in case you did not realize...

Since this week is known to many around the world as "the week of love", and since I am a newly engaged (eeeek I love saying that) person, I thought that I would share the story of Chase and I and then some insights I have learned from my engagement infancy. I could probably write 6 different posts about the past five and half years that Chase and I have been together. However I will spare you the torture and just keep it to this one short post.

Chase and I are high school sweethearts. We met for the first time at the end of our sophomore year of high school volunteering after school for an event. Over the next year or so we got to know each other a little bit more and the conversations that we had with each other were always uplifting and fun. He was such a sweet boy and I loved being in his company. Those conversations soon turned into group outings, many hours of tennis and disc golf together, and time spent getting to know each others' families.

Going into our senior year of high school I did not think that I wanted to enter into a dating relationship. I was taking a heavy load of schoolwork, applying to different colleges, and the thought of having to possibly end a relationship with a person who I had come to enjoy and respect because of distance and growing apart was not something I was ready and willing to do. At the same time Chase and I really had grown close and during our senior year we decided to take the plunge and begin to tread the dating pool waters.

High School Days

I decided to go to NC State for my undergrad career. Chase was torn between VT, Charlotte, and NC State for engineering. He ended up (to my relief) choosing to go to NC State. He said while we were in high school that it was because it was the best engineering school in the state. Later on he would confess that it was also because he could not imagine not following the girl he was slowly falling in love with. College was an amazing period of our lives where we grew up, grew our relationship together, and made tons of amazing memories. It was really hard sometimes, but we took the bad times in stride and worked through different things and learned to love each other through our faults. Before we knew it graduation was upon us.

College Days

Well my graduation that is. Chase decided to take an extra semester to graduate in order to take time to focus on his classes and learn the most that he could to be the best employee he could be after graduation. With my undergrad career over and my vocational calling leading me away from Raleigh to go to graduate school, our close relationship of the past four and a half years quickly turned into a long distance relationship full of commutes, emails, phone calls, and FaceTime.

Graduation

It was stretching time, but one that I would not have traded for the world. It was in this time that we sat down and had a long discussion about life, goals, and ambitions. This discussion led us to the decision to pursue a marriage relationship. After many prayers and long days Chase finally got a job with an amazing engineering firm which had an office in the same city where I am finishing graduate school. About a month after Chase made the big move, after we both settled back into this new routine of living in the same city, and after some time to get used to new jobs, Chase asked me to marry him.

Reunited Again

It was the perfect proposal for us. I had always thought I would have liked a more public proposal. However after having an intimate dinner just with the two of us talking about life, and hearing Chase take his time telling me how much he loved and cared about me before proposing, I realized that I was wrong and that having this as something we shared together was perfect.

Newly Engaged 

We both have loved where these past five and a half years have taken us on our relationship journey and are excited about this next step in life. Everything is still so new and we have enjoyed this past week sharing the news with family and friends. I am sure there are so many more things we will learn as our years tick by together. For now though I thought I would share a few lessons we have learned about deciding to be engaged "young" as some people have termed it. Some things are funny, others are serious, but all have taught us to take life with a smile and just enjoy the moment that we are living in!

- School and work still goes on even if time stops in your mind -

- People will want to see the ring more often than wanting to ask about you and your fiancé -

- Take all the vendor recommendations that you can because wedding planning is crazy -

- Lean on your friends and family and let them share in the joy with you - 

- Start thinking in terms of we and not me -

- Yes it is possible be married and in grad school -

- Enjoy your engagement and don't forget that this is a fun time to prepare your souls for a lifetime together - 

Happy Valentines week to everybody. Remember that this week does not have to be about being in a relationship. Take time to pamper yourself, your friends, and your family. EVERYBODY deserves to be shown love, not just your significant other :)

Have a Blessed Journey!

-S

i am one of "those" people now

I was born to love science. Ever since I could remember I was always outside in the woods or playing in the dirt or catching fireflies on sticky summer nights. It just made complete and logical sense that when it came time to go to college that I would major in something to do with science. And so I did. I am proud to say that I received a Bachelor of Science degree from NC State University in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. I loved every single solitary second of it, and was glad that I chose the science route.

My friends and I used to always joke around (okay so maybe most of the time we were being serious) that we [the science kids] were the ones that were doing all of the work. Unlike the people in the humanities department who just had to read and write papers, we were the ones slaving away in the chem labs or over hundreds of notecards with complicated formulas and proteins on them. We were glad we were not "those" people since they would have no chance of a job upon graduation. Where was reading and writing going to get them anyways we said to ourselves as we flipped through flashcards of muscles and ligaments.

As fate and the good Lord would have it, just a year later I am now one of "those" people. In my decision to come to divinity school here at Wake Forest University I have made the complete 180 degree turn from the science world into the world of humanities. Believe me, it was a bit of a culture shock. I am slowly learning however just what it means to be a student of the humanities.

