30 in 365

In mere hours my 365th day will commence. This year has been pretty amazing. It turned out to be everything I ever could have hoped for and more. I set out on the journey of this year with the idea to make it great. I didn't feel like I had accomplished all  that I had hoped to in my 20s and I was bound and determined to make 30 everything that my 20s hadn't been. I wanted to feel like I had really lived. I have to say that I fit a lot of living into the last 365 days. I couldn't be happier. I know that I will not forget all that 30 brought me, and more has happened than what the confines of this blog allows. But, here's a recap just to prove how amazing it has been:



I joined a gym and got all buffy
(the last few weeks has killed that, but not for long)





I went to LA, and ROCKED it!



I went to Australia--a dream come true





I bought a new house.
It is AMAZING!

I got back to my roots.

I went to Guatemala and learned that I have so
much when others have so little.





I rid myself of my albatross.

I visited A Christmas Story House,
fulfilling another dream.





I met Chris. Probably the most unexpected
part of this year, but a great part nevertheless.

Instead of the cross, the Albatross About my neck was hung

"The selfsame moment I could pray;
And from my neck so free
The Albatross fell off, and sank
Like lead into the sea."

The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner

3rd annual

For the last few years my friend Laura and I have celebrated my birthday at Buffalo Wings and Ribs--our favorite. I don't get to see Laura much, but I've known her my whole life and any time I see her it doesn't seem like any time has passed. I'm blessed with great friends.

So it begins

Allow the 31st birthday festivities begin

T-minus 27 hours

It just occurred to me today that I have a mere day before I officially turn 31. It also just occurred to me that 31 sounds old when you say it. Say 30 and it sounds young and hip and thriving. Um, 31, not so much. I've already begun the birthday celebrations and I'm quite excited about them. I have a few things I must post tomorrow to finish out this amazing year, but I do have to say 30, flirty, and thriving indeed I have been.

A Major Award

This weekend I had the opportunity to do something I have always dreamed of doing. I visited A Christmas Story house in Cleveland. I have loved A Christmas Story since I was about 16. Since I found out about A Christmas Story House several years ago, I have wanted to go. Thanks to the ever-wonderful Chris Mann who said "Let's go," I got to go. It was everything I hoped it would be--even better, it snowed big beautiful flakes, just like in the movie. Check it out:

The Girls

Friday night was the first official annual girls "getting ready for Christmas" party. Let me say that it was EPIC. Oh, and my girls can drink. Simply a sample of what we got into :)

31 Days

I have a mere 31 days until I turn 31, and I have to say that so far 30 has been a pretty damn amazing year. I have travelled half way around the world--twice. I bought a house, and a combination of other very important things. However, the thing I am the most excited about is cutting the Albatross loose from my neck and shoeing my Achilles Heel. These are two things that have kept me from my future for a VERY long time. They are the two things that have held me back from what I have wanted my whole life. I am beyond excited to say that the things I envisioned coming to me when I let these things go are in fact coming to me. I cannot wait to see what's in store for the next 31 days :)

Amputation

The wounds are deep. The flesh is raw. Words are the placebo. Where's the Vicodin?

The feelings are trapped. Hatred. Fear. Peace. Anger. Relief. Knowledge. Jealousy.

Tears are the only thing that escape to acknowledge. Hatred. Fear. Peace. Anger. Relief. Knowledge. Jealousy.

The nerves are numb. Even with them gone, the feeling will still exist. Every once in a while you will reach for it. It will not be there.

The pain is a phantom. You know you were right. It had to go. It has always been this way. What was dead was holding you back.

Untrap. Hatred. Fear. Peace. Anger. Relief. Knowledge. Jealousy.

Do you pray for them?

Today I spent the day with my niece. We made cookies, cupcakes, rice crispies treats, and brownies. After all was said and done, we delivered some goodies to a few of my neighbors. First, we went to Pete's house. We chatted for a few minutes, and as we were walking away from the house, my niece grabbed my hand and said "Aunt Jaron, do you ever pray for Pete?" I will be honest, I was taken a bit off guard by her question. Honestly, I don't know if I ever have. I do know that what she said really hit me.

Who do I pray for? What am I doing? I've been in a bit of a rough spot recently. I can't even begin to explain it, and I really don't want to. I know what is going on and really, only I can deal. But, Kaydence's question made me wonder what I should be doing. Perhaps right this second I'm supposed to put all of my troubles aside and pray for other people. Perhaps others are in the same spot I am. Perhaps they need me. I know that right this minute there are things I need and maybe, just maybe, God was speaking through my five year old niece to say "Jaron, do you pray for them?" because maybe others need prayer. Maybe someone else is praying for me, or maybe it was God saying "Jaron, you are not alone in your troubles. Do you pray for them?

