This year has been one adventure after another. I experienced a lot throughout this year and I wanted to share some of the great moments of my 21st year of life. Enjoy.
1. Turning 21. I am all grown up. I had a blast celebrating my birthday with my incredible friends and family. This was a fun weekend full of laughter. Thanks to all of you that made this a memorable celebration!
2. It felt so good to complete the 2011 spring semester. Talk about a stressful time in my life. Things were stressful but in the long run it was totally worth it. I couldn’t have made it through without some good friends by my side to remind me to laugh.
3. Life with the folks at the Lutheran Campus Ministry will forever be the best part about being a student at Bemidji State University. I am actually getting a little teary eyed as I reflect on the friendships created through this ministry, the spiritual support that I was given, the laughter shared, and of course all of those meals consumed. (I guess this one includes more than just last year)
4. BH2O+ 2011! Some friends and I planned BSU’s second Be Hope To Her event last spring. It was a joy to raise awareness around campus about lack of accessible clean water in developing countries. We raised some money for wells and walked around campus with large yellow buckets on our head. The event ended with everyone gathering in a circle to talk about their thoughts on the event. This was one of the most inspirational conversations that I have ever taken part in!
5. A third trip to Guatemala. I skipped a week of classes but it was totally worth it. What a joy it was to see the community of Nueva Guatemala again. I love being “Choosea!” I also really enjoyed our delegation and I was ecstatic to spend a week with good friends who I rarely see.
6. "Nothing compares with the simple pleasure of a bike ride." -John F. Kennedy I rode my bike a lot this past year. It was good.
7. A year of dreads. I cut off my dread locks, mostly because they wouldn’t fit under my graduation hat. All in all, I really miss my dreads. I wish that I would have kept with it for at least one more year. They are gone now but my year of dreads gave me a lot more confidence in myself.
8. Graduating (kinda)! I walked at graduation last May even though I still had two semesters left. My time at BSU had come to an end and I wanted to walk with the rest of my Social Work Cohort. This was a fun celebration and I am glad that I walked at this graduation ceremony.
9. A second summer at Wilderness Canoe Base. After taking two summers off for other adventures I was thankful to return to camp for another summer. I truly appreciate this community and was happy to be reunited with this place. WCB always helps me to center myself. After such a hectic semester it felt good to take lots of time to myself reexamining my goals, motives, dreams and beliefs. I am also thankful for the new friendships created this summer and the old friendships that were strengthened.
10. Life as a canoe guide. I had the great blessing to lead some truly incredible kids through the BWCA this summer. I still cannot believe that I actually got paid to go on these trips! My favorite trip was a short three nighter with a group from the Plymouth Youth Center. These kids had never been canoeing or camping, never made food over an open fire (some had never had s’mores), most had never spent a day without their phones, and one girl had never jumped off of a dock into a lake. All of these new experiences made this trip challenging at times and meant more work for me but it also meant that everything was new and exciting. These kids had been through some pretty rough times. They all knew hardships through growing up in foster homes, moving to new a new country, losing loved ones due to violence, gang involvement, and becoming a mother at seventeen. For this week this group had the opportunity to be kids again, to paddle, swim, play, and enjoy the incredible BWCA. I will never forget this group and I am thankful for the few days that we spent together!
11. Paddling the border route from Seagull Lake to Fort Charlotte and completing Grand Portage. I carried an aluminum canoe 8.5 miles with a nasty infected in-grown toe nail. Yuck. Physically, this was the most difficult thing I have ever done. If I can do this, I can do anything. I really appreciated the support of my campers and my co-guide on this trip. We had a great little community of support and because of that we were able to accomplish one great adventure!
12. Finding a new home in Duluth. I had a blast getting to know this new city and I cannot wait to return!
13. The Loaves and Fishes community. The Bible story about Loaves and Fishes is all about sharing what you have with others. My experience with this community was just that. I lived at Olive Branch from August to December. This was a trying experience at time but that did not stop me from falling in love with the people living and working within this community. I learned so much from everyone and I feel so blessed to have found another family within these houses of hospitality!
14. CHUM. I spent this fall as an intern for Churches United in Ministry. This is a homeless shelter that provides people with their basic needs, works towards stabilization, and strives to bring about social change within the community. This was an incredible learning experience that has truly prepared me for wherever the future may go. I loved being a part of CHUM for those few months.
15. Shane Claiborne Event. While working at CHUM I was able to be a part of the committee that planned the Fall Community Assembly. The speaker for this year’s assembly just happened to be one of my favorite authors. I really enjoyed planning this event. Everything ran very smoothly and it was exciting to meet Shane in person. The best part of this event was that my Mom, my pastor, and two of my friends drove up from the cities to see Shane speak. I was so happy to share this event with people who I love.
16. All Souls Day Parade. I learned how to stilt walk this fall! For all souls day I joined a troupe of other stilt walkers and together we lead a procession of about 50 or so people. We made some awesome skeleton costumes and strapped on our stilts, leading the group up and down a cobblestone hill at night. This was such a fun event. Moving to Duluth I never thought that I would learn how to stilt walk. I am so excited about this new hobby and I cannot wait to master some higher stilts.
17. Lake Superior. I feel very drawn to this big BIG lake. In September I went for a dip with some friends and two of us decided to make it our goal to jump in to the lake every month of the year. So far, we have completed September-January. I am excited to complete our goal next winter.
18. New Years at Camp. This was my 6th New Years that I have celebrated at Wilderness Canoe Base. This celebration was full of broom ball, winter hikes to the bear cave and rock wall, a winter bonfire, polar plunges, good friends, jam sessions, card games, and much laughter. This trip was especially appreciated this winter because of the lack of snow everywhere else in the state. I was pleased to get a small winter fix before running away to Swaziland for several months.
19. The first two weeks of the new year. I spent these two weeks enjoying time with good friends and family. I had a blast traveling around the state (and WI) and catching up with friends. I would like to extend a big thank you to all of you who opened up your homes, dorm rooms, and schedules for me. I enjoyed sharing meals, having good conversations, playing games, and going on adventures with each and every one of you. I love you all.
20. Returning to Swaziland. Finally after 2.5 years I have returned to Swaziland. The trip is just beginning but the first few weeks have been incredible. I feel so blessed to be reunited with friends and to see this beautiful place during the Swaziland Summer months.
21. Working with Timbali crafts. I am spending my final semester working with Timbali Crafts in Swaziland. I am very excited and thankful for this incredible opportunity.
If you know me well you know that I am a dreamer. A lot has happened this year. All of these new experiences and relationships have allowed me to dream even more about the possibilities of the future. Thank you to everyone who made these experiences possible, thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout this incredible year, thank you to everyone who has joined me on adventures and dreamed alongside of me. I cannot wait to see what dreams will be brought to life in my 22nd year of life!
It is a little sad for me to think about not being home for my birthday, but when I reflect on this year I realize that every day has been a beautiful celebration of this life. I love you all and I am so happy I have had the blessing to celebrate life with you.
Many of you have helped me celebrate past birthdays with Charity Water. If you are interested in donating again the link to my birthday campaign is http://mycharitywater.org/p/campaign?campaign_id=23215
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