Days off

I don't know why but I have a hard time letting my brain turn off.  It's always been a problem.  Perhaps not so much a problem(it's probably why I've always done so well in school and in sports), maybe more of a nuisance.  It's like that piece of skin your tongue finds on the inside of your mouth and you just can't stop biting at it until the whole of your cheek is messed up.  I am that way with just about every thought that comes into my head.  I play it out in every scenario possible, seeing every angle, every possible combination of results.
It's one of the reasons why when there is a school holiday i try to get away.  It seems to be the best way for me to turn my mind from work related things to others.
Well as I said in my previous post I was just too tired to head out even for a few days this holiday so I am staying put.  Starting tomorrow I will be staying with 4 boys while their parents go back to the states.  They are great kids but I am gonna be honest and say it's probably going to get a little crazy over at the Lane house soon:)  so I wanted to enjoy my 2 days here in Brussels where I did not have to do anything work related.
My normal work schedule is a little crazy so it doesn't always mesh up with many of my friends schedules.  As a matter of fact seeing my friends sometimes involves putting it on the calendar a good month in advance!  I know it's crazy!  So yesterday I took advantage of my freed up schedule and spent a few quality hours with Jenna and baby Olivia(who is now 1 and not so much a baby).  It was so fun seeing Jenna and getting lots of cuddles from Olivia-she often looks at me like I am crazy but she is willing to give me hugs and those pats on the back that toddlers do best!!
Today I had no plans and the weather was alternating between raining and being sunny.  So i decided to go to a cafe that a friend had told me about.  They have free wifi(not as much of a given as in the states) and lots of food, drinks and comfy chairs. I took the tram there so I wouldn't have to find parking and I arrived amidst an influx of people.  I looked around a bit discouraged that all of the comfy seats were taken and I might have to sit on one of the not so comfy wooden chairs.  But i plowed on and ordered my fresh mint tea(yummy) and walked over to 2 men who were sitting with 2 empty comfy chairs.  And as you do in Belgium I asked if I could sit in one of the empty chairs(I may have even been a little too excited and asked in English instead of french but lucky for me A-they understood what I was asking and B-they weren't even speaking french!)
I proceeded to spend the next 2 or so hours oscillating between reading/doing my Bible study and people watching.  Brussels is such a mixture of culture and language.  It is always fun to sit in a public place and listen to the many different language(today I heard english, french, polish(i think), german and swedish)
It was a great day and a reminder of some of the many reasons I love this city

breaks and exhaustion

Breaks . . .
For all of my life (that I can remember) my year has followed that of a school calendar.  First as a student, then as a teacher and now as someone who works with students.  Those school calendars have months of intensity which lead up to a week or two of break.  Today marks the first day of Fall break here in Brussels.  For a brief moment I thought of going on an adventure to visit some friends in Luxembourg and then Germany but I have decided that both my mind and my body need a little break from running and so I will be spending the next week in Brussels while most of my friends and the kids I work with have headed out all over the world for their first real break of the school year.
exhaustion . . .
Thursday night at about 6pm I started to wonder if it was too early to go to bed.  I didn't want to eat or even watch tv.  I just wanted to sleep.  But I knew that if I went to bed at 6pm I would probably wake up at 2am and be wide awake.  So I made it until about 9pm and off it went to bed.  This semester has been amazing and I am just coming off a 10 day visit from my parents which meant lots of new adventures and exploring!  All of that, however, has led me to be really tired.
So this week I am looking forward to sleeping in, cooking good food, catching up with friends I haven't gotten to spend quality time with, and just re-booting!

summer 2012

So for some reason this morning I was laying in bed thinking about dreams.  Not the dreams you have at night but the hopes and bucket list type dreams.  It may have had something to do with the fact that some former Young life friends stopped over for dinner and a late night out on the terrace last night.  The conversation went to jobs-since they are all college students with the type of jobs that will make them a bit of money but they are not what they want to do for the rest of their lives.  I was recalling my days of working at Shelly's back in high school and college where I could not imagine doing that for the rest of my life.  I would sit there answering phones or marking off items that had been received thinking about what I wanted to do in the future.  The world was wide open.  I was young.  I was supposed to have dreams and ideas for the future.  

Somewhere along the line though people are expected to "settle down."  Their time for dreaming is over and they are expected to get a job and get a house and LIVE life like everyone else.

