Adventurous Blessed Life

Do you ever get asked those "repeat questions?" You know, those questions that when asked, you think to yourself..... "this question wouldn't be so annoying if I only heard it once every other year.... but since I've heard a variation of it twenty times in the past month...." And no, I'm not talking about the "why are you not in a relationship" question. 

For me, the most often asked question is "when is your next trip?" or "when are you leaving again?" or "what country are you going to next?" etc. etc. etc. 

So, let me just answer everyone at one time. Right now. 

I. DO. NOT. KNOW.

Just the other day, I got asked again, but this time the question was "When's your next adventure?".

Adventure? I can only have adventure while I'm in some foreign country? So if I'm not traveling, my life is boring? 

I just want to let y'all know. I LOVE MY LIFE. And as much as I love traveling, I sure hope that is not what defines me. Yes, there are days, when all I want to do is jump on the next airplane. And those days when I struggle through homesickness for a tiny village in Outer Mongolia. But really, I have a blessed life! And adventure? Well EVERY day is an adventure! :D

Let me tell you a few things I love about my life....

I live in one of the greatest states ever - ALASKA! and it's coming into the greatest time of year - Summer! 

A loving Saviour who loves me unconditionally (do you really grasp that? UNCONDITIONALLY.) and is my best friend, constant companion, interceder, and the list goes on.... 

A crazy, loud family to laugh with (or at), tell stories and jokes, quote movies with, discuss hockey, eat food with and just have fun! 

Pretty sure, I have the most amazing friends ever! I am blessed to know so many awesome people. I never know when I will hear from people scattered all over the world by email, phone calls, text, fb msg and skype. THAT is a blessing. Love each of you. 

Incredible job that is flexible with my schedule! I love having more time to enjoy summer and be able to go back to school and travel! They have been more than good to me. And my supervisor is the best in the world!

I love sunshine. And jean skirts. And comfy shoes. And books. And coffee. And driving. And mountains. And school. And food.  

What about adventure you ask? Well, what about late night traipsing up hillsides through fences, over crystallized snow and mud and under fences, just to watch the lunar eclipse? 

Adventure? How about teaching a Bible study to a bus family from Ghana? When you never know who else will be in attendance or what topic will come up? Getting so share the Word of God is great adventure!

Other random blessings - 

An amazing deal on roundtrip tickets to Seattle for a friend's wedding! Did I say AMAZING? Thank you, Lord!

Finishing my online TESOL course!! That is huge blessing! 

Being able to pray together with dear friends. 

Small trips to the States this year (already up to 3) 

Friends getting married. (isn't it exciting? all these weddings? except I think I'm going to be broke soon....) 

Little Levi Wesley arriving in just two months! (T&C, that was just for you!) :D

You know, I really don't mind when close friends asking me when my next trip is, because I know they really care about me and aren't just trying to make conversation. But I just wanted to say publicly, I love my life. Today. 
I am not promised tomorrow. Neither are you. So until God directs me to travel overseas again, I am going to live in today. And enjoy the time I have here. 

And JUST LOVE LIFE. 

Heart Issues

"Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls."           Matthew 11:28-29

I am a planner and a doer. I enjoy living my life to the fullest. My mind is constantly thinking ahead, looking for new adventures, setting goals, strategizing how I can accomplish everything, scheduling visits with friends, searching for airfare deals, etc. While my mind is whirling with future ideas and plans, I am also trying to juggle work, ministry, online English class, online TESOL class, online training for a 2nd job, books that have to be read, Bible studies to teach, friends and other random projects, all with deadlines, of course.  My mind just goes and goes and goes..... until my heart yells,  "Stop!"

Physically, my heart can only handle so much. Doing too much, compounded by lack of sleep and too much caffeine causes my heart to act up. There have been times that my blood pressure has been.... well, let's just say one time a nurse friend told me I needed to go to the ER cause it was so high. Add to that the fact that one of the valves in my heart is thicker than it's supposed to be. Not a big deal, they really won't do anything about it unless it gets worse, but it's enough that I can tell when my heart's not right. When I get so busy that I barely have enough time to remember my name and age, it puts undo stress on my heart. 

Not just my physical heart though. My spiritual heart. That's why I love the verses above. I have to remind myself to stop. To be still. To know God. To spend time in His presence. If I don't, my spiritual heart gets out of rhythm. It doesn't matter how many Bible studies I teach. How many friends I encourage. How many missions trips I take. If my heart is not in tune with God, all of it is pointless. 

It's a daily task - reminding myself to slow down so I can enjoy God and life. I want to rest in my Saviour's arms. Want to enjoy His presence that brings joy (Ps. 16:11) Desperately want my life to reflect His light and grace and that will only come as I spend quality time with Him. 

I'm working on my heart.... how's yours? 

Lunar Eclipse = Nighttime Adventure

I've had a post on my mind for the past week and a half... but it is still unwritten. Maybe this weekend.... sometimes life just keeps moving forward swiftly and the time to write a blog post gets swept way in the current. 

In the meantime, here's a couple pictures from an adventure earlier this week. I'm sure you heard of the lunar eclipse that occurred this past Monday. Midnight hikes have been brought up a lot recently.... so it was a good excuse to go. 

We didn't plan this one very well though. It's missions conference at church, so we went in what we were wearing.... such as one individual who had flip flops on. I don't recommend wearing flip flops in April on a hike, short as it was. Lots of mud, patches of crystallized snow, fences, darkness, hills, etc. 

