Relinquishing Control.

I will be the first to admit that relinquishing control does not come easily to me.  Oh, no no. In fact, I'm really quite terrible at it. Having entered this world as a strong-willed, type-A perfectionist [read: very mini yet very mighty firecracker], I have always cared passionately about the people & projects I commit myself to. I like to pretend that if I try hard enough, and invest my heart and soul into my work, nothing will prevent me from accomplishing my tasks. Of course I can do everything on my own. Right?


Wrong.


When I really slow down and allow myself to reflect upon what's best for me, I am absolutely certain that life is always better when I relinquish control, place my future in the hands of the Lord, and ask for both support and guidance from my community. It's what I need, and it's what I rarely choose to do.


Last Monday I found myself in a terribly depressed state of mind as I sat in my empty home, applying to endless part-time jobs, receiving rejection emails, and worrying about my future....another typical August day in small town USA. I was struggling to fit into my new community and felt rather lost and lonely without a purpose or cause to stand behind. The slow paced, rural lifestyle mixed with the disappointing economy had finally caught up to me. When Jordan arrived home after a long day of classes, and informed me that the meal I had prepared all afternoon to celebrate the conclusion of test numero dos contained gluten in it [and therefore could not be consumed by the hubs] was enough to open the floodgates & bring on an angry and very pathetic pity party. I had had enough.

[A random, gigantic cucumber Jordan brought home from the school garden one day. The veggie has absolutely nothing to do with the story, besides that it illustrates our feelings towards job hunting in small town USA.]

The next morning as I was driving home from a coffee date, I decided to give up my job search and desire to control my future to the Lord. I know His plans are greater than my own, so why not just throw my plans out the window & trust that He will place me right where I am supposed to be?  During that car ride home I found myself praying a song commonly sung at Overlake Christian Church. "Move me, where You want to. Use me, only for Your glory. Here I am, Lord, move me..." I took note of my cell phone loudly ringing in my purse on the passenger's seat, yet chose to ignore the unknown number & continue singin' down Yakima Avenue...


Turns out, as I was relinquishing control and giving up my plans and anxieties to the Lord, a staff member from the College Success Foundation was calling to extend an interview invitation to me. Not only was this any ol' interview, but an opportunity to discuss the opportunity to serve in my d.r.e.a.m position with a company I have been itching to become more involved with. Long story short [except my stories are never ever short...just ask my busy yet incredibly patient husband] after praying with our dear community Bible study group, driving 265 miles, jamming to 75 Bruno Mars songs, participating in  two interviews, multiple awkward interactions at LabCorps and six hours of nothing but twiddling my thumbs & making shallow conversation with employees in the staff lounge, I happily accepted the full time position as the College and Career Coach at a local middle school. And I couldn't be more excited and grateful for the opportunity to pursue my passions, gain new experiences, and most importantly, serve, empower, and love on my middle school students in the days, months, and year to come.

[Hooray!] 

God is so very faithful! And I am so very stubborn. 

Crafters Anonymous

Our lovely summer of being footloose & fancy free has come to a screeching halt and year two has officially begun! I must say we were rather spoiled with 43 days of honeymooning prior to having any real-life commitments or responsibilities...besides applying SPF & deciding what we were going to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner while adventuring in Costa Rica, Victoria, BC, and all throughout Eastern and Western Washington. Livin' the dream, footloose & fancy free, folks.


But fear not. We are now making up for lost time in the land of responsibilities and Jordan has re.immersed himself into his never-ending powerpoint slides, lectures, and reading assignments. Oh, the joys of medical school!


As for myself, I am slowly acclimating to life in small town USA while learning how to cook three meals a day and make our house a home. I am also frequenting the local craft stores. Frequently. Better yet, obsessively. There's a bit of strategy in going to so many craft stores in so little time. You see, when I look up a new address and make myself drive there, I'm getting more familiar with the streets & layout of the city.  And then once I'm there, I must go in and sneak a peak at the clearance items. Because this lady cannot buy anything full price & who wants to miss a good deal on patterned fabrics & scrapbook supplies?

[Photo courtesy of Pinterest.]

So there it is. I have been in Yakima on and off for just a couple weeks now, and can already confidently tell you where every craft store is located, and which ones have the greatest clearance sections. I can also tell you where the craft section is located inside our super gigantic local Walmart store, and boy, is that the place to visit for a good deal!


Jordan is spending his day in a classroom, while I spend my day walking the aisles of Craft Warehouse, adding to my already-overflowing bins of art supplies. To each their own!