These are the thoughts that were floating through my head this morning.  And then I said a BIG "THANK YOU" to God because that is not the life He calls us to.  That is not the life He has given me.  He does not call us to forget about dreaming.  He does not call is to settle into so-called life and just keep going following the crowd.  He calls us to BIG dreams and to true LIFE.  He calls us to ADVENTURE and CHANGE.  Now all of that looks different to different people because I have met some people to whom adventure means leaving their state and I have met other people to whom adventure means going into the inner city or to others it is going to China to teach english but I believe God calls all of us to a life OUTSIDE of ourselves.  A life where God is evident because it would not be possible without Him.  I was reading in 1 Corinthians today and it says in vs 17, "for Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel-not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power."  It got me thinking that I want to live a life that shows God's power-not empties it.

Ephesians 3:14-21 speaks about how wide and long and high and deep Christ's love for us is.  It is beyond anything we can ask or imagine.  He is in complete control and He wants great things for me and for you!  I just need to remember that-and that is what I am often not very good at!

This summer was a summer of adventure.  

It began right after school ended with a bus trip to Italy with about 40 High school and middle school friends.  The way there was QUITE an adventure that included breaking down on the side of the road for about 5 hours and then making our way to a rest stop to spend another 7 hours waiting for our bus to get fixed.  Once we arrived in Italy we had an amazing week of exploring Pisa and the Cinque Terre and getting to hear about and talk about the life giving love of Christ.

From Italy I headed to the states to visit family and friends.  The first week back I went to the shore with my whole family and we had an amazing week of laughter and fun.  It is so great to be together every summer!  I've said it before and I'll say it again- I have the best(though sometimes craziest) family in the world!  The next 2 weeks I got to spend with friends and family.  It was incredibly life giving to me after a crazy but awesome year of ministry.

Me with my nephews Devon(14) and Tyler(16).  Obviously they know how to grow!

Mom and the girls- we are lined up by age but I won't tell you our age- Just that wanda is a full 10 years older than me:)

the little ones got balloons!

Then I headed back to Brussels to be in a wedding of a friend and volunteer leader, Said.  You probably remember me mentioning him several times in these updates.  He met his wife Katie on our service project back in 2011 and now they are beginning life together in Brussels.  So as you can see-we not only tell kids about Christ but we are also a great matchmaking service:)

Right after the wedding I drove to England to fulfill a lifelong dream of going to the Olympics.  I have always been obsessed with the idea of representing my country in the olympics.  I have always wanted to go and be a part of such an amazing thing.  Now I can dream but I still have not figured out what I could be good enough at to make the olympic team but I decided going and representing as a fan would do for now!

My first event was the women's soccer- USA vs Canada.  If you watched the game at all you know it was one for the history books and being there live was amazing.  I had spent much of my time in the states finding any and all USA/flag things to wear so I could go all out in supporting teams USA.  Needless to say I believe will be in more scrap books than any athlete:)  People from India, Israel, USA, UK, canada, etc all took my picture:)  I even got featured on the USA Today website- here is the picture.  It is me and my high school friend Macey-I was sitting with some good friends, the Mcdowell's from Atlanta, which made it even more fun!

this was the crew on the way up to Manchester-it was about a 4 hr drive each way-well worth it!

after the game the were saying thank you to the fans

 Off to see women's basketball

 watching some cycling in olympic par

at the P&G house 

 The cool cab in the P&G house- there was no seat but I made it work:)

 you could take green screen pics but it was closed so we took our own

 women's wrestling- ask me about it some time.

 me and some friends at the gold medal game

 walking around London was just plain cool!

  It was an incredible week!  I think I am still on the high:)

security

Since we got back from our service project in Greece I have been meeting weekly with a group of amazing high school girls.  Seriously- they are the most amazing young ladies and I am so blessed to know them and be able to share my life with them and I am thrilled to know that they also have each other to live life along side of!
We have been talking about insecurity.  I think it's something we ALL struggle with.  Maybe we think once we are out of high school it will end?  Or maybe when we are out of college?  Or when we get our first job?  or get married? or buy our first house?  The reality is that unless we find our security in something other than these things we will NEVER be secure.  Because degrees and jobs and spouses will always let us down.  They are like shifting ground and if I am trying to find my security in them I will fall.  I need to find my security in something that doesn't move or change.  The only thing I can imagine that will never change is God.  That is what we have been looking at these last few weeks.  Finding our security in the arms of a loving God.  Though other things may come and go.  They may fail me and let me down.  they may cause me to FEAR rejection or failure.  but finding my security in Christ's love gives me FREEDOM.  You may know one of my favorite verses is from 1 John 4:18- "There is no fear in love.  But perfect live drives out fear"
I was in Spain a few weeks ago for our Young Life regional conference and one of the speakers was talking about a time when he realized that his beliefs about God being good were being tested and as they were put through the fire the "dross" was being brought to the surface and his true thoughts about who God was were being brought to the surface.  And those thoughts were not what he thought-the reality was that he didn't believe God was good because if he did he would act differently.
As we have been talking about insecurity/security the dross of my thoughts about life and God have been brought to the surface.  I am realizing that I often look for my security in things other than God and then I get frustrated because they fail.  When I look for my security in other things I FEAR.  I fear failure, rejection, disappointment.  And often those fears keep me from doing things or pursuing relationships.  So this week I am trying to fill me thoughts with the TRUTH of God and His control of all things and I am trying to get rid of the lies that the world often tells me about finding my security in passing things.

