Life this May

I realize there are still an entire week left in the month of May, but I felt the need to reflect on the happenings of May... so here we go:
- May 1st Sarah and I ran the infamous half marathon. What an accomplishment. We'd been training for months for the day, and it came and went leaving behind many blisters and some rather bitter sweet memories.
- I said an extremely hard goodbye to Sarah only days ago. She's headed to Jordan for a year. I'm no good at goodbyes, this one especially. Sarah's been such a consistent part of my life for the past 2+ years. She's that friend. Everybody has THAT friend. The friend you can call anytime to just come and hang. The friend who you never really make "plans" with, but she always ends up on your couch watching Intervention or Mean Girls. The friend who's always up for a fire-pit night with only a moment's notice. Sarah's been THAT friend for me. Not to mention she's the greatest running partner. EVER. I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do without her. She's celebrated with me, cried with me, laughed with me, prayed with me... There's a Sarah-sized hole in my life at the moment.
-Summer Life Groups started just last week. I'm extremely excited for this season of Life Groups. I'm in a mixed group that is made up of incredible people from across the board: high school students, college students, college grads, singles, dating, engaged, married, married with kids, married with grandkids... I have a feeling God's going to use these people in a very specific way in my life right now. I couldn't be more anxious/nervous/excited.
-I GRADUATED FROM COLLEGE! This reality still hasn't set in yet. I find myself running through the things I need to get done for school, then quickly remembering that I'm done. Walking across that stage brought a rush of emotion. I remembered the countless sleepless nights I spent drafting and redrafting essays and reports. The hours upon hours I spent studying for midterms, finals, exams, quizzes. The numerous group projects I poured my energy into. The excitement that came with an outstanding grade, and the disappointment that came with a not-so-outstanding grade. Along the way, I've made some pretty incredible and memorable friendships. There will always be a special bond made with classmates who share the same pain and dedication you do. Here's a picture of all of us Distant Education Liberal Studies CSU Chico grads.

Last night I hung my graduation tassel on my bookshelf right next to my 1/2 marathon medal. It's crazy to me that two of the biggest accomplishments in my life came all in the same month. I'm ready for new things and for whatever it is God has planned next for my life. There's never been a dull moment thus far.... the possibilities are endless at this point!

Life lately...

It's late. I have to be up in a few short hours, but I wanted to catch y'all up on the recent happenings in my life:
-Sarah and I ran the Sacramento half marathon. We pushed through the pain, and finished the race. We weren't even last :)
-Graduation is creeping up. Only two weeks left, then I will be a CSU Chico graduate. I can't believe the day is actually here. I'm looking forward to celebrating with all of my friends and family. It will be a good day for sure.
-The Stirring staff went together to the Catalyst West Coast conference. It was an unreal experience. I had only ever heard one of the speakers (Andy Stanely) speak before. Let me tell you, they were all incredible. It's hard to put into words the amount of excitement and passion I left that conference with.

That's about it for life lately... here's a pic of Sarah and I after the race. The smile on my face was half excitement from being done, and half fake because my body hurt SO bad!