On any given day you can find me curled up in my recliner, or wedged in the back of a busy coffee shop reading for hours on end. My pile of colorful highlighters and pens sit by my side at the ready to make sure I have all the necessary passages at my fingertips. If I am not reading, then I will most likely be writing. My nose deep into my macbook pro, my eyes bulging from staring at the screen a little bit too long, and my fingers beginning to cramp. From reading reflections, to research papers, to defending a thesis there is never a dull moment nor lack of work to be done. However life is just not about work. I have found great delight in sharing community meals with my classmates, participating in intramural sports, and joining together in good secular fun to shake off the stress of the semester. Being one of "those" people is actually quite exhilarating for both my mind and my spirit.

I can say with much confidence and pride that I am now one of "those" people. I would not trade the change for anything in the world however. For when I am done with this chapter of my life I will not only be a woman of science who has knowledge of atoms and anatomy and genetics; but I will also be a woman of ministry who has the knowledge of theology and ethics and pastoral care under her belt. I will no longer be one of "those" people, but rather my own person. I will simply be Sara, the girl who has a interest in science, a passion for ministry, a love for baseball and the outdoors, and a girl who enjoys the company of her peers.

So for those of you who look down upon or judge the others across the hall or in the building next door, I challenge you to take a peek into their world. You never know, you just might fall madly in love and make it part of your life's journey. It is amazing what can happen when you just open up your heart and your mind.

Have a Blessed Journey Y'all

-S

fun in the sun...

For most people in high school and maybe even some colleges, this past week has been their spring break. However, for us NCSU students, our spring break was way back at the beginning of March when it was still the middle of winter in NC. When I arrived home from school there was snow on the ground, and the weather outlook did not look promising for the rest of the week. So what is a girl to do? Go to the beach of course!!!! A bunch of us loaded up in a little car with swim suits, sunscreen, board games, magazines, and fishing gear and went to Cocoa Beach Florida for a few days of fun in the sun. The weather was still a little bit chilly, but compared to home, it was sunny and perfect for some lazy days on the beach.

While at the beach there was plenty of catching rays on the sea shore, long walks on the beach, great dinners, ice cream adventures, board game competitions, putt-putt games, shopping, and long life chats. I am very thankful to have a good friends and guy by my side that I can just pack up and go have fun with and that help me grow not only in life, but also in my faith in the Lord.

Sometimes the best therapy is a little beach therapy. Relaxation from school at its fineist.

So glad C could join in the fun. Love this kid.

I loved spending a week with this girl. She is such an amazing person and I am so lucky to know her. Life chats and funny stories with her make my day!

The boys doing what they do best...fishing!! I don't think they could get enough of it. 

One of the many plates of yummy food we ate on the trip at local eateries. Homemade Italian was one of the best.

More fishing. This fish was particularly cute. 

A cold night of putt-putt with the boyfriend. It was a lot of fun though and I actually did not play as horrible as I normally do. Those golf lessons must be paying off!

The week that was spent in Cocoa Beach was one of the best weeks so far this year. School is absolutely crazy as graduation ticks closer and closer and so having time just to get away and have some fun was essential. I hope that one day soon, we can make trips like this together with friends a tradition! However, for now it is back to reality and preparing myself for graduation in a about a month, program directors meeting this upcoming weekend for Passport camp this summer, and preparing everything for Divinity School this fall. I hope that everybody's spring break, whenever it may have been was relaxing and rejuvenating. And I also pray that your journey is blessed!

-Sara

run run as fast as you can...

I am still alive! Just in case you were wondering. Blog had to take a backseat for a little while so my focus could be on a couple of things that were a little bit more important. But anyways, I am back and will be doing my best to catch everybody up on the happenings on what has been going on in the world of Sara. 

This past February, Chase and I ran in the Krispy Kreme Challenge. For those of you that are not local or that have never heard of the KKC, let me explain. This is a race that has been occurring at NCSU for a while now to benefit the NC Children's Hospital. The basis of the race is the run 2.5 miles from the bell tower to the local Krispy Kreme, eat a dozen doughnuts, and then run 2.5 miles back to the bell tower. They have modified the race over the years and have recently added the "casual runner" category for the wimps like me who do not want to eat 12 doughnuts before running back. Something about that just does not seem appealing to me. I have participated in this race for the past 2 years, so of course I was all in again this year, and Chase decided to join me! 

The weather for the race was super cold, and by the time we had finished I could barely feel my fingers and toes. However, we both survived and had a blast once again helping out a good cause and getting in a good workout at the same time. I am looking forward to coming back to Raleigh next year as an alumni and rocking the KKC once again. Maybe even and S&C tradition in the works? Who knows. Only time will tell!!! Below are some pictures for everyone to enjoy. 

I ran the race as a casual runner. That meant that I ran the 5 miles, but instead of having to eat the doughnuts, I could bring them home with me and enjoy them on my own time. 

Chase and I the morning of the race. Did I mention that it was cold? Look like a swimmer with my running cap on, but it was totally worth it to keep my ears warm.

Good tunes are a must while running 5 miles. My old-school ipod and I are starting to become good buddies :)

The golden reward!!! It was totally worth the run to get these little gems. The sweet taste of victory.