Just a fun pic from my time in Spain.  This is the Young Life Madrid crew and me-I am an honorary member since I have been to more of THEIR staff meetings than my own(joke-I am the only one on staff in BXL so I don't have staff meetings-in case you didn't get that)

lots of photos

Over February break I headed to Spain to meet with my new Regional director and to hang out with friends for a few days! Emily and I went to Toledo for the day!

We went to a "hipster" party-I think we did a pretty darn good job with our costumes:)

Fiona came into Brussels for a day and Jenna and I met her downtown for lunch.

A few weeks later Jenna and I drove to Luxembourg for the day to visit Fiona- here they are looking out over the beautiful city

This past week Celine got hitched. This is us after the civil wedding-she was legally married but still had the church wedding to go:)

And now she is OFFICIALLY married-big wedding and all:)

Met these awesome ladies at the bachelorette party where we got to experience the magic of pole dancing-it was hysterical!!:) and continued the party at the wedding!

Young Life Bulgaria reunion at the wedding:)

Another sweet friend whom i met a few years back in Ghent-we got to party it up on the dance floor.

More Christmas vacation

It has been a while but just wanted to share a few more pics from my January adventures across America. It had been quite some time since I have taken a proper road trip-for some reason in Europe a road trip usually consists of planes or trains and not so many cars. SO it was actually fun to drive around and be able to stop wherever. I left PA and headed to Virginia where I stayed with a college friend, Delia, for a few nights. Sadly i did not take any pics. From there I headed to Hilton Head South Carolina where I had lived for a year before moving to Norway. I stayed with my old roomate who is now married and has 3 kids 3 and under!!! it was SOOO much fun seeing her as a mom and just enjoying the sun! I also got to speak in my old church and go to the beach!

From South Carolina I drove to Atlanta where I spent a few days with AmyBeth for a few days. We taught together for a few years back in the day and now she also has 3 kids. and again sadly I did not take any pics but we had a great time! From ATL i flew to California to visit Sarah who used to live here in Belgium. It was so great and I realized why God never sent me to California to live-cuz i NEVER would have left!!:) We even ate breakfast at this little airport one morning and walked out on the tarmack to check out the plains-sarah was a bit concerned that we weren't "authorized" as the sign said but we just acted like we were gonna buy that plane:)

We also went to Santa Barbara and Ventura one day

I got to meet up with an old dear friend whom I hadn't seen in over 10 years. We had gone to middle and high school together so it was such fun catching up on life!

After Cali it was a flight back to ATL where I met up with a BUNCH of dear friends over a few days but again did not take any pics-I am a slacker!!

Then I drove to Florida for Young Life's all staff conference. It was AMAZING and included a night at sea world!!

After the conference I made to 15 hour drive straight through back to PA and then flew back to BXL the next day-fun times!! So that was my stateside adventure!

Adventure

Adventure.

What does the word make you think of? Someone in a safari hat headed off to see the lions and tigers and bears-oh my!? Or spending the week in some exotic place like St. Thomas or Rome or California:)? Does it make you excited or stressed?

While I was in the states over Christmas I got together with some friends who used to live in Spain and do Young Life there. They are now living life in the states. We met for breakfast-a fun adventure that I don't often get in Europe. In the midst of our conversation, as we were discussing the craziness of their life when they used to live in Spain(and it was TRULY crazy), they both mentioned the word "adventure." They were reminiscing about how even though living in another country and working with teenagers is often crazy and sometimes you end up in random foreign towns and don't know where you are:) it is all an adventure. You literally never know what is going to happen next.

The next day I was driving to the Young Life all-staff conference in Florida and I called my old friend and boss, Paul. In the midst of this conversation and me asking Paul how things were going he said he missed the "adventure" of living life in Belgium. He has an amazing life now but there is just something about the unknown of living in a place where you don't speak the language and you aren't really a part of the culture.

