The gift of friendship!

I spent this past week with my best friend in the whole world...Erin!  I drove to Charleston last Thursday and came home today (Wednesday)!  There is nothing like spending time with your best friend...the person who supports and loves you the most.  We had a lot of fun and were able to squeeze in A LOT of the touristy things that we were not able to do back in January...and we had a lot of them to do!

Friday we rented bikes and rode them around downtown Charleston, having gelato for lunch (a bit of Charleston...and a bit of Italy), and enjoying the sunshine!  The most amazing thing about Friday morning was that while we were having breakfast it was dreary and cloudy outside, and Erin thanked God for the "beautiful" day during the blessing.  Now, it was NOT beautiful outside...yet...but we had been praying that we would have gorgeous sunny days to spend together outside doing all of the Charlestonian things we wanted to do.  By the time we were dressed and ready to head out for our day....IT WAS GORGEOUS OUTSIDE...blue skies, white puffy clouds, and an abundance of sunshine!!

After bikes we walked around the market and looked in some shops!  Our night was spent at this restaurant on Shem Creek (after a short wait on the AAA guy to get the keys out of the car!)!  Then we went to a rooftop bar and hung out with Lacey, one of the other child life specialists!

Shem Creek Sunset

View from Red's (the restaurant)

Saturday was another jam packed day for us!  We started our day at the Farmer's market where I would totally buy ALL of the fresh veggies every weekend and they had yummy smelling food and cool jewelry/crafts/decor!  We didn't eat anything though because we were on our way to lunch afterward!  We did buy some fresh kale (to make kale chips later) and squash!  It was a gorgeous morning to be walking around looking at all of the fresh produce and such.  Charleston has an amazing network of farmers and markets and restaurants that support the local farmers!  We then headed to Fleet's Landing for lunch where we saw dolphins, had amazing food (especially the creamy grits), and just relaxed and enjoyed our time together.

Fleet's Landing

After our lunch we made our way to the boat for our Harbor Tour!  We had the most awesome tour guide who is a retired history teacher!  He was a GREAT story teller and it was so much fun!  It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon.  My favorite parts of the tour were that he told a lot of fun historical facts and then going under the Ravenel Bridge!   After we took some pictures and then headed home to get ready for the SEC football alumni party at Mellow Mushroom! It was so good to meet more of the Child Life Specialists that Erin works with; especially Morgan.  That night we watched "The Conspirator", inspired by our history teacher that afternoon. 

After the Harbor Tour

Sunday consisted of church and the beach.  Erin and I decided that we are going to be beach volleyball stars in the Rio Olympics...so be there to watch us! ;)  The beach was good...and I got a good bit of sun (a little too much in some spots (tummy, legs, etc).  It was SUCH a beautiful day!   After the beach we went to two of Erin's favorite hidden gems of Charleston and had some beautiful views of downtown and then some beautiful homes! Sunday ended with a yummy dinner and a movie (The Odd Life of Timothy Green).  The movie was good and a great story of adoption!  Adoption: a topic coming up a lot lately in my life!  I still believe that God is preparing my heart for something...

Monday was a sadder day because it meant that Erin had to go to work!  However, I went to the beach, coded some videos, went for a walk around Erin's complex, and then got ready to meet Erin downtown for dinner and a "ghost" tour!  First we went to The Battery so that Erin would have a beautiful backdrop while I interviewed her for my Italy project.  Then we went to dinner at this place with the most amazing wraps with fresh veggies that are grown in Charleston...AMAZING...loved it!  Then we went on our ghost tour, which I do not buy into, but we had fun and learned some history about the city.  THe coolest story was about an earthquake that happened in Charleston many years ago.  The picture of it resembles the pictures of September 11, 2001.  The weird thing is that the picture of this earthquake appeared in Harper's Bazaar on September 11th of that year.  CREEPY...here...see for yourself!