We ended up running the entire race from start to finish in 57 minutes. That included waiting in line to get our doughnuts. For not that much training I felt pretty accomplished.

In other news, I am still working hard to finish out this last semester of undergrad and preparing myself for the next three years at WFU Divinity School. I have a busy summer of camp planned again, so that will be good to keep me busy, but also to prepare my heart for ministry. I would ask for some prayer requests though. Not for me but for a close friend. Everybody goes through crazy times in their lives when it seems as if you are being pelted with nothing but bad news, and a good prayer community is always helpful. So a prayer for peace, courage, and wisdom would be most appreciated! As always I hope that this day finds you well and that your journey is blessed.

-Sara 

five weeks in...

Now that I am starting my fifth week of the semester, I have nearly finished my first round of tests, and have pretty much gotten aquatinted with how my schedule is going to go this semester with school and work, I can take a step back and breathe. In case you were wondering, this is my last semester of undergrad!!! I am sad that my journey here at school will soon be over; but I am more than excited to know that I will be spending my next three years in a place where I can grow and learn not only academically but spiritually as well.
So what does a girl do her last semester of undergrad? Well for this kid I have been soaking up the athletic events, spending quality time with friends and loved ones, and taking all the random classes that I have been wanting to take for a while, but just did not have time in my schedule for. This semester I am taking 2 science classes and a lab to finish up my degree. They are Cellular Biology, Developmental Anatomy of the Vertebrates, and Biochemistry Lab. They are not the most amazing classes I have ever taken but they are interesting and they were a must have this semester if I wanted to graduate in May! I am also taking 2 random classes and a PE. Those random classes are Introduction to the Study of Religion and Women's Health Issues. The Religion class is work, but fun work. A nice change of pace from cellular mechanisms and pathways if you ask me. I really enjoy Women's Health Issues. It is an online class so I can kind of learn it at my own pace, which is super fun. I really am learning a ton of facts in that class. My PE is golf class. I am taking it with Chase. I originally wanted to take Social Dance class, but somehow over the course of class planning, I ended up taking golf instead.  Clearly he now owes me dance lessons since I am learning the pastime of golf (which after playing softball all my life isn't going super great).  However it is a challenge that I am tackling head on and I am determined to walk away from it with a few new skills learned!
Speaking of tackling! (like how I did that there?) tonight is the Super Bowl!!!!! Us girls and guys here don't have anything really planned for the big event. Probably just gather around the tv with chips and desserts and settle in for the night. There also will probably be some homework involved. We all have tests coming up this week. I know we are such nerds sometimes. I do not really have a favorite to win. Probably going to go with the 49ers just because I like their jerseys better (yes that is how I pick football players and teams for fantasy too, and it works most of the time). To be quite honest, the SuperBowl is my favorite football game because it means that the season is over and it is time for Baseball season to start soon!!!!! Ah I cannot wait for opening day!! Well enough my my rambling and confessions for the time being. I will leave everybody with a couple of pictures of what has been going on this semester. Everybody be safe and warm! And of course I pray that your journey is blessed!

-Sara

 At college gameday!!! It was long, but worth it.

All of us trying to get to college gameday. It had iced and snowed the day before so the parking lots were still frozen solid. I can now say that I have "slid" into the basketball arena.

Date night with my handsome fella. Chase received a bow-tie for Christmas so we used it as an excuse to dress up and go out on the town. It is so nice to be able to get away from the hustle and bustle of life for a few hours and hang out with him. 

silence...

They say that silence is golden. I don't always agree with that statement, however over the past week or so I have come to realize that a little bit of silence can actually be a good thing. Well, Internet silence that is. For you see, because of a few certain events I have been without a computer, and therefore without all of the comforts that I have become used to. No Facebook, twitter, blog reading, or picture uploading. Tough right? Actually not really. I really enjoyed not being tied to the piece of metal that was always at my side during the semester at school. Instead I had time to focus and be with my family and recharge before the new semester kicks into gear in the next little bit. I have to keep telling myself in the future when things start to get hectic, "silence is golden, silence is golden, silence is golden." 

So what has been going on since the semester has ended. Well let me play a little bit of catch up and tell a little story...

My break started off with the meeting of this little girl. Meet the new addition to our family. Her name is Sadie and mom and dad adopted her from the local humane society. She is all puppy at the moment and she sure has brought a new level of energy into the house. She does something new and funny every single day. One of those new things happened to be that she realized that she liked to chew on power cords. My computer power cord to be exact. It was totally my fault for leaving it in a place where she could reach it, but it was still a little horrifying to realize that your cord is now in two pieces instead of one. Thank goodness for Amazon. 

The next big thing that occurred was that I decided that Wake Forest Divinity School was the school that was the best fit for me. I cannot put into words the excitement that I am feeling in my heart right now. These next three years are going to be a new adventure in my life, but I have a feeling that they are going to hold some of the best memories of my life so far.

