Those numbered summer days.

[The days go by with so many little things that don’t seem to matter until they’re no longer there and suddenly, they’re all that ever mattered.]

It’s just about the middle of the summer and here I am sitting in a coffee shop on one of my mornings off. This is one of the first times I have had the chance to sit down to have some alone time to reflect and just think without any interruptions or distractions. This summer I am working at this amazing summer camp and have the privilege of serving alongside the most wonderful individuals I’ve ever met. Going into the beginning of the summer I knew it was going to fly by, so I have been keeping track of the little things that make me smile each day before our numbered days are done. Here are just a few that come to mind... 

• Cuddle puddles in the grass before kids arrive
• Camp goggles and having a wingman to help sort it all out
• Watching campers advocate for themselves
• Learning new phrases and sayings (that don't always make sense, but you go along with anyways)
• Dance parties just about anywhere 
• Warm hugs from good people
• Late night thunderstorms
• Having a stellar date to the camp dance (and wearing a pretty dress that just makes everything more amazing)
• Going to bed with a smile and waking up with an even bigger grin on your face
• Helping a child hit the target for the first time during archery
• Little girl's giggles that make you burst out laughing too
• The funniest things that kids say and the logic that they use to back up that crazy story they just told you
• Campfires with amazing performances by your best friend 
• Finishing a really good book and having the urge to read another
• New and old friends all in one place
• Watching campers be brave and encourage others (when they still might be scared or nervous themselves)
• Cooling off in the pool and in a kayak on the lake 
• The joy in the camper's voice when they tell their parents about the amazing week they just had at camp
• $5 movies and free popcorn on Tuesdays
• Loosing ourselves in the streets of Chicago

When I stop to think about all the little things that are going on around me in my life currently, all I can do is smile. My days are long but the weeks go by so fast. I am finding each day that it is the little things that matter and that will make up the big memory at the end of the summer. Every experience, memory, person and thing that I do is important. I am blessed beyond my years to have the chance to be the shining light in other people's lives. I can't wait to see what the rest of the summer has in store for me. 

Service is out there!

In approximately 13 days I will be getting on a coach bus and starting the adventurous week that is also known as the Pay It Forward Tour. It seems like it was just yesterday that I got on the bus my freshman year for my first tour. I was a shy, quiet youngster who had no idea what was in store for her. Little did I know that those first nine days would impact my life so much and help to shape me as the person I am today. 

So in honor of the tour season that is quickly approaching I'm going to throw it back and walk down memory lane a little bit. Now it's not a #throwbackthursday, because clearly it's Saturday, not Thursday. So maybe we could create a new hash tag? #sweetserendipitysaturday. It might become a nationwide trend, you never know.... 

The Pay It Forward Tour is a service trip for college students that goes to 7 cities in 9 days. The PIFT is put on by an organization called Students Today Leaders Forever. STLF's mission is to reveal leadership through service, relationships and action. 

Freshman Year!! :) 


This was my first tour ever! My roommate convinced me to go, and boy am I glad that she did!! Our final destination this year was Charleston, South Carolina. When we were in Charleston we got to help out with oyster restoration near the water with all of the other schools that were there too. It was neat to see about 200 college kids working together to get the job done. During the week we stopped in places in Tennessee, Georgia, Florida and more! Another little fun fact about this tour is that this is where I met my current roommates! We all went on our first tour together and now we live in our first apartment together! 

Working at the food bank. 

Just casually hanging out by the beach. It's a rough life, you know? 

Sophomore Year!! :) 

This year I stepped out of my comfort zone and went on my first ever mystery tour! This meant that I had no idea where we were going each day. All I knew was that I would end up in Denver at the end of the week. We made stops in places like Kansas City, Memphis, Arkansas, and more! I met so many great new friends from my bus. It was also really neat because there were a lot of other Christians on my bus too. We got to hang out, talk about Jesus and do some late night worship sessions. 

