Embracing the “S” Word

What a fun season. I’m trying to focus on the “now” instead of pondering the past or wondering about the future. It’s been pretty liberating. That has allowed me to experience  things—even the everyday mundane things—with more joy and hope. Here’s a snapshot of the sweet and silly things going on in my world lately.

Switzerland. I had the opportunity to travel to Switzerland for the World Economic Forum. It was so beautiful in Davos. And my week was full of fun little adventures. I stayed at a hostel (yes I DID say that—are you proud of me?) and spent my nights sharing stories over beers with my housemates—a group of hysterically funny Belgian skiers who were there for their annual “boys weekend”. Each day presented the dilemma of finding somewhere to work—the only places with WIFI were restaurants that make you eat if you turn your PC on (coffee doesn’t count!)….and then when you are done, they shoo you out almost immediately. Desperate for consistent connectivity, I found myself eating through Davos for 8 hours each day….a bowl of soup here….switch venues then a small salad there…..then another bowl of soup at the next place about a block down….and so on. It’s a good thing I had my Insanity DVDs with me. I also fried my converter with my hairdryer on day two, so it was a race against time to find a new one before my PC needed juice. That detail is not that funny or interesting—but what I did find comical is the fact that I ended up wondering around on foot in the snow without a map for about 4 hours looking for a replacement in an area of town where the only language spoken was Swiss-German—not super productive. But perhaps the most memorable moment was definitely when I FULL-ON WIPED OUT down a snowy hill in the background of a CNN International report—I laughed so hard…and so did the news crew. I’ve always said “go big or go home”, so leave it to me to wipe out with the media outlet that has a reach of 300 million households vs. the local station (no I didn’t have the heart to watch to see if it aired). The trip ended with a fun train ride to the airport through the Swiss Alps with my CEO—the mountains were so beautiful!

Sidekicks. I’ve recently been blessed by the gift of AMAZING new single friends. I’m talking fabulous, intelligent, successful, and gorgeous (inside and out) women of faith. The kind of friends that remind you that it’s fun to get dressed cute and go out on the weekend with no expectations—but rather to laugh and not take yourself so seriously. The kind of women who can get an entire pub to start singing and dancing instead of just sitting and watching the band. The kind of girls that will surprise you with a hand-made card right before your big date to encourage you and remind you to not be nervous—but rather to see yourself through God’s eyes.

The kind of girls who remind you to laugh vs. get creeped out when you’re hit with a pick up line “Do you think ghosts are real?” or when a guy you don’t know texts you a picture of himself in a kilt. The kind of girls that will help you put your condo back together after 8 weeks of living in a hotel (YES…it flooded again…darn faulty sprinkler system!). The kind of girls that will agree I look more like a “Kate” than an “Amy” :-). The kind of girls that show me that it’s actually freeing to let the “me” that is on the inside join the party. What a gift these women have been to me. I know we are all stretching, growing and experiencing joy by being in each other’s lives. It’s super cool.

Seattle. I had the opportunity to go home to Seattle last week to do some work and spend time with my friends. I was excited to go, but was surprised at the level of anticipation I felt when I was on the plane. I couldn’t stop smiling. I prayed and asked God why I was so giddy and he reminded me that I call Seattle “home” because that is where I really met Jesus. It was a great trip–I got to spend some quality time with Sara and Troy Groves (who are as humble and endearing as they are talented), had an awesome dinner and prayer time with friends, held the cutest baby, met a friend’s fiance for the first time, hung with my girl Kelly, spent some alone time tending to my heart at my favorite jukebox, ate at my favorite Italian place with my pal Erikro and hiked in the Northwest fresh air with Mike and my pup Cash. 

Safari. Just found out that I get to go to Ethiopia, Rwanda, Uganda and possibly Kenya for work in May. I cannot WAIT to see Africa—I’ve wanted to go for such a long time. Not only will I have the opportunity to meet our clients and spend time with the colleagues that I respect so much, I might even have time to go on a safari. This is going to be my dream trip! And to top it off, we’re making a new film on one leg of the trip. Speaking of films, here is the last one my colleagues and I worked on with the talented @SeanSheridan.

Sight. I am thankful that I have the gift of sight, although admittedly I don’t really think much about it…that is until recently. You see, a week ago, I convinced myself that I might be going blind (#hypochondriac) because it felt (as I described to the doctor) like “someone is trying to pull my eyeballs out by a string” . The eye doctor says I’m just fine, but it gave me the opportunity to stop and give thanks for my vision. After I gave thanks, I decided that I’ve been watching too much of “The Walking Dead”.  Side note:  Don’t drive after they dilate your pupils. That’s scarier than a zombie movie.

Songs. Here are my favorite sweet sounds lately. I’ve gone country….

• “Even if it Breaks Your Heart” by Eli Young Band
• “Over You” by Miranda Lambert
• “You Gonna Fly” by Keith Urban
• “You Don’t Know Her Like I Do” by Brantley Gilbert
• “Love’s Gonna Make It Alright” by George Strait
• “Good Girl” by Carrie Underwood
• “Drink on It” by Blake Shelton
• “Ours” by Taylor Swift
• “Dancin Away with My Heart” by Lady Antebellum

Singleness. I’ll leave it at this—I’m embracing it :-).  But there is way too much (including ridiculous, laugh-out-loud stories and observations) to share on this topic, so I’ll save it for another blog….maybe 🙂

That’s it for now. I hope everyone reading this can celebrate the “S” words in their life that are bringing them joy these days too.

~ by amylucia on March 31, 2012.