Finally, came Tuesday....my last day in Charleston.  IT RAINED ALLLLLLL DAY LONG...flooded downtown (people were literally canoeing and kayaking on the streets of Downtown Charleston).  I had lunch with Erin's friend Matt and watched a movie.  For our last night together Erin and I made dinner, watched "The Lucky One", watched the season premier of "19 Kids & Counting" (and the new conjoined twins show), talked, and just enjoyed our time together.

My favorite thing about spending time with Erin is just simply being with her.  We NEED to live in the same city...life is so much more fun when we are together.  It is so wonderful to have a best friend that you can just be yourself with...never fear them judging you...a friend that supports you, loves you, will tell you the truth...a friend that just makes you smile!  God has given me a beautiful gift by giving me Erin.  I'm going to miss that girl more than anything while I am in Italy!

My niece Maddie

My niece Molly

 Maddie was a sweet girl all week and slept between us.  My last night Maddie slept right against my back most of the night...my sweet girls!  It was sad to give them bye kisses today because I definitely will not see them until late next year!

My drive home seemed like forever...waves of tears...falling asleep...learning Italian...listening to Atlas Shrugged...and OF COURSE made my stop at Steak-N-Shake for a small chocolate shake (a road trip must have).

This was the first of my goodbyes...definitely one of the hardest...
**Unless Erin can make it home at the end of September...but from here it is all down hill...a lot of goodbyes to come so I apologize if the blogs are depressing for a bit!

Adoption...a beautiful, wonderful thing!

A sweet couple that I know (well, I don't know them that well, but they went to church with me in Tuscaloosa) is looking to adopt a beautiful baby boy from Ethiopia.  This is a God given desire and something that they have been praying about for many months, and maybe even years.  Adoption is expensive and they are a young couple.  The husband is the middle school minister at our church in Tuscaloosa (and the son of our pastor) and the wife is a beautiful, sweet, loving, wife and student at UA.  They are adopting through Lifeline here in Birmingham I believe (a Christian adoption agency), and are using a website suggested by Lifeline to raise money for their adoption process.  This (fundraising) was not an easy choice for them to make (see a blog she has written), but they prayed about it and have decided to proceed this way and allow God's timing and provision in raising the money. 

God is so good to lay it on the hearts of loving, kind, Christian couples to adopt.  I am going to put the link to their blog and fundraising website.  If anyone wants to help, I know that it is going to a family who will appreciate it more than words can say.

http://joybaby1.blogspot.com/
http://www.youcaring.com/fundraiser_details?fundraiser_id=4922&url=thejoyfamilyadoption

One day I hope to adopt a child, or two.  I love to see a couple who has a heart to love the children who do not have earthly families to love on them! 

Cheerleaders

I am so grateful to have so many wonderful people in my life; people who are continually cheering me on and encouraging me!

Many days I am fighting discouragement and a sense of inferiority.  As I read through other Fulbrighters blogs from this past year I have a range of emotions: excited, encouraged, discouraged, inferiority, curiosity, frustration, and I constantly find that the saying, "comparison is the thief of joy" is BEYOND true!  I often feel like I am Fulbright's experiment; I feel like they said, "hey! This girl has very little experience abroad and is from the south.  Let's throw her in and see if she can swim!"  I am constantly having to remind myself that God opened this door and that He is with me.  I find myself quoting Brother Billy from Valley View all of the time; "God does not call the equipped, He equips the called!"  I can find many things in my life that have equipped me for the upcoming journey I am about to embark on, but yet I still find myself feeling inferior to the previous Fulbrighters.  They all seem so intelligent, well traveled (internationally I mean), eloquent with a second language, and well, prepared.

Things that have prepared me for the upcoming journey:
1. Moving to NYC with no job and no apartment...but that was easy...it was NYC...I LOVE LOVE LOVE NYC 
2. My month in Florence last November
3. Italian minor at UA
4. THE THESIS PROCESS!! Bleh!!
5. Years of dance and all that came with it
6. My child development classes/experiences
7. Lesson planning for children
8. All of my amazing travel opportunities

I know that there are more and God will continue to show me how he has prepared me for this adventure.  I am feeling sadness already about leaving.  I am going to miss my friends and family so much, and I am terrified of not finding people I get along with and want to spend time with on a regular basis!  I am fearful that the other Fulbrighters will not like me or that I will not fit in with them.

