Adventure Fuelings: Joy In Unexpected Circumstances

At our church, we are currently going through the book of Philippians. The overarching theme, in Philippians, is keeping our joy and today's message was about having joy in unexpected circumstances. There were many things that stood out and spoke to me, but as I sit down to write my first post in nearly two years, the one thing that really stood out is this: God is the one bringing about the divine appointments and placing opportunities in our path. When I think over the last two years specifically and then extending back throughout my life, this could not be more true!

For those who haven't kept up with me (which to be fair, keeping up with me has been a difficult thing to do, ha); I will give you a brief overview of the last couple years.:)

My last post was in January 2020, as I reflected back on the death and loss of my dad. At that time, I was completely unaware that my life was about to take a dramatic turn. Around the middle of January, my cousin signed me up for a dating app. Mostly to prove to another cousin that there ARE decent guys out there, if you look seriously.....and in order to prove the point and also humor them a bit, I decided to participate in the app for a week. Little did I know that I would come across Luke! We started talking and a week later would meet up for the first time at a State Park. I am happy to report that he wasn't a serial killer or rapist.....because looking back at the situation, if he was....it would be a very sketchy and different story, lol. We met up, mid-winter, at a park with few others around. We walked around a frozen waterfall and then I proceeded to get in his car, so we could drive across the way to watch some bison roaming about. Again, looking back, getting into a car of a complete stranger is a bit sketchy and I would overall discourage this behavior. However, it worked out for the better! ;) We wrapped up our first meeting by going to a coffee shop in Mankato, where we sat and talked for quite a while. I was really impressed by how he talked about his faith, his family, and what he was looking for in a wife.

Minneopa State Park

During this time I was also in the process of interviewing for a job out in Utah in Wilderness Therapy. So shortly after this meetup, I flew out to Utah for a week long interview/training thing. Luke wanted to see me before I flew out, so he drove from Rochester (were he lived) to Hutchinson (where I was living), to pick me up and drive me to the cities!! Talk about impressing a girl! For those who don't know....that is around a 5 hour trip!

I spent that next week in Utah, where I then accepted the job as a Field Instructor. Upon flying back, Luke picked me up (February 15th) and we went to a coffee shop, where he officially asked me to be his girlfriend. I said "yes" and then a couple weeks later moved to Utah...adding 16 hours to the 2 hours we already lived apart. What can I say, I really know how to make a relationship thrive.....😬

Little Grand Canyon, UT

Pictures from the Field/Work

Hiking in the Mountains around SLC

My home in SLC:)

I settled into a house in Salt Lake City with a couple other girls who where also started at Second Nature the same time as me. Then started up the routine of working for 8 days straight out in the wilderness near Duchesne, UT and then having 6 days off. I was really enjoying it and getting into it!!

Then, as everyone is well aware, COVID hit with full force, and the world went insane. I came out of the field to find that the stores were empty and it was going to be hard to even find toliet paper. We were faced with what it looked like to work with troubled teens in the outdoors with the new COVID restrictions and how to keep the staff and students healthy and safe. As well as figuring out the new life outside of the field and in the "real world." I really am so thankful that I was working in the wilderness during this crazy time, because work became a "safe" and "normal" place. When I was off, I was aware of all the news, stores being empty, people going crazy, Minneapolis burning to the ground, etc.... When I was in the field, I was cut off from most communication outside, and life went on, more or less, like normal. There I could live outside and focus on helping kids as I had done for years.

As COVID continued and travel restrictions became more of a real issue, I thought more about what was truly important to me. I realized that I wanted more than anything to be closer to my family, because I value those relationships and desired to really focus on growing deeper with them. I was also beginning to understand the difficulties in a long-distance relationship (exacerbated by the fact that basically every other week I would have little to no communication with family/friends/Luke). None of it was enough to get through my stubborn/thick head though. So God had to give me a terrible week out in the field. One where a student nearly was able to go through with a suicide. One where I didn't think I could even make it through the week. Where we had to stay up throughout the night to provide care, giving me little sleep. The week left me exhausted emotionally and mentally. Even after having 6 days off, I wasn't ready to go back into the field. It was a traumatic experience to say the least.

I was devastated. I felt like I couldn't keep working there, yet I had wanted to work in Wilderness Therapy for so long! It had been a dream of mine since I found out about it while hiking the AT and that had been my plan! Now it was up in the air, like everything else in the world. I really wrestled with what I was suppose to do, what God wanted me to do, and what I wanted to do. I struggled with the idea of moving back to Minnesota, even through that is where most of my family was and that was where Luke was. I had to realize that I was not accepting failure by moving back. I had to realize that I needed to chose what I thought was the "unsafe" path of moving close to Luke in order to really allow a relationship to develop. I couldn't keep playing it safe and keep protecting my heart. I am so thankful that I chose to listen to and follow God's direction and not my own!

In August 2020, I moved to Rochester, MN. Luke flew down to Utah, where we spent a week exploring Utah, before driving across the country in a U-haul with no cruise control.:) I started working as a server at Crave (an American Kitchen & Sushi Bar) in Rochester and figuring out what this new season of life looked like.

Showing Luke around Utah

My relationship with Luke started to thrive and on November 2nd, he proposed at St. Croix State Park! Then, of course, came all the wedding planning. Which, really, wasn't that awful! Probably because I didn't really care all that much about the details.:) Although sometimes, I had to care about the details...and so I was really glad to be done with it!

June 12th, 2021 was our wedding day. We got married in his parent's backyard and had our reception there as well. It was an absolutely beautiful day!!! One I will treasure forever. 💗 It is amazing to me the amount of work God did in my life to bring me to the point where I could stand across from Luke and make a vow to him to be his wife and partner for the rest of my life! Praise be to God!!

We honeymooned in Alaska, which was absolutely incredible!! Hiking, exploring, ice climbing, drinking coffee, having 22 hours of daylight, and spending quality time together. These last three months have been spent figuring out our new life together, schedules, organizing/painting the house, and, of course, training for a marathon.:) Luke said this will be his one and only marathon...haha...he has been a trooper through all the training!! I told him, I would never ask him to run a marathon with me again. :)

Ice Climbing on the Matanuska Glacier

Cooking up Mussels we had found earlier that day

Glacier breakup

Fresh caught Halibut and Spot Prawns

Even as I write the overview of the last couple years, I am awed by how many divine appointments and opportunities God placed in my life!! Even when I pursued my own ideas/ways, He still used them to bring me to where He wanted me to be!! I am SO thankful we serve such an incredible and amazing God!!!

Working on our kitchen