Exploring Memphis! 

First meal in Denver. Can I have a table for 45? 

Aren't we a good looking group of people? I'd say so. :) 

We made it to Denver! 

Junior Year!! :) 

This year I am going on the Philly Mystery Tour! I have the amazing opportunity to be a part of the Bus Core, which means that I am a part of the team that plans the entire trip. My bus core is amazing and they have truly been a blessing in my life. Each of us bring a different strength to the table and it makes for a super awesome team! Our final destination this year is Philly! Since we are on a mystery bus, our participants will not know where they are going each day. We will surprise them each day with where we will be staying/serving. 

Meet my Bus Core!
Lauren, Joey, Khamille, Kyle & myself. 

JaPhillMe? 

7 cities. 9 days. Service every day. Memories in each city. Friendships made along the way.

I am a mess, I am a wrecking ball.

Music has a sneaky way of making sense of my life. A lot of times when I'm feeling certain ways I can find a song that can easily describe exactly how I'm feeling. It's not an easy task, but eventually I do find that song that explains everything and puts my soul at ease. 

I have recently found myself to be going through a season of feeling lost at sea and like the the waves of doubt and stress were going to gobble me up. It's been a little rough, I won't lie. The stress of school, extra curricular responsibilities and maintaining friendships has caught up with me and has overwhelmed me a bunch. Don't get me wrong, I love my major and the kids that I have the opportunity to work with. I love the organizations that I am a part of and have the chance to serve in leadership roles with. And I adore the amazing friends that I have been blessed with. Somehow during the process of making everything work out and have my life run smoothly I have forgotten about myself and the importance to take time for me and to relax. My roommates and close friends have always told me that I'm too busy, but I usually just brush it off and go about my life again. It took spreading myself too thin and realizing that this was too much for me to take a step back and realize how important it is to have a nice balance in your life. 


These lyrics have spoken truth into how I've been feeling for the past few weeks. 

Sometimes this world starts breaking me down

I get so lost I think I’ll never be found

And there are moments of fear and doubt

Even the best fall to the ground

I am a mess, I am a wrecking ball

I must confess that I still don’t get it all

Lord I believe that all Your words are true

Doesn’t matter where I’m going if I’m going with You

I press on, I press on, I press on

When I still don’t get it

I see the world through my jaded eyes

I get frustrated when there is no Why

I put my focus on worthless things

Even the strong fall to their knees

God only knows what we all need

I am a mess, I am a wrecking ball

These lyrics are powerful and can give comfort in a time of uncertainty, stress and doubt. 'Even the best fall to the ground.' That is the lyric that I hold on tight to. I know I don't have it all together, and that is perfectly alright. Who says I need to be perfect, all knowing and have all my stuff together? I guess I have come to realize that the only one pressuring me to do all those things was myself. Kinda crazy, right? I can be my biggest enemy and critic, but I can also be my biggest cheerleader and encourager. I want to choose the latter and am working to make it something that I practice every day. So while I may be a mess and a wrecking ball in my life, I know that it's alright to struggle. It's alright to admit that you don't know it all and can't do everything. I have an amazing support system of friends and family who back me up and encourage me to be the best I can be. All I can do is press on. 

Check out the lyric video to Press On by Building429

[Peace&Love] Jenny 

Roomie photos for dayssssss

We recently had 2 'cold' days at my University, so naturally as college students we did a bunch of random things during that time. My roommates and I have been talking about taking 'mugshots' for a while now that we can use to decorate our living room with. So... After a really long time, we finally took them!!!! And let me tell you, they turned out awesome. :) In addition to those photos we took some fun ones too just to pass the time.

So here's what we came up with. The first photo will be our mugshot and the second photo was a fun one from the night. 

They think they are super cool. 

Selfies!!!!! 

Got some really cool 'candid' photos that capture the happiness and joy that fills our apartment. 

 

[Peace&Love] Jenny 

18 months.

