Pure Joy, and a Bowl of Yogurt and Granola

Pure joy.
Yeah. That's what it is to eat Strawberry Banana yogurt with amazing granola mixed in and have it stuck in your teeth for a good hour afterward.

Pure joy was also the only way to describe what I felt this weekend in CHICAGO with the best: Katy and Rachel. Fall Break started last Wednesday after class. We left at 3, got on the megabus at 5 and were on our way to the best Fall Break ever. The zoo, the Cheesecake Factory, getting lost downtown, Wheaton football game (absolute domination, by the way), carving pumpkins, piercing Katy's nose, and so many more fun memories that will last a lifetime. Katy and Rachel: i love you.

Yes, we did buy matching Chicago hats and T-shirts and wear them in public. Yes, we did take a holding-hands-walking-away-from-the-camera picture in Millenium Park. And Yes, we did carve those pumpkins with the cutest little girls ever.

Of course, after any vacation, I didn't want to return to reality. Or to Crown. But it happened. I'm here. And to be honest, I haven't died. I'm very alive and very well. Why? It's all about being thankful for every new day. Being confident. Wearing something nice. Doing your hair in the morning. Being kind without wanting favor in return.
Those are all things that have been getting me up in the morning, these days. And they carry me through the day with a smile...and with pure joy.

I've chosen to surround myself with people who push me to be all of those lovely things: confident, kind, joyful, determined. And in doing so, we've brought each other the pure joy I keep talking about. We've all got our issues, worries, troubles, and faults. But we look at each other in love and move forward, still smiling.

So as for today, I'll polish off my plastic Simba bowl full of yogurty, granola goodness, grab my backpack, learn a thing or two in class, do some homework with my favorites (Katy and Rachel, of course), and continue to keep this smile on my face and with my head held high. And it all started with this silly bowl of yogurt and granola.

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not put out the Spirit's fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil. May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it."

- 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

It is time...

Well, well, well. I've finally given in to this blogging business. I'm not really sure why, but until now I never had a desire to be a blogger. I thought bloggers were annoying. "Dude, get a journal. No one needs or wants to know that stuff." I am a journaler, indeed. There is a certain privacy with journals that sets them very much apart from blogs. Blogs are for sharing, journals are not. However, I've come to realize there is a place for blogs in the world. I think I actually want to share my life with people. Whaaaat? New concept for me. At any rate, here I am.

So, why have I entered the world of blogging, you ask? Good question. And I believe it has a good answer. Bear with me as I explore my reasoning...

I have recently been experiencing (and inflicting) pain unexplainable. I've made decisions, caused conflict, avoided conflict (like the plague), and have been searching my heart to figure out what the heck is going on within me. Is that a question you're asking yourself, regarding this situation about my new single status? "Kelsey, what the heck is going on?"
Well, now's the part where I finally...for possibly the first time in your life...let you into my heart and mind. This blog is going to be a series of my experiences on this journey to self discovery and attempting to allow people to see who I am.

Believe it or not...you don't know me. And I can say that now with confidence because I don't even know me. No matter how close you are to me, I know with my whole heart that there are less than a handful of select people who I have allowed into my world. My real world. Not the world I've been creating for most of my life. That world doesn't exist. Not anymore. I created a monster disguised as a bubbly, smiley, good Christian girl, and this is me killing that monster and peeling off the masks I've superglued onto me and revealing myself to the world.
To you.
I'm assuming that because you're reading this, you either: are curious about what has been happening in my life lately, genuinely care about me, or are simply bored and are avoiding doing something productive. Either way, I don't mind. I want everyone to see me, no matter what it takes. Blog or no blog.

And so, as I attempt to answer hard questions you have and harder questions I have about my life, I will continue to fill you in as the days go by.

Caution: THIS BLOG WILL BE HEAVILY INFLUENCED BY SCRIPTURE AND REAL ENCOUNTERS WITH THE LIVING GOD. if you're not ok with that, don't read any further posts.

I care about you. I love you. I'm going to be intentional about reaching out to you. 

As me. Not as who you've known before.

I call this my Psalm 37:3-7 Journey. Read it. Join me. I'm ready to actually live out the charges that this passage gives: Trust, Dwell, Delight, Commit, Be still, and Wait. 

I'm on my journey now. And as I continue, I want to also keep this in my heart and mind:

"Sow righteousness for yourselves and reap faithful love; break up your untilled ground. It is time to seek the Lord until He comes and sends righteousness on you like rain."

- Hosea 10:12 (CSB)

I'm ready. Let's go.