let the craziness begin.

as much as i am looking forward to 2009, it is going to be one of the craziest years yet. i'm finishing up my bachelor's degree in communications, striving to become a youth pastor, helping start up a whole new way of conducting youth ministry at my church, going on multiple trips with EPIC youth (one of which being africa), as well as working a real job and pseudo interning at another. this seems so insane and out of control, but as i sit here and type about it i am becoming super excited. i cannot wait to see what this year is going to hold for me!

i am so glad to have such an awesome group of friends by my side through this madness. the people i've been spending most of my time with lately seemed to sort of come out of no where. we were all friends before, but we've sort of become this really tight click (a term i am using losely in this context). it feels really strange to me to be the oldest of this group, too. for so long i was the youngest of my group of friends, and now i'm taking on a whole new role in the group. some people may think that i am a little weird for spending so much time with these young ones, but for the first time in my life, i'm ok with people thinking odd of me. if you for just one moment stopped to listen to these kids, you would see that they have more insight into God then most people my age. while my close group of friends has an average age of 16, i carry on amazing conversations with them about life, faith, callings...its pretty amazing.

i love how close we have become, i love how close me and my cousins are, and i love still having my best friend, Alisha, to share life with. no one can replace my friends, their my family.

the first.

welcome 2009, we've been waiting for you! this year i rang in the new year with most of my best friends. we hung out at sam and jake's, ate some food, played some taboo, and watched the ball drop. afterward, we all decided to pull an all-nighter and watch the first sunrise of the new year together. unfortunately, this plan failed miserably when the fog was so thick that we couldn't even see the sun. oh well, at least we tried together. the only thing that could have possibly made the night any better would have been lorelyn.

i cannot wait to see what 2009 holds for me and my friends. i am so happy to have the people i do have with me. i love sharing life with them, and 2009 is going to be no exception. below are some of my goals for the new year...what are some of yours?

1. learn to play a key other than G on guitar well.
2. keep up with my laundry as to not have the laundry monster.
3. live more of a carpe diem life (thanks crystalina!).
4. no chipotle. this one is going to be hard, but i'm doing it with my friends. =)
5. go to the gym at least once a week.
6. watch the sunrise from our hill with lorelyn and friends when she gets home.
7. give what i spend money on more thought.
8. spend time with friends/family at least once a week outside of youth and church.
9. give to STL and my church regularly.
10. save money to go to zimbabwe. start saving for missions trip next summer and to visit mary in new york.
11. get a good job once my stay at chevron is over.
12. move out on my own. for real this time.
13. keep up on emails with friends that live far away.
14. continue to make monthly playlists with mary.
15. continue to keep studying the Bible in check with katrina & others.
16. to learn to let the dumb things go and to give up "being in charge" more.

that's it for now. if i think of any more, i'll post them then. =)