God Choices: London

{God Choices: GSU} {God Choices: SOAR Leader}

Time for my next story on what I believe to be a Spirit-led decision!

I don’t really consider myself a risk-taker. And as I mentioned in my SOAR post, I was extremely shy growing up. Before the summer of 2007, the farthest I had ever traveled was to Providence, Rhode Island for a distant relative’s graduation. I traveled with my aunt and uncle, slept through both flights, and did not do any sight-seeing beyond driving to and from the graduation. In high school I went to Washington, D.C. with my best friend Hayley and to New Orleans with my other best friend Kaitlin, but both trips were with their families. I had never traveled any distance on my own, and I had no real desire to. I had always heard people talk about Europe as such an exciting place, but it never once occurred to me that I may actually go there one day. I assumed traveling abroad was only for the fabulously wealthy. And when would I ever have such an opportunity anyway?

Then one day, I was in my Creative Nonfiction class, and the professor told us we were going to the lab for class to watch a presentation about an opportunity to study abroad in London. I inwardly groaned, thinking I would be sitting through a boring class about old buildings and history classes, all things that I wouldn’t be able to afford even if I wanted to.

But when the professor started her powerpoint and told stories of her many trips to London and all the opportunities we would have available to us, I suddenly was more intrigued than I ever anticipated. I learned that I could take all writing classes and I was overwhelmed with the thought of sitting at a coffee house in London or out by the River Thames and writing something...anything! For some crazy reason, I was actually contemplating it! But how would I afford it? What will my family say? Am I even brave enough to do it?

Despite the questions and concerns, I was bouncing with excitement after that class. I just knew that going to London would be wonderful. It’s not like I had a lifelong dream of going there. I didn’t even really know that much about it! I mean, I knew where it was, and a few of the famous landmarks (mainly Big Ben), but it wasn’t as if I had a mile long list of things I had always wanted to do. My interest and excitement was pretty random. I started telling friends and family and they were all very surprised/impressed that I would want to travel that far away on my own. Okay, not on my own. I would be with a whole group of students. But I would be without family or close friends.

Things just started falling into place. I applied for a scholarship and was awarded $500. My parents each pitched in to give me some money for the trip, my dad bought me a new camera to take lots of pictures, and for Christmas my grandma and grandpa gave me an outlet adapter and a promise to fund the rest of the trip! I found out that a girl I knew from some of my English and writing classes was also going on the trip, so I would actually know someone! We were really excited to be going together, and started bonding immediately as we talked about our upcoming trip.

Maybe my writing skills aren’t as good as they should be because I cannot even describe what London means to me. That trip changed my life. It changed me. Even though most of the experience was foreign to me, both literally and figuratively, I somehow felt at home while I was there. I have never lived in a major city. I had never frequented public transportation or walked crowded streets to get to places. I had never even been on a trip where I planned my own activities and budgeted my own money. And there I was, across the ocean from my family, and making all those decisions on my own. And I loved every single second. I still dream about London, and sometimes I wake myself up crying because I long to be there again. I dream about Big Ben. I dream about walking along the river and hearing street performers in the background, smelling the sweet scent of candied almonds baking in street carts. I dream about walking down a street of wet pavement, weaving through the rich British accents, heading towards a pizza place, Cafe Nero, Pret, or Tesco. I dream about boarding the tube and minding the gap. I dream of Trafalgar Square and Picadilly Circus. Of all the parks--Regents and Hyde especially. And I laugh at all the fond memories like seeing a man on Dover Beach toss his clothes into the ocean and walk away, having a sketchy guy take pictures of us under a huge tree in Hyde Park, and going to the red carpet premiere of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, trying to catch a glimpse of someone famous. London has left a stamp on my soul.

Trafalgar Square

London Eye

You gotta have the double-decker bus with inappropriate ad!

My favorite. Big Ben <3

At Picadilly Circus

Tube Station (note: you are NOT allowed to take pictures in there! I found out!)

St. Paul's Cathedral

At Dover Beach

At Regents Park

At Hyde Park

In Dover Castle

I feel frantic when I try to think back on it and it suddenly doesn’t feel real anymore, it seems a little hazy, and my senses start forgetting, one by one. I have to go back and watch videos, look at pictures, and read all my journal entries...just trying to soak it all up again before it fades away completely. I hope there is never a time that London is only a vague memory of something I once did. I hope it is always such a part of me.

Regardless of if the memories fade, however, London gave me a passion for travel, culture, and a new sense of independence. I came home from London thinking that I could do anything. All the limits I felt before seemed easy to step right over and keep on walking. Because of this, my entire course of life shifted.

