Slow your roll!

3,750 miles.

13 states.

18 days.

Welcome to my September!

This month I was privileged to be able to visit my forever-and-always friend Summer in Tennessee, enjoy chats with my kindred spirit Charity in Indiana, have coffee with Super-Proverbs 31-Momma-and-Wife Brittany, say goodbye to my darling Joseph before he left for England, meet up with the Lovely Loveall Ladies to take Bekah to Master's Commission in Chicago, journey from Indiana to Kansas City with my dear & favorite Katie, catch up with my mentors and dear friends Todd & Candy & their beautiful family... AND spend a few days with my beloved sister, bro-in-law and fantastic nephew in Kansas. I have the best people. I'm convinced.

Another (read: primary) purpose of my travels was to retrieve my possessions so I could bring them all HOME with me. Yes, this lady is settling down for a while, in a sweet little place called New Jersey.

Now I'm back, I'm moved in but by no means "settled" in yet, looking for a job, sleeping on a very comfortable floor with heaps of blankets for comfort. The pace of my life has been bordering insane levels, but I am looking forward to a day in the hopefully-not-so-distant future when my life will demonstrate some sense of "normalcy" once again. Not to say I desire a normal life. I don't, hopefully never will. But let's face it, we all need to find a sustainable pace at which to live so we don't burn out. A burnt out Megan (or you) is of little value to anyone.

Is this post a little random? Probably.
I'm not even going to proof it, because it is what it is. And what it is is an honest write-up of where I am right now. And where I am right now is Panera. In a physical sense. But that's not what I meant.

Beyond tired.


Have you ever blogged while feeling a little crazy?


*megan

the canyon that is rather grand

I am super behind on posting. I had a few weeks of feeling very unmotivated when it comes to my writing, but I think I'm back on track now.

Sooner rather than later I hope to share some of the my summer journey with you all. On 3 occasions now I have forgotten to grab the cord to upload pictures before heading to a spot with WiFi.

One highlight of this summer was returning to the Grand Canyon! I've had the privilege of seeing it not once but twice in my life! Some people will never make it out there, so I don't take the opportunity to have done so for granted!

I had so much fun with the Bethel "youthies" at the Canyon. I nearly had a heart attack about 20 times as I watched the boys (and Pastor Brian) climbing around like monkeys (a few of them in SANDALS, no less!) but even still it was a blissful day!

Again, I hope to post more summertime pictures soon, but I'll just leave you with these few for now. This next one is my favorite! I was so proud of myself. It took a lot for me to climb out to where it was taken. As I posed with my arms raised I was trembling in fear of the height from which I stood. But I did it!

Many thanks to Brendan (follow his artistic self on twitter: AVibrantBlaze) for capturing this terrifyingly thrilling moment in my life!

When's the last time you were terrified and thrilled at the same time? Hopefully it hasn't been too long. It's good for the soul!

*megan

Take A Hike!

I enjoyed everyone's participation on the adventure poll! Here's the results:

47% of you chose hiking as your adventure-of-choice.

Skydiving came in second place (23%).

Terrifying.

I don't think I would ever sky dive unless someone else's life depended on it (If MY life depended on it, I'd likely choose death closer to the ground). I am pretty sure I don't have it in me. I am not much of a thrill-seeker to begin with and I'm afraid of heights. Bad combination. Honestly I'm a little anxious just writing about this, so I'm going to stop now.

I like hiking and I'm glad it was the number one pick. There is something so wonderful about being out in nature, the artwork of God. To those who care to listen and observe, God reveals His divine nature through the complexity of creation:

For ever since the creation of the world His invisible nature and attributes, that is, His eternal power and divinity, have been made intelligible and clearly discernible in and through the things that have been made (His handiworks). So [men] are without excuse [altogether without any defense or justification]. -Romans 1:20 (AMP)

Creation is not divine, but God's divine fingerprints are certainly all over nature. If you doubt His existence, take a hike. Literally.

Seek and you will find...

*megan

Outdoor adventures...

I've decided to add a weekly poll to my blog (well... we'll see if I can keep up with it weekly!) and write a little blurb about the results on Fridays.

This week's question is about outdoor adventures!

I take a lot of heat for being a "city girl" residing in a small town in Iowa, but city girl or not I do have a deep appreciation for the great outdoors! I have gone fishing with a home-made fishing poll & hot dogs as bait (and I take MY OWN fish off the hook thank you very much). I enjoy rafting, canoeing, boats of all kinds and tubing too! I have hiked mountains in New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Arizona and California and have slept under the stars at Lake Tahoe. I have swam under waterfalls and explored caves, gotten muddy and loved it. I'm far from strong and I am an expert at none of the above, still I cannot help but love outdoor adventures!

I'll admit I like wearing makeup and fixing my hair and wearing heels and other "girly things". I like coffee shops and art museums and shopping and music festivals and other "city things". But I've got a bit of adventure woven into my DNA, too. I think we all do - it's just easy to let it lie dormant in our fast-paced, work-oriented culture.

Hope your adventurous spirit has been stirred today! Don't forget to vote on the poll at the top of the page!

*megan

I said I wanna touch the earth, I wanna break it in my hands

I wanna grow something wild and unruly

-Dixie Chicks