoh had finally released the Israelites, they plundered the Egyptians and stripped them of their wealth before leaving. So just imagine it for a moment: you have probably over 1,000,000 Israelites fleeing Egypt and they are taking all of the Egyptians’ wealth with them! Wouldn’t you think they would be happy?! Their enemies just willingly handed over all their treasures to them and they now have freedom!

So they set off and are following where God leads them. God then gives Moses instructions to turn around and camp. Now this would be confusing if God had not followed up with the reasoning behind this. If the Israelites turned around and made it look like they were heading back to Egypt, God would cause the Egyptians to think they could overtake the Israelites again, and God would save the Israelites once again, all the while bringing more glory unto himself. “I have planned this in order to display my glory through Pharaoh and his whole army. After this the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord!” (Exodus 14:4) What may seem backwards to the human mind is the perfect plan constructed by God.

God sets himself up for glory and uses unconventional ways to do so.

So the Egyptians start coming and the Israelites go in to panic mode. “Why are we here? What made us think that Moses could really free us? Why didn’t we just stay in Egypt? We are never going to get out of here alive!” Poor Moses had to deal with all of these complaining people when he knew that God was going to save them. Yet how noble of Moses to not abandon them because of their complaints and unbelief.

Finally God does part the Red Sea and the Israelites cross over on dry ground while the Egyptians experience a mass drowning. The passage in Exodus continues on and says how the Egyptians realized that the Lord was fighting for Israel and that the Israelites also saw the mighty power of the Lord and were filled with awe before him.

When God displays his glory in a very tangible way, no one is immune to recognize his strength and power.

If you have never read the Old Testament before, I encourage you to dive in. I know there are some passages where it is hard to understand and really get the why behind the message, but God’s Word does not come back void. And if you ask him to, he will show you something new if you have already read the major highlight stories of the Bible over and over again. May today we be like Moses and realize that God is using us to display his glory to an unbelieving world. God has already planned how he is going to use you to bring him glory, now it’s time for you to be obedient and jump on board.

.crash.

Today was the release of Crash the Chatterbox by my pastor, Steven Furtick! I am about halfway through with the book and absolutely love it! If you have ever struggled with insecurity and seeking to dispel the lies of the enemy you have trapped yourself in to believing, you need to get hold of this book pronto!

On another note, Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. Tonight I was having the all too familiar discussion with my parents about how I won’t have a date for Valentine’s Day and no one is going to be sending me flowers; a regular pity party that I allow myself to continue to attend. I quickly realized that I was beginning to believe the lies that the enemy has tried to convince me are true. Of course you don’t have a date! Have you seen yourself in the mirror lately? Those dark circles under your eyes sure won’t attract any guys! Plus look at your hair! Besides no one wants to date a girl who is always studying and never seems to have any free time. Basically you just have to accept the fact that you probably won’t ever go on a date and more than likely you will die alone.

See what I mean?! The chatterbox is definitely attacking me during this time of year and I would be willing to bet that almost every single girl who does not have a date this coming Friday is thinking something along the same lines!

I just finished reading the chapter titled “What If” and it talks about how the enemy likes to get us thinking in “what if” scenarios. What if I really am not pretty? What if I really am not able to attract a guy? What if I really never have a Valentine’s Day date? What if I really do die alone?

The chapter continued to talk about the remedy to these what if questions by saying that we need to follow them up with some more questions. First identify the what if. Next, follow it up with a that would. Then a God will.

 

What if I am not attractive?

That would be a bummer, but at least you would still have your sense of humor.

God will be my standard of beauty and He has already declared me perfectly and wonderfully made!

 

What if I die alone, never to have a Valentine’s Day date?

That would honestly suck and I would be pretty lonely. (But never lonely enough to become the owner of cats!)

God will be able to use me in ways as a single that He may not be able to do if I was married right now. God will be the one who receives my affection and my undivided attention.

 

See how things aren’t so bad any more? Yeah I still wrestle with the fact that my insecurities are real and they are ugly. I still struggle with the fact that my what ifs may indeed become reality. But when I get to the God will part, I begin to sigh a bit of relief because I remind myself that God’s got this! No matter what happens, God is still God and God is still good. Whether I am single or married, happy or sad, pretty or having a bad hair day, however I happen to be, God is still reigning on His throne triumphant over death and welcoming me to have a deep and personal relationship with Him! Oh, hallelujah! Can’t you just imagine the throne room of heaven and God smiling down upon you!  

So this Valentine’s Day I may not have a date. But I do have a choice: Allow the enemy to continue to flood my soul with self doubt and lies that God has already defeated or hold fast to the truth of God’s word and know that He is in control of my life. God did not send His son to die on the cross just so that I can spend the rest of my life being limited by my insecurities! He sent His son so that we may have life and life to the full!