Time has a sneaky way of flying by when you aren't paying attention or just happen to blink. Somehow I have found myself in second semester of my junior year of college... Wow! It is just a mind blowing concept for me.

18 months. That's how many months until I enter the 'real world' and have the potential to have my first teaching job. 18 months. A little over a year. A lot can happen in 18 months, but for me a lot has to be learned in these short months in order for me to be prepared.

I recently finished my first week of classes for the second half of my junior year and I have to admit, I'm a little overwhelmed. This semester I will have one of my first official placements in a Special Ed classroom. I will be working in a junior high classroom with 6th & 7th grade boys. Wahoo! I'm very excited to meet these kiddos and have the chance to get to know them over the semester. What I'm not looking forward to this semester is all the stress over the millions of projects that we have in each of our classes. Looking over the course schedules right now is kind of daunting and very scary. While the projects seem overwhelming, it is neat to see that finally all of my classes are starting to intertwine. The material that I learn in one class can and will be used in my other three. I will then be able to apply what I am learning in the classroom on Mondays & Wednesdays.

These next 18 months will probably be stressful. I may or may not get enough sleep. But I will get my energy from the kids that I am serving and working with. The school work might seem tedious, but it is helping me to become a better teacher. I will most likely be pushed outside of my comfort zone and that will be good. I will soak in all the experiences in the schools and interacting with the students. I will become the best teacher I can be.

I am beautiful. 

I am loved. 

I am inspiring.

I am awesome. 

I am adored.

These are things that I will keep telling myself over this semester and over the next 18 months. I can do anything I put my mind to. I will get frustrated at times, but I will not give up. I am looking forward to the experiences I will have, lessons I will learn and the people I will meet over the next 18 months.

[Peace&Love] Jenny 

My Bucket List. The opportunities are endless...

Here's a list of some things that I would like to accomplish before I die. Some of them are very simple and others are a bit more complicated. I hope to be able to blog about the items that I get done. This list will be ever growing as I go through life. I can't wait to see what kinds of things I accomplish and the stories that I will be able to tell. :) 

1.     Visit Washington DC.

2.     Go to all 50 states.

3.     Help decorate the White House during Christmas time.

4.     Invite a special guest or someone in need to a holiday dinner.

5.     Go see the Ellen Show.

6.     Be on the Ellen Show? :) 

7.     Carry a balloon in a parade.

8.     Be someone’s Maid of Honor.

9.     Go skydiving.

10. Get a small meaningful tattoo.

11. Ride in a hot air balloon.

12. Zip line through the jungle.

13. Swim in every ocean.

14. Swim with turtles.

15. Stand under a waterfall.

16. Have a meaningful conversation with a stranger.

17. Attend a high school reunion.

18. Meet someone famous.

19. Bring baked goods to a neighbor.

20. Get married.

21. Have children.

22. Attend a same sex wedding.

23. Write a letter to my future self.

24. Donate my hair.

25. Serve food at a soup kitchen.

26. Be a Big Sister in the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization.

27. Teach someone to read.

28. Knit a scarf.

29. Learn to play the guitar.

30. Attend a TED Talk.

31. Visit every continent.

32. Finish a crossword puzzle.

33. Send a message in a bottle.

34. Take a Segway tour.

35. Visit Africa!

36. Tube down a river.

37. Drive a Zamboni.

38. Live in a foreign country for at least a year.

39. Go on a safari.

40. Run a 5K.

41. Love my body.

42. Visit Sydney, Australia.

43. Share the love of Jesus with others.

44. Volunteer for a charity in a different country.

45. Be a part of a flash mob.

46. Go to a drive in movie.

47. Kiss under a mistletoe.

48. Visit the Grand Canyon.

49. See the Northern Lights.

50. Go on a best friend road trip.  

51. Change someone's life. 

52. Be a mentor to someone younger than me. 
53. Graduate college. 
54. Write on a "Before I Die..." wall.