Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

The last eight months or so, have been full of new experiences. I have met a lot of new people that have had amazing positive influences in my life. I have been given the opportunity to live out some of my deepest passions and dreams. Certain parts of who I am, that had been left dormant and small, have been allowed to come forward and grow. I have learned a lot about myself and who I really am. I have also learned who I am not.

I am not someone who is afraid of new things, of taking risks. I am not someone who will sit back, and allow life to pass me by. I am not someone who quietly observes another person's suffering. I am not the talentless dunce of the family, as I had long thought...

I have spent years believing that I am stuck. That I have nothing real to offer the world. That who I am is so ordinary, that nobody would really want to know me. Over the last few years, God has had me on a journey to discover the truth about myself. But the last eight months, it's been happening at an accelerated speed.

Last Summer I began making plans to go to school in England, in earnest. I found that, even though I was nervous, and a little bit scared, I was REALLY doing it! I was doing something very new and rather brave, and I wasn't too scared to do it. I was astonished at myself. The audacity of thinking the I could do such a thing!

At the first of this year, I applied for financial aid, started communicating with the school, and planning my new phase of life. Imagine my surprise to discover that I was already living a new phase of life. I was surrounded by friends new and old, by family. I had been given all kinds of new connections here. The idea of leaving Sardis and the people I have gotten to know there, people who really understand my passion for wildlife, particularly birds of prey, was difficult. My life had changed for the better since I began volunteering there. My new friends, Jess, Reed, Shayla, Evan, Bethany, Kevin, and Josh to name names, have enriched my life in a way I have never experienced before. I FINALLY found people who get excited over things like knowing the difference between a Barred Owl and a Barn Owl, like I do!!! I am no longer the bird-brain amongst the non bird-brained. :) (Thank you guys for letting me into the club and letting me be ME!)

I felt an inner nudge. I began looking into local Veterinary Technician courses. I started asking questions at Sardis about how things work...

I have made a HUGE decision.

I am staying in Bellingham... For now at least. :) Moving to England is still a dream of mine and I plan to do so for a while at some point. But for now, I am happy here, and I no longer feel stuck. I have direction. I KNOW that I am capable of getting into a foreign university, of making the plans to go, of leaving. I am not afraid to step out anymore. That is a big deal. But I also know that I am brave enough to stay. That I don't have to run away...

Life is looking a whole lot brighter


Finally, I want to say thank you to all my friends and family. You supported me as I pursued moving off the continent. You told me it was okay to go. You told me it was okay to stay. I love you all.