Adventure. . . So today I am choosing to be blessed by the adventure that is my life. It is often extremely frustrating and I sometimes end up in tears but it is always an adventure. An adventure that God-who created and loves me and is with me every step of the way- has sent me on. An adventure that, through the tears, has often seen so much laughter and friendships and blessings. An adventure that means that just today I got to talk to sweet friends in Australia and read about a best friends life in Luxembourg and email a friend in Spain. An adventure that in the next few months has me taking a group of 35 high schoolers to Greece. An adventure that also includes the mundane and day to day tasks of grocery shopping, car repairs, work and running to the post office. An adventure that has far exceeded any expectations I could have had for my life.

John 10:10 "The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy: I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."

Let's start at the very beginning

"Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start. When you read you being with a-b-c, when you sing you begin with do-ra-me." Or when talking about a trip to the states you begin with family time!

I had quite the adventure in the states-around 6 weeks of it to be exact. And it started out as any good trip should- with LOTS of family time. We did EVERYTHING! basketball games, shopping, puzzles, playing games, eating, laughing, chatting- and wedid it in abundance. I got home while the kids were still in school so right off the bat I got to go see on of Tyler's basketball games. He impressed me with his 18 points and 20 rebounds- NO DOUBT!!:)

I also got together with 3 friends from High school and we had a blast. We felt like we were back in High school-climbing(because she has a ghetto-fabulous car that has broken seats and has to be started with a screw driver!) into Jen's jeep and driving crazy through the streets of Perkasie-YES,that was us!!:) Finally after 2am we decided maybe it was time to call it quits but it was a blast!

Wanda and her crew got in last friday night after rescuingKari from school:) and then the chaos got taken up a few notches! I think we literally spent every waking moment together. I mean there was a 10 minute time at some point over the next 10 days when I went into my room just for a moment of peace and mom came in asking why I was in the room all alone:) Fun times!

Mom decided to go through 1 of the hope chests and clear it out. So she made us each a bag of items that may or may not have been from our actual childhood-there were too many of us to keep straight:) and told us we had to take them or she was throwing them out. Her I am wearing just a few of the items in my bag. Notice the cute hat, booties and extra special cape! I decided maybe they don't actually fit any more. In case you were wondering there was also a old stained onesie-why she kept it I have no idea and how she could have know to whom it might belong is even more mind boggling.

So in my bag was also the brown sweater that is on the monkey below. In the midst of us laughing about everything mom informs me that there were matching ones for her and dad that my grandmother had given them. This was the point when we realized that she really had no idea what belonged to whom because she remembered that they had worn them when they lived in Vermont- where they lived for 2 years right after they got married and LONG before I was born:) But she got the matching sweater and we took a "family portrait"

here we are getting ready for the Christmas eve service- not sure what is going on but we were obviously having fun!

The following week we headed out to Lancaster for a Green Dragon and Shady Maple run!

And for new years we played the amazing game of Quelf and had pretzel's, nuggets, homemade cake pops and so much more!!

So that is the beginning-more to come!

Exchanges

SO a few years ago I posted this blog

http://marissasadventures.blogspot.com/2009/05/daughter-of-farmer.html

about how I tend to not get rid of things that I think I will be able to fix. Well here I am to verify that sometimes it pays off to hang onto those old things:) A few months back I saw on the Apple sight they were having a recall on the first ipod nanos from 2005. Well I happened to own one of those. It had been a birthday gift from some friends. It was my first ever ipod and I used it all the time until I bought a mac computer a few years later and it came with a free ipod touch. Then it mostly just got used on road trips because it worked with the cheapo device I got at Rice's to play my ipod through the radio. Any how-it was only 2gb and so I was constantly having to change the music/podcasts on it. I am NOT complaining-just setting the story up. So the said ipod was getting recalled. I filled out the appropriate paperwork and waited for an envelope to get sent to my parents house in PA. When I got home for Christmas it was there-waiting for me to put my old ipod in and take to the UPS store. From there they said they would send me a "fixed" one in 4-6 weeks. In the meantime I had looked up online to see if they were going to be sending the SAME ipod back or if it would be updated? The news I read was that they were refurbishing them and sending the same ones back.

So off I set on my 3 1/2 week road trip(more on that later) and when I returned my mom shows me a package and asks if it could possibly be my "new" ipod? She is sure it can't because it is so tiny(and she didn't see the buttons for turning it on). but indeed-my ipod has been upgraded to a 8gb nano-and all because I refuse to get rid of perfectly good "junk"

Here is a photo of my fantastic and new ipod! Yeah for being a Farmer's daughter:)