National Park Tour 2018

I love parks with all my heart. There’s nothing better to me than a place of natural beauty to recreate & relax. That’s why I bought a Colorado Parks & Wildlife pass as soon as I was considered a resident, and why I’ve made it my mission to visit as many U.S. National Parks as I possibly can. I accidentally (!!!) got a free (!!!) National Parks pass while on the job one day. In that moment I knew it was God’s way of confirming the desire I’ve had in my heart to not only visit, but also help preserve the natural resources & views He’s given us on this Earth. Hence the National Park Tour of 2018, where I visited five parks in a month, alongside some wonderful friends.

Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve

My roommate Amy & I made the three hour drive to this park at the end of August. We rented a sandboard and sled to goof around on the ginormous dunes, which ended in some gnarly wipeouts & loud laughs. On the way home we decided to take the scenic route, which added an extra hour, a coffee stop, & a brief lapse in Amy’s vegetarianism when we scarfed down a couple burgers at one of my favorite restaurants.

Rocky Mountain National Park

I had been dying to go to RMNP since the day I found out I was moving to Colorado. Trey and I have known each other since kindergarten, but it had been nearly three years since we had seen each other once I moved to the city he’s going to school in. We drove up north one Sunday when we were both finally free to spend the day reminiscing, catching up, & hiking around this stunning park. 100% guarantee I will be back very soon.

Canyonlands National Park

My best friend Jasmine flew in to spend a week with me this September. It was such a blessing to be with each other again after spending about four months apart after moving away from college. She shares my infinite love for National Parks, so it was a no brainer that we wanted to spend our time together checking a couple new ones out. Canyonlands was the first, which we spent a couple hours exploring after driving from Grand Junction, CO the night before.

Arches National Park

Jasmine and I camped at Arches, which was genuinely a dream come true for me. We somehow made putting up a tent in Moab heat fun (despite us taking turns complaining to the other), did some grilling & stargazing, then woke up the next morning for a hike to the famous Delicate Arch. The road trips to these Utah parks & back were half the fun of our trip together!

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

The last park on my tour was a solo visit. I went to Black Canyon while I was completing my Wilderness First Responder certification course in Crested Butte, on our day off. It was so calming to spend time not only by myself, but with myself taking in the beauty of “Colorado’s Grand Canyon.” After my visit here, only one more National Park in Colorado to cross off the list!

I wish I knew how many hours I’ve spent calculating the distance between Colorado Springs and all of the National Parks in the country (trust me, it’s more than you think). I truly can’t put into words how thankful I am that God placed me somewhere where I can easily access so much natural beauty, which brings more joy to my heart than I’ve ever experienced. I can’t wait to continue my journey of visiting park after park for as long as I’m blessed to be here!

God is just PLANE good

So I’m currently sitting at Denver International Airport with a final destination of HOME, aka Virginia where I’ll get to see my uncle marry the love of his life at their wedding on Monday. The funny part is that 9 hours ago I was at my local airport in Colorado Springs, with the expectation of arriving home a little later tonight. Obviously, that didn’t end up happening.

A while after having boarded the plane, we were all told that there was a mechanical issue and no estimate of time for it to be fixed. We waited patiently for continued announcements, which unfortunately ultimately resulted in finding out that the issue was worse than they originally realized. We were then given the option to get off the plane. At this point I had no idea what to do, so I did what I’m sure many young adults would: I called my dad. He advised me to make the best decision I could after seeing what my options for other flights would be since I would surely miss my connection.

Now here’s where I started seeing God enter my story of the day. I called the airline’s 800 number (dreading what I thought would be a terrible wait) and was unexpectedly answered (by an actual human!) in less than a minute. The man on the phone was truly so helpful. Halfway through our conversation and him checking alternate flights for me, all of us were called to deplane. Thank God I was ahead of the curve by calling the airline because I was able to set up a new flight route in no time.

Once I got off the plane and approached the counters to receive my new boarding passes, I realized that there were no representatives to be found from my airline. All of us were wandering around aimlessly until I found just one employee to direct me to a specific gate to wait for him. Because of this, I was the very first person in line as it continued to grow behind me with dozens of frustrated flyers waiting to figure out a new flight plan. What grace I was given to have been able to book something new on the phone in a matter of minutes (while everyone around me was scrambling to get ahold of someone) and to be the the first person in line to be helped!