I also was able to spend some quality aunt time with these two special kiddos. They bring such joy to all of our lives. They can be crazy at times, but I would not trade a minute of them for the whole entire world. Getting to spend a few days with them was certainly a highlight of my break. I look forward to getting to spend some more time with them this semester. i have a more flexible class schedule so I fortunately will get to watch some of their basketball games and dance recitals. Did I mention that I was one proud aunt?

 Christmas time came and went so fast in the Bumgarner household. Seriously, it flew by. By the time everything settled down it was the 29th and everything was a blur. I received some special and sweet gifts this year from family and friends. I am such a blessed woman. I cannot begin to thank and express the love i have towards all of the people in my life.

Finally, the family was able to kick back and relax a little bit after the swirl of the holidays came and went. Some long time family friends came up from the east coast and we all went to their cabin. Us kids enjoyed the winter weather activities while the moms went shopping and the dads cheered on some of their favorite football teams. It has been a while since I had been tubing and ice skating. I am not the biggest fan of cold weather. However I had a blast out there in the pouring snow and enjoyed the quality time I was able to spend with everybody. I hope that we can make this a yearly tradition.

As the new year begins I am looking forward to all that is to come. This year holds a lot of unknowns, but I know that I will be on the path that is right for me in the moment b following the faith that I have deep in my heart. New chapters and adventures await me. Bring it on 2013. I am ready for you. I hope that everybody has had a great holiday season, and as always I pray that your journey is ever blessed.

-Sara

a little yummy in your tummy...

What?!?! Two blog posts in three days? Yeah I know, crazy right? I just decided that sometimes you have to choose yourself and your sanity over school, life, and all the craziness that comes with it. Hence, I blog. Blogging makes me happy, and happy girls don't lose their minds and go loopy (if you got that reference then good for you :) ). 

If you follow me on Instagram, you have already seen this picture, but I wanted to share it with a broader audience. I love to cook and I feel at home in the kitchen. So when I find a recipe that is yummy in my tummy, and semi-good for me (yes just semi good) I tend to make it a lot and take pictures of it. So I shall share this little bit of love with everybody and the recipe for if you want to try it out yourself. It is called Poppy Seed Chicken and it is a recipe that was given to our apartment by my roommate Michele's mother. It is quite simple to make and your taste buds will enjoy every bite of it. If you try it out and like it feel free to share the love with your other friends, and also be sure to tell me how it turned out for you. Like I said I love my food!

Poppy Seed Chicken Recipe 

- 2 cups sour cream

- 1 can cream of chicken soup

- 2 teaspoons of poppy seeds

- 3 cups of cooked and chopped chicken

- 2 cups crushed Ritz crackers

- 1/2 cup butter

Mix sour cream, cream of chicken soup, and poppy seeds. 

Add chicken and place in greased 9x11 dish.

Combine crushed crackers and butter in small bowl.

Sprinkle over the chicken mixture.

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

Enjoy and Love!!!!

Praying for everybody to have a wonderful week. It is going to be a crazy one for us here at State. Get out and enjoy this rare warm weather that is going on in NC. And as always I hope that your journeys are ever blessed!

-Sara 

choosing joy...

Before I go on with what I wanted to talk about today I will give everybody a quick update with what has been going on in the world of SB (that would be Sara Bumgarner).

• I finished my applications to divinity school. The waiting game has officially begun. Hopefully I will hear back from them within the next 6 weeks. Fingers crossed and prayers going up everybody!
• I found that even though biochemistry is going to be the death of me and my brain this semester, I actually really enjoy the material. My inner nerd comes out to play on MWF. 
• I spent Halloween night lying on the floor surrounded by papers finishing my lab report, which I passed with flying colors :)
• I am counting down the days until i get to go home and eat good yummy food cooked by my parents. It always tastes better when they make it instead of me. 

Well now that you are all caught up on me, I wanted to tell you of a little choice I decided to take part in this month, hoping that it will carry over into my life in general. I am choosing joy. That is it. I am choosing joy. I am currently in a bible study at school and we are studying the book of Daniel. Wow, is Daniel so much more than just a guy being thrown into the lion's den. Over these past 11 weeks I have learned so much about how to live in this world that puts so much focus on the material things, how to *really* talk to God, and how to prepare my heart for the future. I am sad to see this series winding down, but oh so blessed to have been able to soak in all of this wonderful knowledge. 

In reading Daniel, I discovered that he chose joy over a whole range of other emotions all the time. He was a captive in Babylon, and yet by choosing joy and trusting in God, he also became a very powerful and influential person. So this month I am choosing joy. Or at least trying my very best to. Don't get me wrong. Choosing joy is difficult sometimes. But by making that choice, I have notice that I have had a smile on my face more often and that I am being more positive about the things going on in my life. I have begun to take notice of all of the little things that make my life that much more awesome. Bring it on world, I am choosing joy over you. You cannot bring me down...at least not very much :) I am still human ya know! Below are just a few pictures of the little things in the past few weeks that have made me smile. Enjoy and smile along!