This is such a wonderful season of life right now and I am so blessed by my church! Go get your copy of Crash the Chatterbox now and make sure to watch the series online or at one of the campuses! I promise you that God is going to use this series to free you from so much, probably from a lot of stuff that you don’t even know you needed to be freed from! The best is yet to come!

.good and evil.

Tonight my eGroup discussed the topic of why God allows suffering in our lives. I love this topic because I have yet to figure it out and every time I study it, I learn something new to love about God. But I also love the fact that I can’t give a definitive answer as to why God allows good and evil in the world.

God’s ways are higher and I can trust in Him. Since I can trust in Him, I don’t have to worry that I don’t know everything about Him. Whether I believe in Him or not, He is still God and He is still good.

So why does evil coincide with good in our world? I think it is because God has created us with a purpose. We are designed to fully glorify God. This means that we have to choose to glorify God. This means that we are charged with the task of taking the light in to the darkness. Following after God is a choice. But let us not forget that Jesus chose to die for us; us choosing Him pales in comparison to what He has done for us. How wonderful that we get to love a God who has loved us first!

I cannot tell you why abuse, theft, murder, trafficking, and world hunger persist in our world. The accountant inside of me would like to logically contribute it all to a root cause of money, but I know that the issue is deeper than that. All I know is that God has created us to live for Him and it breaks His heart when we depart from the plans He has for our lives.

No matter what happens in life, God is still God and God is still good. I have been created to glorify God in all that I do. I may not be able to rid the world of evil during my lifetime, but I can be a reflection of Christ to all that I come in contact with. This is my purpose in life: to share with others how God desires to have a relationship with us for all of eternity. Admittedly, I cannot accomplish this task alone, but I can trust that God will help me to finish what He has started through my life.

True love requires a choice. Are you going to live life for God or are you going to keep your distance because you cannot fully comprehend Him? I pray that you will choose this day to fight for the purposes of God in your life. He is the good in a world full of evil.

.milestones.

 

In honor of another year of my life passing, I wanted to document some experiences that I have encountered–one experience for the number of years I have lived. Please do not take this as a time for me to boast about the things I have done or accomplished. This is my formal acknowledgment of the blessings that God has provided me and the fulfillment thus far of His promise to me that He gives life and life to the fullest.

 

1. In the fourth grade I won the school spelling bee on the word “entangled.” I got to skip a day of school to go compete at the county level and I lost after the third or fourth round. I don’t even remember the word; I just remember the kid before me was given the word “anaconda” and missed it and I thought he had some issues because he had missed an easy word.

2. I was homeschooled for fourth and fifth grade. I quickly became one of those kids who thought I was better than everyone else because I didn’t have to go to a traditional school. This made me socially awkward (like I needed help with that during that stage of life!) and I am thankful that I was placed back in school for the rest of my education.

3. I landed my first job when I was 16 as a cashier at SuperTarget. It was a fairly new store and I was so excited to be making a whole twenty-five cents per hour more than minimum wage! There were days when I didn’t like that job, but it helped pay for my first car which was a nice tradeoff.

4. I have been on a safari in Africa. Scariest day of my life! We rode on benches that were bolted to the top edge of the bed of a small pickup truck and we drove at speeds that were a little too fast for comfort. The whole time we were getting whacked in the face by bushes that were everywhere that had thorns on them and they kept digging into our arms as we passed them. Then the monkeys would not leave us alone while we were eating lunch and that really freaked me out. I learned that day that I do not really mesh with wild animals.

5. When Leann Rimes first started out I joined her fan club (every girl from Texas has to have one country singer that they can join their fan club, right?!) and I got to meet her at the Texas State Fair. We thought the show was going to be cancelled because of the rain, but she was a trooper and still performed and my sister and I got to meet her and get her autograph.

6. I was the maid of honor in my sister’s wedding. It was a beautiful ceremony and she made an even more beautiful bride. I am so thankful for her and her husband, Garrett, and the joy they both bring to our family. (Maybe one day she will get to be the matron of honor for my wedding!)

7. December 20, 2010 I sat in a hospital room in Florida and witnessed my grandpa take his last breath. After battling cancer for a few years, God finally called him home. It is a tough thing to experience the loss of a loved one, but it is a hopeful reminder that God welcomed him to eternal fellowship with Him. There are just some images in life that you will never forget.

8. I competed in an accounting competition during my junior year of high school. (I also competed in an algebra competition in middle school, but we won’t go down that road again.) I had to sit in a classroom on a Saturday afternoon in my professional business attire and take an accounting test. Sad thing is I loved every second of it! I placed third that day and was able to advance to the state competition. My love for accounting was pretty much solidified that day.

9. I once sang “Stand By Your Man” in a talent show. I was in kindergarten and did not understand why the fourth graders laughed at me when I was singing this song. I loved this song and wanted everyone to know it! I was not able to get my mind around the fact that this song was about a woman sticking up for her man (not that the song title gave that away or anything), I just really liked the song and wanted to do something for the talent show. I haven’t listened to that song since the day they all laughed at me; guess I was scarred for life.

