As a Christ follower I believe we are made to live out of our comfort zone. It is out of our comfort zone that we experience the Comforter and it is here we realize that all we need is Jesus. God is so beyond faithful and will always provide... we just may experience some major growth and lessons along the way. How am I living out of my comfort zone, you ask? Exactly. I don't feel I am. But before I begin preaching, let me back track. When I was two my parents got divorced, but by the time I was six both parents were remarried and it wasn't until my teenage years that I began to realize how incredibly blessed I am to have grown up with four parents. My parents preached and prayed scripture over my siblings and me and taught us that Jesus is the only thing that can be our number one.  From being a foster home in high school, to attending a summer camp in Missouri, to attending numerous volleyball camps in and out of state in which I didn't know anyone else, my parents taught me that life's greatest blessings come when we learn that all we have is Jesus and that He is the same everywhere. When the time came to choose which college I wanted to attend, my parents opened up a map of the US and said "Go! Wherever you want!... Just make sure you end up marrying a guy from Texas" (to which I stayed obedient to).  As most of you know, Villanova was the university I chose. After committing to Villanova fall of my senior year of high school, I was overwhelmed with feelings of excitement and anxiety. But fall 2008 arrived and I found myself in the small, private Catholic school that sat about 25 minutes outside of Philadelphia. Fast forward four years and how would I describe my college experience? The time of my life? A complete blast? Nope. College was 100% uncomfortable and challenging the entire time. From feeling like I was one of a handful of Christians on the entire campus for the first couple years, to having a less than successful personal volleyball career, to breaking my right arm twice, to playing a division 1 sport while attending nursing school, to being 1500 miles away from my family and boyfriend, to living in the liberal northeast that was much different from the conservative, southern town I grew up in. College was HARD for me. However, my college years were characterized by times of some serious personal and spiritual growth.  There were times I experienced such deep, hidden loneliness despite constantly being surrounded by people and my teammates who I loved dearly. I so clearly remembering waking up and crying out "Lord, give me the strength to get out of bed today." However, I am an unbelievably blessed and undeserving girl for I have some of the most amazing people in my life. I knew without a doubt that my parents, my boyfriend (who is now my husband), his parents, and others in our families and friends-that-are-family circle praying for me every single day. Praise the Lord that He also put some people in my life at Villanova to encourage me spiritually, it just took a while for me to see it. (Thank you,  Lord, for the Victory in Christ Varsity Athlete's Bible Study! And of course for those sweet friends that helped me along the way) Let me say again, our God is SO good and SO faithful even if we can't see him at times.  Now of course, don't get me wrong, I met my best friends in college and even though we are all very different, we took care of each other and I am forever grateful for them (and our group text that goes off about every other day).  I also am beyond grateful for the opportunities and life lessons my head coach gave me through volleyball with traveling,  getting an incredible education at a prestigious university paid for, being a part of a team, and being something that I am beyond proud of on my resume.  When I make it sound like college was miserable, it wasn't! It was.. just.. uncomfortable and a major time of growth in my life. But again, I adore my three college room mates and our circle of best friends with my entire heart and I am beyond proud of their accomplishments after college. UH AND HOW INCREDIBLY GORGEOUS ARE THEY?!

Ever since I was seven years old, I have journaled my thoughts/prayers/events of the day such as "Today was a good day" (yes, that was an entire journal entry at one point). But why a blog now? Why am I putting myself out there for every one else to see and read what I'm thinking. And let's be honest, the people who are taking the time to read this thing very well could end up being my mom, Dustin's mom, and our grandparents. And maybe my older sister will make it a point to say something about it just to make me feel better even though she probably won't have the patience to sit and read this whole thing. Anyway.  Why now? Well, I've been talking to my husband about things that have been brought up while he finishes his very-different-from-mine college experience. I am so passionate about what the Lord did in my life in college that I now throw my hands up in praise because He was at work and I didn't even know it. If God works in my life, why would I not share it with others?

"Give praise to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing of him, sing his praises; tell of all his wonderful acts" (Psalm 105:1-2)

Am I going to use this to brag? I sure hope not. I want to use this blog to share how God is working in our life, our marriage, our families, our friends, just how God works in general. I want to share that He is so good even when we are so undeserving.  As I write this, I am sitting on a comfortable couch, wrapped in a pottery barn blanket, with TV on in the background. This past June I got married to the most incredible man, leader, and servant of God who loves me and cares for me and encourages me. I live in a conservative college town where there are more churches than places to eat (no exaggeration). I work 3-4 days a week as an RN at a children's hospital then what do I do? Oh, I work out, run errands, cook dinner, do some laundry, and maybe do some shopping. I am living a life that is centered on one thing-me. As Dustin and I are at such an exciting times in our life because we aren't really sure what the Lord has in store for us, I am realizing I have ZERO control over what happens. Isn't that always a fun realization for a girl who has had her life planned from day one? Where Dustin and I will be come January after he graduates, I don't know. And by prayer and diving into his Word, I can honestly say I'm okay with that. Again, it is beyond uncomfortable, but I have a God of Comfort who knows exactly where we'll be.