"Life Is An Adventure"

Hi all! Man, has it ever been long since I've sat down with you to talk about life. Who knew it could stay busy for so long without stopping?! (I guess it's no secret.)

      Well, as promised I'd like to share with you a bit about my adventures I've had lately. So here goes...

     I left for Canada on February 21 with great excitement! After all I was going to see my best friend, who was getting married in several weeks. I couldn't wait to run into each other's arms at the airport, because after all airports are the perfect place for sappy greetings. But amidst all the great excitement there was also fear. You see, this was the first time I would be flying alone. I've never enjoyed flying much, so the thought of doing it alone always scared the socks right off of my feet. I couldn't fathom how I would ever be able to do it on my own. In fact, it was so bad that I procrastinated for weeks in buying my ticket. But alas, there I was at the airport having said goodbye to my parents, walking up those stairs to security, wondering, wondering, "Can I do this?"

     In the weeks leading up to this moment I had believed for peace and favor time and time again. I knew I would never be able to do it on my own strength, so I didn't even begin to try. One of my greatest prayers that day was that the security lineup would be super short. That way I wouldn't even have time to be scared. And you know what? The whole security experience ended up not taking much longer than ten minutes. Once I was through I took a deep breath and started heading towards my gate. One of the things I had been most afraid of was over now. I felt so relieved at the peace I had experienced.

     Everything else went fantastic as well. The flight attendants were friendly and helpful, and my seats were fantastic. But one of the highlights was how smooth the flying in itself went. Both flights were the smoothest I've ever been on. For the first time in my life it literally felt like I was floating on air. 

     My flight from El Paso to Denver was one I'll never forget. It is my absolute favorite route! First off, I love the city of Denver, and the airport feels so at home. It's from the easiest airports to navigate, in my opinion. And the scenery during the flight is astounding! And it did not disappoint this time either. In fact it was the most beautiful I had ever seen it. Shortly after leaving El Paso the sun started to set. And the clouds! Wowzers, did they ever add an extra touch of gorgeous! They weren't rugged or heavy. They appeared to be as light and fluffy as the air itself. It was beyond words!

     Arriving in Winnipeg I had to take up courage one more time for the border crossing. I was really nervous, but I soon realized I had nothing to be afraid of. It was more of an awkward experience than it was a scary one. Haha. 

     And now came the moment I had been waiting for... I walked out the doors and into the arrival area. My eyes searched the room for my friend. Our eyes met and so began our run into each other's arms. Sappy greeting in an airport can now be checked off of my bucket list! No, I genuinely was very glad to see her again. Man, I missed that woman!

     The next several weeks were full of bridal shower planning, wedding prep, and then at last the wedding. Of course many other crazy fun things happened too. Like for example... Exploring, dreaming, eating, laughing, talking, being in the moment.

     But the wedding... That was the moment I lived in most. It's not every day your best friend gets married, so there was no way I could take it lightly. Hecla Island Resort definitely did not disappoint as far as a venue is concerned! It was so beautiful! And the weather... I'm telling you it was gorgeous! And of course the most radiant faces in the crowd were that of the bride and groom. The love they had for each other was evident to all. It made my heart so happy!

     Now that the wedding was over my mind very fast began thinking about my trip home. Having been gone for a month I was anxious to get home. Not that I didn't have a great time mind you. But I was excited to sleep in my own bed and be in the presence of my family and friends again. 

     The adventure only continued with my travels home. I was able to catch a ride with friends who were planning to do the drive in one straight shot. No stopping for hotels! I love road trips so this of course was right up my alley. And choosing the route through Colorado was the best decision we could ever have made. Once again so gorgeous! And then in Colorado Springs we made a spontaneous stop for supper at Culvers and a movie in the theater. And then we continued our journey. 

     Oh, the smile on my face as I ran to our front door to greet my family. I was home! Finally I was home! Although I was beyond excited to be home again I can honestly say that the trip to Canada was the best experience I've ever had in my life! It was also by far the greatest adventure! 

     All that being said I just want to encourage you ladies. I've always been scared of being independent. And traveling alone terrified me. But you know what?! Nothing was as big of a deal as what I had let my brain convince me it was. I still can't believe that I traveled all by myself to another country, took care of myself, didn't run out of money, had lots of fun, and came home safely! Through this whole experience I realized I'm a big girl! And you are too!

     In whatever area of life you are right now where you know you need to take a step of courage... Just do it! Just do it! Know that the one who loves you to the moon and back will help you every moment of the way. He will never leave you or forsake you! And He wants you to live your life more abundantly. He created adventure, so go out and live a life of adventure. Just do it!