From the 2000's

The last 10 years…
The first ten years of the millennium have been ten years of massive change in my life. Ten years ago I was in middle school and preparing to go on my first overseas trip: to six countries in western Europe! I am very blessed to have the life I have today and it would not be like this but for everything that has happened. These are the top (fun and life changing) things that have happened in the 00’s.

10) June – July 2000 – I travelled to Western Europe with the People2People program (England, France, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium and Holland). It was when I first realized how much I like travelling and started a new obsession.

9) May 2004 – I graduated from high school as a Teaching Fellow and the recipient of the Sempre Fidelis Award in Music. This is a day that probably should have never happened based on the life I was leading at the time, but I am thankful that it did.

8) April 20, 2008 – My 22nd birthday and the day that a good friend proposed to me. He had been a friend to me since I was eight and was perfect. It was a quiet thing, without many people knowing, but it was totally right. Eventually, we might have even told my parents. ;-)

7) July 2008 – Moving to South Asia. I am really thankful for the opportunities here and the people I am meeting and getting to spend time with. There are spectacular sites, and spectacular people. It makes for a truly eye-opening experience.

6) October 2009 – Due to an unforeseen series of events, I became the head of the music department at my school. During this time, I was very stressed out at points, and going nuts, but managed to get through the RSM exams and then all the way to the end of the semester (with our dept secretary missing for a month of that!). And now, here I am, starting my first semester as HoD, and praying that I am able to fulfill my duties in a responsible way that allows the students to succeed and everyone to not go crazy.

5) May 20, 2008 – The day Michael passed away. It was an awful day. And while it was truly awful, it was another one of those ‘defining’ days in my life. When you realize that not everything will go as you plan it and God has other things in store.

4) Going on a Crossroads trip to this amazing country in which I now live in December 2007. During that trip, I learned a lot. I realized that this is where I am supposed to be. This trip is what influenced me to find a job and move here. And I’m so glad I did.

3) Living in New Zealand – Almost every day of this experience was amazing. My #1 on this list being one of them. From celebrating my 21st birthday on a street corner in Sydney, Australia, to sitting around with my flatmates in NZ, to eating banana pancakes with some more American friends, it completely changed my life and made me a new person. I saw so much of God’s beauty in that country. I am thankful for every single person I met, and every single thing I did during this time.

2) May 16, 2008 – I graduated from college. There were times that I did not know if the day would ever come. And times that I was POSITIVE it would never happen. But it did, and I am so thankful for that.

1) March 8, 2007 – Pastor Steve preached on forgiveness and I realized that forgiveness is what was holding me back. I forgave the person that hurt me most in my life and my life has not been the same since then. I literally felt a weight lift off my shoulders that night.