10. I was in Athens, Greece during a “snow storm.” Athenians had not seen snow in four years and it just so happened that the week we were there it snowed for two days. None of the snow stuck on the roads, but the people were so impressed with the snow, they closed all public transportation, buildings, schools, and businesses for two days. On the plus side, we got to ride in taxis with people who spoke no English!

11. I was able to attend the opening day of Elevation University campus. I was so impressed that they had changed a YMCA to look so cool. Little did I know that the University campus would make such a huge impact on my life!

12. I once did backup dancing for Britt Nicole. (At the time she was Brittany Waddell.) She used to dance at the same studio I attended and the owner of the studio had her come perform for our church. Since I was a part of the dance team, I got to perform with her. Apparently the song choice was a little too “Britney Spears Pepsi commercial” for some in the church, so we weren’t allowed to perform on Sunday mornings after that. It was still one of my favorite times to perform.

13. I led an Impact Team through the BSU at North Greenville. We traveled all over the state of South Carolina and went to a few places in North Carolina spending weekends with students. I have played Underground Church more times than I can count. Every time I see a tan colored Chevy Astro I get car sick. And I have yet to catch up on the sleep I never got on those weekends. But those were some of the best times of my college career and I loved meeting new people all the time and teaching students about God.

14. Living in Chinquapin 12 was one of the best years of my life! God knew what He was doing when He placed all of us in there. We all had such different personalities and different passions, but we made it work and loved every minute of it. (And somehow we even managed to never fight over the bathroom! A miracle when there were seven girls sharing one shower!)

15. I have been to Corinth and walked on the part of the marble road that remains in the city. It was incredible to see parts of the area where Paul and probably the majority of the disciples had been before and to think of all that happened in this ancient city. That day was one of my favorites so far. And on the bus ride over, our tour guide told us the Greek origin of almost every English word. It was like our own personal My Big Fat Greek Wedding!

16. I danced for a number of years. I started when I was in first grade and moved to a competitive team when I was in second grade. I took a few years off, but then joined the dance team at church in sixth or seventh grade. I also started at a studio again in eighth grade and joined the competitive team my freshman year of high school. I danced on the team at church all through middle and high school and even joined the adult team my senior year of high school. Dance was a big part of my life and I miss it a lot.

17. I graduated college in May with an Honors Scholar Diploma of a Bachelors of Science degree in Accounting and a minor in Business Administration. There were a few times during those four years that I informed my mom I was going to drop out and move back home, but thankfully she always told me that it wouldn’t be a good idea.

18. I have lost some of my best friends to the Midwest. One of my best friends lives in Indiana and the other lives in Wisconsin. I have learned that goodbyes are not my forte and that I am a cry baby when they have to leave me. (I despise crying and don’t know how goodbyes make me cry instantly!) I would be completely fine if they both decided that they liked the Carolinas better than the snow they are buried under all winter!

19. I am slowly but surely working towards my Masters of Accountancy. I am thankful for the opportunity to continue to learn and thankful for the professors in my department who worked hard to make recruiting season a success. I will be starting with CliftonLarsonAllen in October and cannot wait to begin my career in public accounting!

20. I have found some of the best people through my time spent with the ladies at the Center for Community Transitions. The women at the facility have taught me that no matter who you are, you are worth more than the bad choices you have made in the past and you are able to change. They have taught me how to not judge someone by their decisions, but to encourage them in their choices to make a new future and life.

21. In second grade I went to the Dallas Cowboys game on Thanksgiving Day and I had to wear a dress because we ate lunch in the Players’ Club thing. I was frustrated that I had to wear a dress to a football game and that I had no intention to watch the game because I thought football was boring. The only thing I knew about the Cowboys at the time was that Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith played. Who knew that football would be my favorite sport and that the Cowboys would be one of my least favorite teams?

22. I was named to Who’s Who in American Universities and Colleges for my junior and senior years at North Greenville. I am not sure what the list really represents or who even looks at it, but it meant that I got to stand up during awards chapel. And they sent me a certificate that I hung on the fridge for a whole year. My guess is that it is a made up award but it sounds kind of cool.

23. I gave my life fully to Christ when I was twelve years old. He saved me from a life void of His presence. He is my guide, He is my rock, He is my father, He is my provider, He is my peace, He is my passion, He is my Lord. My life has been all that it has been because of His enduring love for me and His ability to never give up on me. He is still changing me and shaping me in to the woman that He has designed me to be, but I cannot imagine life without Him. I know that I have not experienced much in my short life, but I have found the One who paid my debt and made a way for me to live in complete fellowship with my creator all the days of my life. Oh what a wonderful journey this life is!