I left Denver on a high (no pun intended). I had made memories + connections like I never have before + like I never expected I would. I departed with a heart full of all the goodness of Christ + a head full of ideas, hopes, plans to come back.

But transitioning back home was hard. Transitioning from busy days filled with a constant presence of people + places + plans to a slow murmur of sitting at home, sauntering alone, silent living. I felt like all of the gains I had just made in my life relationally, personally, spiritually had just come to a halting, screeching stop. 

My thoughts have been scattered with doubts. My mind is reminding me of the plans I had to travel the world, to see new places, to meet new people. I shouldn’t be wanting to return to the same place again… or should I? 

What if God is calling me to settle down + establish roots in a single place at such a time as this, in such a place as this? Can I continue to love a place if I’m living life with the same people? Is this why He placed me in Colorado — to draw me back in? Was Colorado just another destination to meet + connect with new people for the heart movement, head memories, high moments? Or was it planting a seed for a further flourishing in the garden of His plan? 

The time spent home didn’t last long because I was soon off to another location — back to my university. I had lots of mixed emotions going in, mainly due to the fact that I hadn’t been back on campus in almost a year. Getting back into a routine of balancing long days full of lectures, work, and studying with the numerous leadership responsibilities I had taken on was daunting. Not to mention this underlying, irrational fear that somehow I had been forgotten by everyone I previously knew due to my prior semester’s absence.

This fear + stress coupled with all that God taught me this summer about intentionality + relationships came together smoothly, satisfyingly, splendidly — because I stepped out of the way + let God do the work. I think I’ve met + established connections with more people on my campus in the past two weeks than I had the previous two years. That fact would have been overwhelming + horrifying to me then. Praise God for that heart change! Not only have I gotten to deepen relationships with individuals whom I only knew a name, but I’ve also met new friends whom I’ve never known before. By opening up + extending friendship like Jesus did, I’ve come into contact with people that I never would have otherwise. Isn’t that what the Kingdom should look like anyway? I want to befriend the people who have a completely different history + who may have been on a totally divergent trajectory, because they very well may be the ones who need someone in this moment the most. 

Maybe that’s why I’m here + not in Denver now. For such a moment as this. To reach out to these people + for them to teach me. There’s a time + a place + a season for every part of life (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8); this we know. But I am currently learning to not yearn, dwell, linger on pieces that previously were because then I miss the pieces that currently are — that are coming to be — by God’s guiding hand. I’m praising + thanking God for what He’s done, watching + listening for what He’s doing, and waiting patiently + eagerly for what He brings next — whether that be something familiar or something entirely new. ​

Side note: Here are some pictures from some Colorado nature time (my favorite!)

Here it is — my final days in Ireland have come to an end. My last couple of weekends didn’t slow down, but rather, I took advantage of the time to explore some last minute destinations on my list before I parted the island.

The first of two trips began with a day trip to Kinsale in County Cork. The weekend previous to this, I traveled to Cork with some friends where I spent the weekend exploring the town + kayaking the River Lee. I really enjoyed the area so I was happy to return as I passed through on my way down to Kinsale. As I arrived in the colorful + quaint harbor town, I joined along on a history stroll of the town where I learned about its rich history with the Spanish Armada + English conflict. I also had planned to visit on this particular day to experience the town’s “Street Feast” food festival, as Kinsale is known as the “foodie” town of Ireland (catch some snapshots of that goodness below).​

Following my day in Kinsale, I journeyed to Limerick for my accommodation for the evening, where I had lovely views of the River Shannon below. The next morning, I met a tour group outside the park in Limerick to take a trip around the Dingle Peninsula. ​

Our excursion began with a quick pass through Killarney for a cafe stop before heading to our first destination that was Inch Beach. It was definitely the first time I have been to a beach where lush pasture land met right beside wide open sandy shores. This feature gave the location a unique scent mixture of sheep + seafood (I oddly kind of liked it?). The coastline was particularly broad + happened to be decorated with a vast array of seashells, as we had met it at low tide. As I walked along the sand in search of a tiny treasure to carry back with me, I kept thanking + praising God for such a glorious, gorgeous day He had given us to be out exploring! ​

​Unfortunately, my boat bonanza ceased as we arrived at the island of Inis Mór (Inishmore — “The Big Island”). It is 11 miles long, 2.5 miles wide, containing about 750 permanent residents. As we got off the ferry, we immediately boarded onto smaller tour buses that took us around the island. We stopped off at Dún Aonghasa which is a circular stone fort said to have been built a few thousand years ago for religious purposes initially. It was atop a rocky hillside with dramatic cliff drops on its peripheral. As we made our way back down the hill, it began pouring rain. We all got completely soaked (número dos for me today) + managed to stumble our way down the rocks while battling the strong winds. Everyone on the island seemed to gather inside the only cafe in the area of the fort to warm up with some hot soup + brown bread. Meanwhile, I made my way to the bathroom where I had to ring out all of the water from my pants, socks, gloves — I could have filled a small pool with the rain I was carrying on me! Our group loaded back onto our buses to continue around the island where we came across many old churches, cemeteries, small houses + cottages, extensive coastline. Once we finished up our tour, we perused the handknit Aran sweater markets + boarded the ferry back to the mainland under a dusted pink + orange sky.

Greetings! I’ve made my way across the waters + have now begun my adventure in Ireland. I spent my first few days in Dublin getting acquainted with the city that I’ll be living in, then I made my way out to explore a bit outside the concrete confines.

​Fortunately, I see many of Dublin's top highlights in my everyday walk to school including Dublin Castle, Christ Church Cathedral, The Guinness Storehouse, Trinity College, Grafton Street, and St. Stephen's Green. However, I did spend one afternoon during my first week as a tourist exploring some of the other locations more in depth. These places included many museums such as the EPIC Irish emigration museum, Dublin City Gallery, the Little Museum of Dublin, National Gallery, and Natural History Museum, as well as Oscar Wilde's birthplace and statue, the Ha'Penny Bridge, and the Dublin Zoo.