Kentucky Roots

A few weeks ago I took a trip to Kentucky with my dad. It had been like 10 years since I had last been there and I thought it was time to go back. So, ROAD TRIP with my pops. I am a firm believer in the idea that you can't really know where you are going unless you know where you came from. I didn't do much while I was in Kentucky, but I learned a lot about where I came from. Of that I am proud.

On Holly Ridge

This is a picture of my dad standing in front of the cave my great great  great grandparents lived in when they first moved to Kentucky.











There are lots of little family cemeteries on the mountain tops. These are my first relatives in Kentucky. They moved to Kentucky from West Virginia.

 

The first graves were built on top of the ground

This is the first house that was built on Holly. The Hollon's moved from the cave to this house. I can't believe it has stood this long--I guess they don't make things like they used to.



This is my dad and his cousin George at the Elkins cemetery. It overlooks the property my great grandpa owned.

This is my dad standing in front of the barn his grandpa Clifford built. Grandpa Clifford was dad's hero, and seemed to be the person who was always there for him.

I may have never actually lived in Kentucky, but that's where my roots run. Understanding why Kentucky is so special for my dad helps me to understand him better.  And, I know my dad won't always be here to tell the stories; one day they will be up to me to share.  I may not always know where I am going, but I do know where I've been.

Pull

I only have a few short months to do new things in my 365 days, so this week I did something that I had never done before--trap shooting. While I have done target shooting, I have never shot at a moving target (except that one time . . . just kidding). I have to admit it is a pretty good time, and this is what I have to show for it ---------------------------------->

I hit a total of three. Don't judge me. I don't normally shoot at moving targets. I really wanted to jump up and down and do a little jig, but jumping up and down with a gun in your hand probably isn't a good idea. Plus, making noise sets off the pigeons.

Thanks to my friend, I have something new to add to my list of firsts, I got to hang with some pretty cool old guys (and let's just be honest, old men love me), and I also ran into a long time family friend all at the same time!

While I may have only hit three this time. I am gonna shoot (pun intended) for ten next time.

Ready? Pull . . .

You've always been there for me

You've always been there for me. Thank you.

Those eight words don't look like much, but I can't tell you how much they mean to me. I have waited years and years and years to hear them. They finally came. I cannot begin to tell you what all I have done to earn those words--you'd probably gasp at the thought if I did. However, that's not the point. The point is that those eight little words finally mean that maybe he gets it. Maybe, just maybe, he finally sees.

When was the last time you said those words? Do the people who are always there for you know that YOU know? Sometimes these words can be hard to say. They can be hard to type. They can be hard to write. But, they do need to be said. They just do. I can just about guarantee you that you probably don't know just how much it means to someone else to hear you say them--maybe you do.

I try to use them often. Sometimes I fail.

This week. I heard them. I finally heard them and those eight words have never sounded so sweet.

My Roots, My Family, My Thanks

I am not really sure why I feel it necessary to say this right now, but I do, so I will. I have been sitting and watching a show on tv about Appalachia--specifically about Kentucky. Ironically they were talking about a part of the country where my family comes from. People in this area face a lot of hardships of all kinds, but that's not the point of this blog.  While I have never lived in Kentucky, that is where I am from--where my family is from.

My father is from Kentucky and my mother is from southern Indiana. Neither of my parents grew up having a lot, and they would probably hate me for broadcasting that to the world, but you have to understand the context to get the text. While I was watching this show today I had an uncanny need to call my parents and tell them thank you.  That's just what I did.

I try to say thank you a lot, but sometimes people just need to know how much you appreciate them. You see, since my parents never had a lot they made sure that my brother, sister, and I had everything we could ever want, need, desire, etc growing up. As a kid there was never anything that I wanted that I didn't get. There was never any place that I wanted to go that I never went. My parents didn't want our lives to be like their lives, so they gave us everything they possibly could. How? Hard work. Lots and lots of hard work.

People often ask me why I work so hard, why I work every hour that I can, why I never rest. You know why? Because I have seen what hard work does. I have seen what hard work gets you. I NEVER would be where I am had it not been for my parents. So, while my roots are deep in a place that is laden with difficulty, and my family comes from places that weren't always full of opportunities, I have learned to be who I am because of my parents. I have learned to be who I am--to be somebody because of where they came from, what they did.

Why do I need to say this? Because I know that my roots run deep, my family is priceless, and they deserve my thanks!



*And it just so happens that this need to tell them thank you happened on their anniversary :)

A Reflection

I realize that I haven't written on here in quite some time. I haven't forgotten about it, and I have tons of things that I want to write about. I have to tell you all about Guatemala, and camp, and the house, and all kinds of other things.