Since my new flight was in Denver over an hour away, I called my roommate Amy asking if she could pick me up and take me back home so I could get my car and drive up north. BLESS HER for being the kindhearted friend she is, because she immediately dropped what she was doing and offered to drive me herself so I wouldn’t have to leave my car here. Once we got on the road, the fun really began & I forgot all about the drama I had a few hours earlier. We drove with the windows down, music blasting, taking in the most beautiful Colorado views. The coolest part of all of this was the adorable little cafe we found to eat at. We soon realized that this restaurant was North Carolina themed! They had a pin board of the state to show where you’re from, and a cute logo shaped like NC with the classic Colorado logo inside. What a wonderful taste of home to have shared together on such a spontaneous day.

Even though I’m about to get a whopping 0 hours of sleep catching this redeye tonight, I can’t rave enough about the way God showed off for me today. In a situation where I easily could’ve gotten stressed & upset, He eased all my concerns through the speedy assistance of an airline agent on the telephone, a prime spot in line, & the selflessness of a sweet friend. I’m so thankful for the peace that the Lord gave me today and I cannot wait to make it home to my family for a few days full of love.

Going All In For Jesus

Toward the end of last year my life changed in a significant way. My heart was broken and I had no idea what else to do but turn to Jesus. I’ve always been a Christian and grew up in the church, however I’ve never experienced the true peace that comes with a relationship with God until this time in my life. I can’t even describe the way the Lord surrounded me in His love as I spent countless days & nights feeling confused & defeated, trying to figure out what went wrong, looking back on the past. That’s not to say that I don’t do those things anymore, because I definitely do. But what’s different is that I don’t let those things have a stronghold over my life, because the truths I’ve learned about God & His faithfulness prove to have much greater power.

During this hardship I began to look to Jesus in everything I did. Because if I’m perfectly honest, there were times where I was hurting so badly that I didn’t know how I could get out of bed without laying all of my pain at His feet, trusting Him to get me through each day one at a time. I so clearly remember waking up in one my best friends’ bed the first morning after my world was flipped upside down (not to be dramatic, but this is actually how it felt) and having the first thing I saw be a sign in her room that read “Be Strong & Courageous.” In that moment of re-realization of what had just happened, where I truly thought I would be an emotional, unstable wreck– simply seeing that sign somehow put all of the strength & courage imaginable inside of me. The peace I felt in that moment I still cannot put into words, no matter how many times I’ve tried to explain it to friends. The only way I know how to describe it is that God was in that room with me, His presence fully encompassing me, ready to take me on a journey to know His heart.

Shortly before all of this happened but even more so after, I began to do devotionals on YouVersion (the Bible app, 10/10 recommend to anyone at all stages of faith), read my Bible daily, pray consistently, attend & serve at church, and surround myself with a godly community of friends. Along with some of these practices came an awareness of my sins & shortcomings, as well as the natural desire to surrender some bad habits. Every day since that time I have seen the Love & Hope of Jesus in new ways, heard His voice clearer than ever before, & grown to know that I am infinitely loved by the Lord. The best part is, He loved me no less when I lived my life paying no mind to Him than He does where I am today. He orchestrated all of my steps so that one day, I would make the decision to go all in for Him after He relentlessly pursued me through my seasons of dismissal. Because of the never-changing grace He’s shown me, I can’t help but want to share that with as many people as possible so that they know how easy it is to experience a peace greater than you can even imagine. All you have to do is say yes to Him.

Today in church we looked at Philippians 2:9 and talked about how God exalted Jesus and gave Him the name above all names. Without realizing it, this principle is what I’ve been growing to learn over these months of transformation.

The name of Jesus is above the name of heartbreak.

The name of Jesus is above the name of loneliness.

The name of Jesus is above the name of anxiety.

The name of Jesus is above the name of whatever individual battle you are facing, and He wants to be in relationship with you so that He can give you peace that surpasses all understanding.