When my car battery died, my computer system in my car reset. So to calibrate the compass this is what it told me. You know how hard it is to do this in the middle of Raleigh? Yeah it was interesting.

My roommate Nicole turned 21! In celebration she found this yummy ice cream cookie concoction on Pillsbury's website. It was sooo tasty! But it was very difficult to get out since it had ice cream and had to be kept frozen. 

My parents and sister and her children came down to the state fair. The little ones decided to jump on the trampoline. I caught this little munchkin in mid air and just realized how much fun she was having. Now that is pure joy. If only we could be like this as adults. Children can teach us so much.

I will try my very best to keep the blog more updated. As always, no promises, but I will try my best. Until next time I will be praying for everybody to choose joy over other emotions. And of course I pray that your journeys will all be blessed.

-Sara

life and everything with it...

Chronicling your life in web based form seems so easy from the outside looking in. I sometimes get envious of the other blogs that I read as I see them updating their sites weekly, or even daily. Why can I not be like that? Then is dawns on me that I am a senior in college, majoring in Molecular Biology, applying to and visiting grad schools, volunteering on the weekends, staying involved in bible study, being an active member of our student wolf pack club, keeping up with school work, somehow finding time to watch my favorite TV shows, and still being able to have a social life. I am a busy lady. But I am a busy lady with purpose. My OCD tends to kick in when things get crazy in my life, and the blog just tends to take a back seat to everything else. I miss blogging and sharing my adventures, so it is always wonderful when I get a couple of hours to sit down and let my fingers fly on the keyboard. So while I have the time I wanted to update everybody with what's been going on in my crazy life. 

Mainly, I have been consumed with school work. I am taking a class called biochemistry this semester and it will kick your butt if you don't stay on top of it. I like it, but I do wish sometimes it was a little less time consuming. I rejoice in the fact that I have some lovely ladies in that class who hate studying as much as I do, but who are committed to their work like I am as well. We sure do have some fun study sessions. 

Along with school assignments I am also squeezing in time to complete grad school applications. I feel like a high schooler all over again filling out the same questions on all of the applications and trying to pick out the best formed sentences for my essays to submit. It is stressful but I am praying that my hard work will pay off in the long run. Normally if you walk into with the girl's apartment, or the guy's apartment across the way (the boyfriends are living in the same apartment complex as us ladies this year!) you will usually see this sight below. Oh boy senior year, what are you doing to us?

I am loving my second year of apartment life with these two wonderful ladies. Getting to spend this chapter of my life with them had been heaven sent. I really don't know what I would do without them. They make laugh, keep me grounded, and are there for me no matter what. I sure am going to miss them deeply next year. Even though I am busy I try to find moments to soak up some precious moments with them. Roommates for life!!!!

I also have been doing a little bit of cooking and baking. Well, scratch that. I have been doing A LOT of cooking and baking recently. When I get stressed I clean and cook. So you could guess pretty correctly and say that the apartment is clean and there is always some sort of sweet treat on the kitchen counter. These are the gifts that I have been blessed with. I have accepted that I have no musical or super athletic abilities so I just run with what I have. I think these gifts will pay of and multiply in the long run.

As a senior this year, it is a little bittersweet to realize that these are my last season in the student sections. With that in mind, I was super excited to find out that for the first home football game, our group of friends scored front row seats!!!! Ive never been able to sit that close to the field before, so it was a real treat. Everything looks so different that much closer. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute and will continue to bask in the glory of senior life as my student section days start to wind down.

Then there is this guy! A few weeks back we celebrated our 4 year anniversary of dating. Its funny to think that we have been in a 4 year long relationship. In this day in time it is hard to find marriages that last four years. To be able to have a man by your side that respects you and treats you well is such a blessing and I pray a prayer of thanks every day for what we have. This season of life of being in college and progressing in a relationship is so sweet and I absolutely love it. I have learned so much and grown so much in four years. I don't know what the future holds, but if it does contain this kid, I won't have very much of anything to complain about. He is simply put...spectacular.

Even though I have been busy, I have tried to find the time to take a break from the hustle and bustle and try some new things. This school year I have visited a beach that I have never been to before, finally gone to the NC Zoo (yeah I know I am 21 years old and have lived in NC all my life and never been to the NC Zoo), and the biggy... learned how to cut hair!!! For four years I have asked to cut Chase's hair. He gets his hair cut at home with clippers since he tends to keep it super short. There is no reason to go to a salon and waste money when people at home can do it for you. Anyways, last week was the first time in four years that when I asked, he said yes. It was much to my surprise, but needless to say I was excited to learn. I feel like this is a skill that I need to have in my back pocket. No worries, I did fine and Chase's hair turned out good. I think it took three times as longer as it normally does, but hey I am learning. Look out world, Sara the barber is on the loose. 

Finally, in this crazy season of life I am cherishing the fact that I have been given the great opportunity to be a part of the Wolfpack. These years of college have been amazing and so much fun. They have shaped and molded me into the woman I am today. I will always look back on these years with great pride. Nobody can beat the sense of spirit that NC State gives. Go Pack!!!