However, right this second I have something I feel is necessary to talk about. On March 4th I wrote about the things that I wanted to accomplish this year. They were things that I wanted to do. The list looked like this:

My Albatross: Working on it
My Achilles: Working through it
My Australia: Booking it
My Mission: Trusting it
My Struggles: Letting them go
My Life: Making it

As of today, it looks like this:

My Albatross: Has been freed from around my neck
My Achilles: Has its place
My Australia: Was an experience of a lifetime
My Mission: Was fulfilled
My Struggles: Have come to peace
My Life: Is exactly where it is supposed to be

What's this mean?

The first 228 days of my 365 have been pretty amazing. It has truly been full of adventures and experiences.  I cannot wait to see what is in store for the next 137.

Stay tuned to see what I have been up to in the last several weeks :)

Go and make disciples

So, in a measly 24 hours, a group of 36 people from my church and I will be on our way to Guatemala.

What will we be doing?

Click here: Disciple Makers

Where will I be?

Click here: Jalapa

This trip has been in the works since October of last year, and has taken a lot to put together. So, if you are the praying type, say one for us.

And, thank you to all of you who helped make this possible! You don't know how much it means to me!

I will tell you all about this next grand adventure when I get back!

It's Official

Well, as of 1:45 today it's official . . .

So, this is pretty much made of awesome!

A Lesson Learned

"When it comes to the past, we all stack the deck."

One of my favorite Stephen King quotes. Wireman. Duma Key.

I realized today just how true this is. I had an argument with someone from my past, and I realized that through this discussion we both saw things very differently. Why is that? Why do we see things the way we want to instead of how they really were? How do you know who's right? After this discussion, I decided it was better to just leave things the way they were. We both very much stacked the deck.

That was today's lesson learned.

On a different note, my closing is supposed to be one week from today, and I still haven't heard anything back about my inspection response . . . great.

Also, I will be in Guatemala in 20 days.

That is all.

When one door closes . . .

You know the old adage . . .

Today I shut the door and handed over my keys.

I have been so busy I haven't yet had time to think about it. I am not sure if I have any emotions about it. I feel like there are lots of changes and I should be looking forward to them, but at the same time I have so much going on I don't have time to think about anything. Am I excited, sad, happy, nervous, etc about moving? I really don't know. It just seems to be what it is.

Right now I am dealing with the whole house situation. So far, things have gone rather smoothly. The inspection even went very well, but there were a few things that I wanted fixed and they don't seem to want to do that. I am annoyed and contemplating whether it is worth it. I have made my final decision and if they don't agree then I do something else. I pick a different door. I haven't said much about the house situation because I don't want something to happen and have to explain everything to everyone. Let it suffice to say that it is in progress.

I've also been looking for a job. This is a huge deal to me because I have worked in the same place for 11 years. I worked at my other job for 6 years and have been planning to go back, but something just feels wrong about that. It just seems different.  Things are changing there and I have bills to pay, so I gotta do something else.

Also, my niece graduated last weekend and this weekend is her graduation party. I want to be able to relax and enjoy that memory and not continue to be on fog mode.

I feel like a kid all over again. I feel like I should have made these decisions already. Things should have been in place. In some ways it makes me feel like a failure. Am I? I don't know.

This brings me to the point. The sermon at church on Sunday was about worry. Actually, it was about not worrying and trusting that God will provide and is in control. I believe that He knows what is right and what I am to do/have/be, but sometimes it is hard to relinquish control and let things be . . . especially when they don't look all that promising. It is hard not to worry, but worrying does nothing but make things worse, so I am not worrying. I am looking forward to what is to come. Not worrying can be exhausting ;)

I know that when one door closes another one opens. Right now, there are lots of doors closing. I just hope someone remembered to unlock the other doors.

Pack it up, put it in, back where we belong

Packing sucks!

However, spending hours of quality time by myself has allowed me to realize a few things. For one, I realized that I moved in here the weekend that Kian graduated. I will be moving out the weekend that Kelcey graduates (in like three days). It seems a bit ironic.

I also realize that when we are left to our own devices, we always seem to find a way to figure it out. We do what we must.

Three years ago there was a dramatic shift in my life. It is what brought me here. I moved in here when Josh and I broke up. Packing sucked then, too. But, I left most everything there and just started over again. I sit here with boxes piled around me thinking about what's happened over the last several years and I realize this new dramatic shift in my life comes at a perfect time. Is is coincidental that it happened during the year that I vowed to make grand? Maybe. Or, maybe it is because I have let go of the past and am finally, finally embracing the future.

This time I am not leaving everything, but it does seem like I am starting all over again. I am amazed at how things have changed and continue to change, how I feel nothing yet everything all at the same time.

"Pack it up, put it in, back where we belong spend a little time before the time is gone.
Set it up, take it down, you know the world keeps spinning 'round.
Everything, yeah everything has its place."

I think I'm finally finding mine :)