Most of all, I am afraid of failure.  I have never truly failed at anything; that is NOT to say that I feel I am perfect or that I have been perfect at everything I've ever done; what it means is that I do not feel as though I have ever fallen FLAT ON MY FACE!!!  I fear that this is that time...but even as I type this, I feel the Holy Spirit asking me, "how?  how will you fail when I am with you?"  God's unfailing love will surround me...He will keep me safe as He is my rock, my fortress, my shield, my protector, my provider, my healer, my shelter from the storms of life, my strength because I am weak, my comforter, and the one who knows my every need/pain/hurt/joyful moment/everything.

I am so grateful for the cheerleaders in my life...the ones that God has placed in my life for various reasons and in various seasons!  I do NOT let go of people easily, and I am so grateful to have the most wonderful people in my life that love on me, support me, encourage me when I need it, hug me when I want it, help me dry my tears, make me laugh through my tears, and are there to tell me that everything is going to be okay!  While I know that I depend on God 1st, I believe He places these people there for a reason!  So thank you, to all of my cheerleaders:
My momma & daddy, Erin, April, Mrs. Malissa, Kelly A., Maria H-R, and many, many others who have been encouraging me via facebook, text, and in person!! I am grateful to each and every one of you! 

I have decided...

Today I was driving home from the library and I am still having mixed feelings about Italy!  I am just dealing with nerves and fears.  However, I heard this remake of one of my favorite hymns, "I have decided to follow Jesus" and I just felt like it was the Lord telling me that I made the decision to follow Him and this is where He is leading me!  While as humans we hate to leave behind family and friends, it is part of following Jesus sometimes.  Italy is not a permanent thing, but it is what is coming up; it is 9 months where I am sure that I will be tested, I will grow, and hopefully will come back stronger and more dependent on Jesus than when I left.

**These are the lyrics for the new contemporary version!**

"I Have Decided"

I have decided to follow Jesus
I have decided to follow Jesus
I have decided to follow Jesus
No turning back, No turning back

I will follow You, I will follow You, I will follow You my God
I will follow You, I will follow You, I will follow You my God

Though none go with me still I will follow
Though none go with me still I will follow
Though none go with me still I will follow
No turning back, No turning back
I will follow You, I will follow You, I will follow You my God
I will follow You, I will follow You, I will follow You my God

The world behind me, the Cross before me
The world behind me, the Cross before me
The world behind me, the Cross before me
No turning back, No turning back

I will follow You, I will follow You, I will follow You my God
I will follow You, I will follow You, I will follow You my God
Yeah, I will follow you, my God

Mistakes

God never makes a mistake.

His will is perfect.

He has gone before me and He will go with me.

These are all things I know to be true, so why do I feel like I am in the middle of a huge mistake?  First of all, there is nothing that I could have done to make this happen!  God opened doors and made a way for this to happen, and HE DOES NOT MAKE MISTAKES!!

Why am I so afraid of failure?  I feel like I am going to fail at speaking the language, at living there, at being an assistant teaching English (English?? with high school students?  really??  ME??), and a failure at being away from home for such a long time!!  I've always wanted this, and I have been handed the most beautiful gift and opportunity, so why am I having such a hard time.  Why do I just want to sit here with my head in my hands and cry until I cannot cry anymore; something I have not done in a year or so!

I'm scared...I feel lonely already...I miss home/family/friends already and I have not left...

I want to soak in each day...every moment I have...I feel like my time is slipping through my hands and I cannot get a grip on it!  It's like that toy we played with when I was little...the tubey things filled with water that you squished and they would slip right through your hands...that is what my time is like!  Last night my Bible study was about being busy and ignoring your Bible study time and/or not living in the moment of each day!

I have 8 1/2 weeks....