That has been my life these past few weeks. I told you it was crazy right!?! Thanks for sticking with me reading the blog. I am hoping to write more regularly, but I cannot give any promises. I also want to thank everybody who has given me the love and support with my life choices this past month. The cards and messages and words of encouragement have been overwhelmingly wonderful. I know this is the right thing for me and I am so thankful for the support and guidance from those around me. I will be sure to keep everybody posted and updated with school choices. Right now I am in the process of filling out applications, taking the GRE, and visiting some of the schools I am applying to. Hopefully I will hear back from some of the schools after the start of the year. Prayers are much appreciated during this time of applying and choosing. More importantly though I pray that everybody is having a great weekend and that this upcoming week will fill you with encouragement. And as always, I pray that your journey is ever blessed. 

-Sara

have you ever had a time when...

Have you ever had a time when you just felt you were not in the right place? Not like you were lost, but instead just not fulfilling your potential. Ive felt like that a couple of times in my life. For me I feel it in my conscience and it will just not go away until I do something about it. One of these feelings started in me about 6 months ago...but I did not start listening to it until now.
For the greater part of the last 18 months I have been trying my best to do everything in my power to prepare myself to start applying to Genetic Counseling Graduate School. It is something I thought I wanted to do, and had lots of support from friends and family. However things were not falling into place and I was becoming discouraged. I was becoming stressed and taking it out on the people around me. It was then that everything started changing in my mind. I had the chance and I took it to become a certified crisis counselor, was offered the summer job that I had been praying for, and started mending relationships. I did not understand why at the time exactly why I was feeling so much better. Later I realized it was because I had put grad school thoughts on the back burner and decided to come back to the idea of it later.
Fast forward a couple of months. School is over and I am preparing myself for camp this summer and spending a couple of weeks by myself at home. On one of those mornings I was enjoying some quiet time reading on the front porch when it hit me. I am not supposed to be a genetic counselor. I am supposed to be something else. Something that will impact the world and the people in it for the better. But what? I really did not know the answer to my own question at the time, but I knew who did. During the entire summer I contemplated what I was supposed to do with my life. I talked to a couple of trusted friends in the Passport world and with my friends and family and prayed to the good Lord above. By the end of the summer I had my answer, and it made me happy and scared and excited all at the same time.
Friends, my life is about to turn in a whole different direction. For no longer is this senior at NC State majoring in Molecular Biology and Genetics going to be a Genetic Counselor. No, this girl is going to do something totally different. I am excited to announce that in the next couple of months I will begin the process of applying to seminary in order for me to become a medical chaplain. It is a job that will allow me to be in the medical field which I have always loved, and also be able to be in constant contact with people, while also serving the Lord in the best way I know how.
I am really excited about this choice. I know that it means another 3 to 4 years of school, but I don't think that will really matter at all once I am in my field of study helping those in need. It is passion of mine to help others and to make them smile. I have a feeling this is going to be an awesome adventure and next chapter in my ever changing and growing life.
I wanted to thank everybody for their support who I have talked with so far. The encouragement has been overwhelming and it is fantastic knowing I have a team behind me who is always going to be there for me. From my pastor, to my parents, to my boyfriend, to my best friends I say thank you. From the bottom of my heart thank you.
So I raise my imaginary glass (of water because I don't like wine) to toast to new beginnings, a new school year, and a new outlook on life. I pray that wherever any of y'all are at on your life journey that you will always remember that God is there for you and so are your friends. Love you all so much and I will continually be praying for you all. And of course I hope that your journey is blessed. Good night y'all!!!!


-Sara

reflections...

This summer has been filled with memories. Memories that I know will fade in the future, but for right now they are sharp and vivid in my mind so i want to write them down. From this past summer of Life Together I will take away:
     
 1. On kids team you will always be asked by campers to eat meals with you, no matter how sweaty or smelly you are at the moment.
 2. Disney songs are the best for road trips!
3. A certain pair of Keens will always smell no matter what you do to them.
4. Whenever you need someone to talk to there are 13 other people around you willing to lend a listening ear.
5. Worship with children is loud and squirmy, but the best nights of worship I have ever experienced.
6. Sometimes not knowing all the answers is okay.
7. When the Bachelorette is the favorite sow of the team...you know you have an incredible team.
8. Turning puddle jumping after a huge rain storm into a time of worship and fellowship showed me that you can encounter Christ in ANY situation that you are in.
9. Having chaperons that come to camp and act like campers themselves always makes camp that much more exciting, fun, and awesome (I hope I can be like that some day).
and finally....
10. Knowing that hundreds of seeds have been planted in the hearts of the children, chaperons, and staff this summer. I am looking forward to seeing what those seeds will produce in the near future.

Like I have said a million times before, I loved my job this summer. From the people I was honored to work with, to the campers that I was blessed to have been a mentor to this summer, I will not soon forget them. Camp is over now as you can imagine (since I am having time to blog) and I am slowly getting back into the routine of "real life".  It is so weird waking up and not putting on one of the 5 tee shirts that I have worn all summer, or walking into the kitchen and not seeing 13 other people dressed in the same thing as you. I will not miss the food, but I will miss the fellowship. My team rocked, and they will all hold a special place in my heart.