Even with all the "mishaps," it was a great night. Moon wasn't as spectacular as I was thinking it would be, but we still have another crazy, night time hike to laugh about! 

Lunar Eclipse (not solar!) 

with Jordan, Tanya, Travis and Justin. heehee 

My Heart is There

More and more recently, I've been longing for those dear places across the ocean. Today was another one of those days. Found this video that I made after returning from Asia a year ago, so thought I would share. 

                                      

Arctic Winter Games

I'm sure most of you have never heard of the Arctic Winter Games. I hadn't before last summer. It's an Olympic type event for those in the Circumpolar North. In the beginning it was open to athletes young and old. In the recent Games, they've narrowed the playing field by limiting it to youth. 

The Games are held every two years. Fairbanks hosted this year's Games; we haven't had them in Fairbanks since 1988! It was pretty special to be a part of such a big event. It was a tiring week. I think I worked about 57 hours (two jobs) and volunteered about 30. Sleep? yeah that was something I only dreamed of.

There were nine different regions represented for the Games. Alaska, five Canadians - NWT, Yukon, Alberta North, Nunavut and Quebec Nunavik, Yamal -province in north Russia, Greenland and Sapmi (pronouned Sami) - northern regions of Sweden, Norway, Finland and Russia. Twenty sporting events ranging from outdoor winter sports like snowshoeing, skiing, snowboarding, biathlon and dogsledding and indoor sports of basketball, volleyball, soccer, pingpong, hockey, wrestling, gymnastics and of course Arctic sports. 

It was a lot of fun being involved and great to meet youth and adults from all across the north. The next Games will be held in Greenland.... maybe it's time to plan a trip to see the Shulls and be there for the Games as well in 2016. :) What do you think, Carole? 

I don't have many pictures from the Games, but there's plenty here.

before the Games began

the kids loved the Trooper

my friend the Trooper

Air Greenland

and it's over!

Locked out? No Problem.

Earlier this month, I flew down to the States for a week. Had this crazy friend that decided to move his wedding date up a few months. Thankfully, it still worked out for me to attend. Since I was going all that way, figured might as well make the most of it. I stopped off in several places before the wedding. Was able to see several friends I hadn't seen in a couple years and also meet a few new people. :)

Was hoping to enjoy some warmer weather while I was there, but alas, they have been having a cold, snowy winter. Most days it was the same temps there as it was here in Alaska! Oh well. Rented a little car for week, since I flew into one state and flew out of another. One day had a hard time getting out of my friend's driveway because all the snow. So much for that warmer, nicer weather.

Enjoyed some hockey while down south. Went to my first Pro Hockey game. Great game by the Blackhawks! Also stayed up late two nights watching my home team beat our rivals for the Gov. Cup. Well worth those two late nights.

One of the most interesting things that happened during that week..... Thursday was my day to be in Chicago. Originally was going to overnight there and the next morning head to central Illinois. After meeting up with people and such, decided to just head south after the hockey game. J&R were letting me stay with them again (thanks!), but they weren't actually going to be there until two days later. Figured since I wouldn't be waking anyone up, might as well drive down Thursday night. No one would care if I arrived in the wee hours of the morning.

So I set out... and after a three hour drive, arrived at what I thought was their house about 230am. I had forgotten their house number, but since I had been there before, was pretty confident I could find and recognize the house again. Pulled up to the house, got out and went to type in the code for the garage door. And... it didn't open. Oh no! was I at the right house? I slightly panicked, wondering if I was at the wrong house, if they had security and if the security people would be arriving soon to see what was going on.

After driving around the block once, I went back to the same house, cause I felt sure it was the right one. Tried the garage code again and it worked! Pulled into the (very cold) garage. I was so tired, the only thing I could think of was getting inside using the bathroom and crashing in bed. Grabbed a few items from the car, walked up to the door leading into the kitchen and the door knob didn't budge. Locked out. Really? 

I am by no means a night owl. So at 3am I do not have the sharpest mind, I'm extremely tired, cold and really have to use the restroom. What would you do in that situation? I looked around for a key hanging up somewhere. Nada. Walked out the backdoor to see if the porch door to the house was unlocked. Of course it wasn't. Getting desperate by this time, I looked around again and noticed that the hinges to the door were on my side. Yes! I've never done it before, but taking the pins out of the hinges, so I could take the door off the frame seemed like a good idea to my desperate, tired brain. 

It was challenging, since the pins were rusted and the top one was a thicker size. Being a tight fit in the hinge, it didn't want to come out. Thankfully there was a ladder in the garage, or else I would have pulled my car forward and stood on the hood. Not the best idea when it's a rental car. My only concern was, that the neighbors would hear the banging and call the police. Just what I didn't need. How do you explain to an officer that yes, you have permission to be in this house, but you are still taking the door off the hinges. Yeah, didn't think that would go over well. 

Eventually I made it inside! Praise the Lord. Was glad I didn't have to be anywhere until that following evening, so I could sleep in. So, if you ever let me stay at your house while you're away and forget to leave a key or the door unlocked, don't worry. I'll get in somehow. ;) 

Funny thing was, found out the next day, there was a key to that door in the garage. I just didn't find it when looking. Hey, I was desperate, so I did what I thought would get me inside the house! 

As for the rest of the trip. It went well. I attended my friends' wedding, which was very nice. Good food at the reception. :) and I assisted with the car decoration. Can't let a wedding happen without a good, ol' car decorating party. But can I recommend you wash your car before your wedding? Makes my job easier. 

best we could do with limited time, dirty car and scant supplies

with the bride and groom - congrats guys!