Investments & Adventures: March

This month was incredibly eventful to say the least! The first half started out with quite a bit of stress, but by the end of it I was able to see how blessed I’ve been at the start of my favorite season– spring!

March’s investments were in my education and my friendships. For starters, I’d spent the better part of February and March studying for the GRE– aka the SAT of graduate school. More on this to come, but I needed to take this exam as part of the application process. I spent the majority of my free time at coffee shops working on practice problems or at home making Quizlets for vocabulary. I may have learned 160 new words and only saw four of them on the test, but I still felt like the work paid off.

Before the GRE, I was able to have not one, not two… but FOUR friends visit me here in Colorado! UNCW (my alma mater) was on spring break, so I had friends visit me on two occasions that week. First, one of my littles from my sorority Alpha Chi Omega came to visit! The highlight of our trip was visiting the hot springs in Pagosa Springs, where we had to take a detour through New Mexico on the way home because the weather and roads were so bad! It was so good to see her again and catch up since I moved away from Wilmington.

The second visit was from my best friend/freshman roommate Brooke, as well as her boyfriend and friend Jordan! God totally showed up and showed off during their trip. I was originally supposed to work the entire week they were here. Their second full day here, a bomb cyclone/blizzard hit the area and my work was closed for two days! While the blizzard was detrimental to many people, I was grateful to be protected and blessed with the chance to spend so much more time with them than expected. They even got to stay an extra day since they had to change their flight! We played monopoly, made chili, did an escape room, and just enjoyed each other’s conversation & company. I missed Brooke every day since we had last seen each other, so this visit was much needed.

Finally, my adventure for the month was the opportunity to take a trip to Hawaii to see my sweet friends Yajaunte & Keevin get married! What was even better was that I got to be a part of their special day by helping coordinate the event and spending time with Yajaunte as she got ready in the days and moments before their I Do’s. Everything about the trip and the wedding both were so beautiful, and I feel fortunate to have been able to be by her side through the journey. Of course, we managed to get plenty of sun, snorkeling, and exploring done along the way. As much as I wished I could have stayed longer, I’m happy to be home in Colorado as I prepare for another busy month ahead!

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.