Coming home from camp I had a lot on my mind and on my heart. These past two summers at camp have changed me...for the better, and I am excited to see what my future brings. For now though I have to focus on finishing up my senior year of undergrad!!! Oh my word did I just say that I am a senior? It cannot be...ugh...but yay...but ugh. When did growing up start happening so fast?!!?!?!?! (Sorry for the minor freak out, it had to happen sometime)

I do have an important announcement to make though. I will save it for another post later this week. It is some big news that I want to share with everybody, so stay tuned and alert for another post.

Thank you so much for keeping with me this summer even though I only posted once. The love I felt through snail mail, Facebook posts, and phone calls was overwhelmingly amazing. All of my friends are top notch and the best a girl like me could have. Love you all so much!!!!

I pray that everybody has had a great summer, and as you are winding down to go back to work or school please remember that you are in my thoughts and prayers. And of course I pray that your journey is forever blessed!

-Sara

water is heavy...

As a disclaimer I just want to thank everybody for bearing with me as it has been a month and a half since I have traveled to the blogging world. Camp is fun, exciting, fantastic, stressful, tiring, and truly a blessing all at the same time. Doing "Life Together" with the Passport community is one of the most special gifts I have ever received. However, doing life together can be time consuming and it can take practice and patience. I am finally at a place where I can take a breath, take in my surroundings, and really soak in all the wonderful things camp can give me. I have a feeling that camp this summer is really changing me...for the better. It really is the best job.

Life Together. That is the theme for camp this summer. As a Bible Study Leader I teach 5th and 6th graders what it means to Encounter Christ, Embrace Community, Extend Grace, and Empower on a weekly basis. I get to play football, make sweet potato cookies, paint masks, and run around like a kid myself at rec party. I am and will always be a Green Triangle. I have the task of being a friend, mentor, counselor, and eating buddy at all meal times. I also get to hang out with a bunch of great people (13 others to be exact) who all love their jobs as much as I do. We eat together, travel together, worship together, cry together, laugh together, go crazy together. This is what Life Together is all about (check out just how awesome our team is by these pictures!).

Camp hits you in many ways. As a person helping make the camp run, you encounter things that the campers may not. For example, we watch the same mission videos every week. By the end of this summer I will have watched them 7 times. You would think they would get old...but they don't. In fact there is one line of one video in particular that just strikes me every time I hear it. Our missions emphasis this year is Watering Malawi. It is an organization created to help empower the people of Malawi to have clean water solutions in their towns to help them with easier access, better schooling, irrigation systems, and much more. In one of the missions videos a line is said. The line is simple, only three small words. "Water is heavy". How can three simple words attach to me like that? I think it is because I teach my green triangles every week about loving your neighbor as yourself and empowering people. How can I and we as a nation love the people of Malawi and empower their gifts when they are having to give up their time to go walk for their water (which isn't always clean water), while I am here using clean water right out of the tap?  Water is heavy...

I do not have all of the answers to this problem, but I do know that this summer Passport campers and staff are really helping to make an impact on this problem. Life Together means helping showing the love of Christ through actions and words. I am so blessed to be a part of this community this summer. I love my team, I love my campers, I love what I am taking away from this place.

I pray that you all have a great rest of the week and that your journey is blessed. As you go about your day just remember and realize all the times that you use fresh clean water. Then think to yourself these three small words that carry such big meaning...water is heavy.

-Sara

when there is nothing else left to do...

Memorial Day is such a sweet time in my mind. It is the perfect excuse to go thank the troops if you have never done so before. They do so much for our country and I think that they are some of the bravest people in the world. I have also always loved Memorial day in the fact that you always get to have some fun on your day off. I grew up next to a military base and almost every single one of my friends were in military families. Therefore there would always be parades to attend, pool parties to go to, and bbq to consume. This year was just a little different for some reason. For one, I am no longer living next to the military base, I am not working my summer job just yet, and my parents were both working (crazy right!). Being my crazy awesome self I discovered that during my day of "nothingness" that was memorial day there are two things that always have to happen.

First if you have a day of nothing to do, and you are a girl, you must paint your nails. Like I have said before, a fresh coat of color on your fingers and toes just makes you feel like a new person. It peps up your mood and makes you feel like your girly self. It also is pretty darn relaxing if you ask me. It force you to sit still and not get into anything. I like to use this time as part of my "quiet time". I can read my devotion and pray and just be still. And by the time I am done, not only is my spirit refreshed, but my nails are refreshed as well!