That friend who went to London with me? Her name is Erin. She’s my sister in law now. I had a boyfriend who I had been in an on-again-off-again relationship with for 4.5 years. It was an unhealthy and mostly unfulfilling relationship, but I thought it was all there was to real love. I thought I could do no better. That no better even existed. And then I met Erin’s brother Scott after coming home from London. As I got to know him better, I began to trust in myself to leave behind that other relationship that I wore like comfortable, ratty old jeans. London not only provided the opportunity to meet Scott, but also the confidence to pursue him. For that reason, in a way, as long as I have Scott, I’ll always have London.

You may call that all a coincidence or a lucky twist of fate. I call it God preparing the way for my entire future.

God Choices: SOAR Leader

{God Choices: GSU}

Hello, friends! To catch up those who are just joining in, I’m writing a series of personal stories about decisions that I believe were from God because they came out of nowhere and I felt so certain about them. And, not coincidentally, they have been the best decisions of my life! Today I’m talking about my decision to be a SOAR leader!

When I checked in at SOAR (GSU’s orientation), I was vaguely aware of the students (SOAR Leaders) handing me my nametag and ushering me into the Russell Union Ballroom. I did not know who they were, how they attained this role, or really anything at all about them. As I sat in the audience, the group of SOAR leaders took the stage and performed a super cheesy dance, complete with dubbed in equally cheesy lyrics, welcoming us to GSU. All the cool kids around me snickered and whispered insults about the group and their overly perky smiles and off-rhythm dance moves. I was so enthralled that I hardly noticed. My heart pounded, my fingertips tingled, and my foot shook back and forth, the way it does whenever I have too much nervous or excited energy to sit completely still. I turned to my dad, pointed to the stage, and whispered, “I’m going to do that.” He laughed at me, thinking I must be joking. I was not. I had no idea what being a SOAR leader was even about, but I knew I would be one. The following year, I saw a flyer advertising the leadership role and asking for applications. I immediately applied and told my roommate that I would need to stay in Statesboro for the summer because I was going to be a SOAR leader. I found out rather quickly that the position is very competitive. It is the ultimate student leadership role, and those who are accepted are highly marketable within the campus community. But I still had no doubts. And yes, I was accepted. The experience changed my life. I gained cultural competencies I didn’t even know I lacked. I met amazing people, and my self-esteem and confidence began to soar (excuse the pun!). I had always been extremely shy, so this coming-out was truly revolutionary for me.

I had no idea at the time how pivotal this experience would be for my future. After SOAR ended, I transitioned to a job in the Office of Admissions. At the time I just needed a job, and my SOAR experience helped me attain it. The longer I worked in Higher Ed, the more I fell in love with it. Everything about it. Working with college students, assisting with University-wide goals and missions, and getting that satisfied feeling every time I made a student’s experience at Georgia Southern better. When I graduated and started the Masters in Teaching (M.A.T) program, I stayed on in the Office of Admissions as a Graduate Assistant. When I had to quit to complete my student teaching, I cried. How could this be the end of working for Georgia Southern? How could this be the end of all the experiences from the past four years?

Once I determined that teaching was not my thing, I had to decide where to take my life next. It didn’t take long for me to focus on Student Services in Higher Education. And now I’m working on a Master’s in Counseling in Student Services in Higher Ed. Who knew that being a SOAR leader would be the start of my entire future career? Who knew it would spark a passion in me that I didn’t even fully realize until years later? Who knew that it would be a vital part of my resume and help me attain internships and, hopefully, my first full-time job after graduation? God knew. That’s why he put it on my heart that first day of orientation to be a SOAR Leader. It is not something I ever would have done on my own! Being so shy, the idea of dancing in front of all those people, mingling with parents, and leading small groups with incoming students would have terrified the socks off me! But I did it with all my heart and walked away a different person. I am so thankful that God intervened in my life to redirect it, even if it took me stubbornly pursuing my own plans of teaching before I could fully accept it. And I can say with certainty that God’s plan is always better than your own. It was way better than mine anyway.

We kicked it off with a weekend camping trip to bond as a team <3

Me and some fellow leaders at the Southern Regional Orientation Workshop (SROW)

On the bus at SROW

We got to hold this giant snake at our training session at the GSU Wildlife Center

The post card all the incoming students received :)

Doing the cheesy skit for the parents. I was the mom who called EVERY day (which was a no-no lesson for the parents!)