The second thing one must do on a day of nothingness is...COOK!!!! I personally love the kitchen. I love to jump in and try new recipes. I like to get my hands dirty. I also love the final product once it comes out of the oven and it plated on a pretty dish. Oh yeah and of course I love to eat my creations!!! Since mom and dad were both working on Memorial Day, a big bbq or grill out was not the best idea. I cannot grill, and dad was worn out by the time he was finished with what he was doing. And I know by experience that it is no fun to have to cook when you are dog tired. So I got out my trusty cookbook and went in search for a new recipe that I had not attempted before. I ended up making Shepard's pie. It is a family favorite that we had not had in a good while. It is a super easy fix and very yummy. It is all of your food groups in one dish as well so once you are done cooking it you are ready to eat. My favorite part of making the pie was making the mashed potatoes. In our family we love real homemade potatoes. They are just so darn good! We also enjoy making more than we know we are going to eat so the next day we can use the left overs to make potato cakes. If you have never had potato cakes you are missing out big time. All they are are potatoes with an egg and some flour mixed into them to make them stick a little better. Then just fry them up like a pancake. Boy my mouth is already watering. I may just have to run to the fridge after I am done typing to get my hands on one. They are that good!

In the process of making the mashed potatoes!

Once again I send a shout out to all the troops for all for their hard work I wish I could have celebrated my Mmemorial Day more patriotically, but I think the day turned out great anyways. It was fun and filled with family, friends, and laughter. I would not have had it any other way. I hope everybody else had good memorial days as well and that you are back into the work week with high spirits. I love you all and I pray that your journeys are blessed.

-Sara



there is a time and a season for everything...

First off, my apologies for lack of posting these past couple of weeks. I have not forgotten about the blog. In fact, there were many days that I wished that I had access to a computer, or energy to upload pictures so I could make a new blog post. But alas, life sometimes has other plans, and that is okay. Since I have gotten home from school I have been going non-stop. I have probably spent more time in a car than on my feet for the simple fact that I have been going so many places. I only have a short window of time before I head off to camp for the summer, so I have been trying to see and visit with as many people as I possibly can. At first I felt kind of bad for being gone so much away from my family. I know that they want to spend time with me as well before I am gone all summer. Then I realized that in life, there is a time and a season for everything under the sun.

There is a time and a season for best friends and road trips and laughs. Two days after school got out I was on the road to VA to visit my best friend Katie. She is so wonderful and I am glad that she let me crash at her house for a few days so we could hang out and catch up. We also went and visited the campus of VCU. It is one of my potential grad schools so it was nice to go and see where I might end up next year. The visit was also filled with good food, good laughs, and good TV shows. She gets me. That is why we are friends.

Check out our new VCU shirts. I made the investment so maybe I will get in. I can always hope.

There is a time and a season for children and little ones. I love kids. Ask any of my friends and they will tell you that it is true. So I am a very happy girl when I get to hang out with my niece and nephew. They have and still continue to give me wonderful practice for the day that I have kids of my own. I was lucky enough to get the change when I got back from VA to be a chaperon on one of my niece's field trips. They were traveling to Lazy 5 Ranch. Now this was an experience. For one, I had never been a chaperon before, and two, I have always wanted to go to Lazy 5 Ranch. Needless to say the day was fantastic!!!! I think I may have even enjoyed it more than the little one. If you have never been to Lazy 5 Ranch and you live in NC, then go check it out...like today! 

The little one and I on her school trip. Love her!

There is a time and a season for adventure. When I get to catch up with my Passport staff friends from NC it is always an adventure. We do not get to see each other very much since we are scattered at different schools during the year, but when we do see each other we have a blast. Before the summer kicks into gear we decided to see each other in Winston and catch up on life. Of course this included seeing a movie after dinner. We saw The Avengers in 3D. The movie was awesome, and it was my first experience with 3D. I enjoyed it very much. After the movie we enjoyed cookout milkshakes, pictures, and tons of laughs. I love those kids and would not trade them for the world.

NC Crew!!!

There is a time and a season for missions...and fun! Not very long after I got back from VA, did I turn right around and leave again on another trip. This time it was with my college class at church to middle Tennessee to do some good old fashion mission work. Wow was it fun!!! No Internet, sleeping on the floor, and being physically exhausted at the end of each day. Sounds like it would be horrible, but actually it was more rewarding than anything I have ever done. I would so go do it again. I did not even think to take pictures of the stuff that we did, but I did snap some pictures when we had a little break. We went to the falls that were nearby and had some good fun.

The lovely ladies of the trip

 The falls!!!!

There is a time and a season for celebration. Sorry no pictures for this one. Saturday Chase and I celebrated my birthday early. My parents bought us tickets to go see the show Riverdance. It is their last USA tour so it was a special treat. Chase and I made it a day trip by leaving early that morning, then catching the show, then shopping a little, then enjoying some yummy olive garden for dinner. I just love spending time with him. He is so sweet to me.

So that is what my summer has been like so far. I am now resting up for the next week and a half before I go to camp. Mom and Dad are grateful for me actually sleeping in my own bed for more than one night. I kind of like it as well :)  Stay tuned in the next couple of days for a memorial day post. It is my turn to cook dinner tonight and I am excited about the new recipe I am going to try. YUMMMY!!!!

Love you all so much and of course I pray daily that your journey is blessed!

-Sara