Fellow leaders at a SOAR Reunion in 2007

God Choices: Georgia Southern University

Some people may think I make decisions very carefully, weighing all the options, considering the pros and cons, and doing what is most logical or wise. But that is not my process. At all. I follow my heart and convictions. I jump into scary situations because I feel, deep inside my heart, that it’s the right thing to do. I won’t say all my decisions have been good ones, especially when I was much younger. I let my emotions reign in my life, and that is not always a good thing. But this works out really well when God is speaking to me. Because I feel it. And despite what may or may not appear logical, I go with it because I just know it’s what I should do. This used to look like random ideas that popped into my head or circumstances that were suddenly presented to me with no previous warning. And people would say things like, I had no idea you felt that way. Well, neither did I until those moments. Now that I am more spiritually mature, I can better understand the difference between running on emotions and being led by the Spirit. But I have no doubt many of my decisions, even prior to my salvation, were Spirit-led.

The best decisions I’ve ever made were like this. They were life changing decisions, and I threw myself into them without knowing what they would hold for me. And they’ve made all the difference. I want to take a few posts to share these stories with you. My hope is that this will be a sort of series that will lead into the story of our house purchase. Because that is a decision just like these, and I want to share with you how they came about and how they felt. Thanks for listening!


Once I realized college was the thing to do after high school, I decided upon the University of Georgia. Why? Because I lived in Georgia and it was the only one I knew about. Then it was the one that most of the kids in my school wanted to go to. Then it was the most exciting one. Then it was because they had the best football. Not that I even care about that. But everyone commended my choice in schools because it is a great school and it seemed like the logical choice.

Not until my best friend Hayley invited me to go with her to an Open House at Georgia Southern University did my plans begin to change. It was the end of my junior year, and I decided to go just to keep her company. I had no real interest in the school. But when we pulled into campus, something stirred inside me. I looked around and could see myself there. I imagined what it would be like to buy food at the Chickfila between classes, walk down the Pedestrium with friends, lay on Sweetheart Circle with a blanket and a good book. By the time the 4-hour Open House was over, my heart had completely changed. I would go to Georgia Southern. 

I did not even apply to UGA. People scoffed at my choice, calling it an inferior school, a party school, and a wasteful choice for such a bright mind. My Christian friends feared for my virtue. My AP teachers feared for my future career. And everyone wondered whether I was just making the decision because my best friend (and later also my boyfriend) were planning to go there. Sure, that helped, but it wasn’t that. I just knew it was where I belonged. And I was right. I can’t imagine life anywhere else. I’ve had such wonderful experiences here, have discovered my true passions in life, and have met many of my close friends, including my husband!
I’ve been attending/working at Georgia Southern University for the past 8 years. I will complete my Masters in December and hopefully attain a full-time position in a student services office. Walking through campus, memories pour out of my heart. I remember the heartache of breaking up with my boyfriend, time and again, and sitting on a bench with tears streaming down my face and a hollow ache in my chest as he told me that he had cheated on me.  I remember the excitement of walking around with Hayley, trying to figure out where all our classes were, but still being late to my first class because whoever designed the Math/Physics building is a madman! I remember the many walks with friends, chatting about classes, parties, and boyfriends. I remember bike rides, eating parfaits by Lakeside, and giving campus tours to countless prospective students. I remember when I met my husband and I spent hours walking around campus with headphones in my ears, listening to Jason Mraz and Better than Ezra because it reminded me of him. I remember accidentally slamming into an ROTC student, in full uniform, while riding my bike in the rain. I literally face planted into his chest! I remember the excitement of making new friends and walking around at night with Chris and Reg and Hayley, eating popsicles before they melted, while walking back and forth between our dorms. I remember being late for graduation, running around between all the lines of incoming graduates, trying to find my college. When I finally stopped and asked the Dean of Students about the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, he tsk tsked and told me they had already taken their seats on the field! Enter Christy, frantically running between rows of seated graduates looking for her friends who (thankfully!) had saved her a seat. I remember tearing up when Freedom (our eagle mascot) flew above us at the end of graduation, and I was so thankful that I didn’t have to leave yet. 

With besties Hayley and Kaitlin 

With sis-in-law Erin, her husband Joe, and my hubby Scott

Engagement picture by one of the GSU entrances

Engagement Picture...GSU bushes

Engagement picture on Sweetheart Circle

And now here I am. Still living and loving Georgia Southern. Buying a house in Statesboro; planting roots for the long haul. What if I hadn’t listened to that little stirring in my heart, telling me to give up my plans for UGA and come to Southern? I can’t even begin to imagine what my life would look like. But I do know I wouldn’t trade out this one for anything in the world!