When Life Gives You Lemons...

Woah Readers, woah.  I know I haven't blogged since the last days of college, and I know it's been FOREVER, (literally it has been over a month) but I needed some time to relax and not blog and the time has also let the epicness accumulate so there's more excitement for you to come back to when I finally decided enough was enough. Here we are, June 12th, and My Epic Life is officially off hiatus.

You know the saying, "When life gives you lemons make lemonade" right?  Who doesn't know that saying?  Long story short, I take it to mean something like, "When life gives you an opportunity, take it and do something good with it."  Well, about three weeks ago, life gave me lemons.  Here's the story:

So I had been going to church with Nicole (the mastermind behind Dorm Room 718) almost every Sunday ever since the beginning of the school year.  I think the first time I went was in October?  Anyways, I got to know people there and soon I had a church family.  I didn't really see that coming, but I figured I would just go with whatever happened.

Throughout the entire year I kept hearing about this July trip to New Orleans for the ELCA National Youth Gathering and thought, "Hey cool, I can't wait to hear about it in the fall when I see people again."  Now here's where the lemons come in.  On May 23rd, Nicole told me they had someone drop out and people wanted to know if I would consider filling the slot as an adult leader.  *CUE FREAKOUT*

After losing WAY too much sleep over it, I said yes on June 5th and here I am, trying to mentally and physically prepare for an intense 11 day trip in July.  It all feels a bit surreal, like I never imagined I would be doing something like this or taking such an opportunity despite the financial strain.  At the expense of my dignity, I will use the acronym YOLO just this one time.

I'm feeling overwhelmed... this is like, SO MANY BUCKET LIST ITEMS BEING CROSSED OFF AT ONCE! Here are some of the things I'm excited for:

1. I get to lead amazing kids and hopefully be the most epic leader with the most epic discussions ever.  If I remove my playful side for a second, it means I get to do my best to help them learn from each other, learn from themselves, and learn from me.  As an added bonus, I get to learn from them as well.

2. I might get to see my old roommate who lives in Omaha, NE

3. Seeing Switchfoot in concert and all the events at the Superdome in NO.

4. Getting to see the cities of St. Louis, Memphis, New Orleans, and Kansas City, and see states new to me which include the following: Nebraska, Kansas (if we drive through it), Missouri, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, and Arkansas. 

4. Just plain traveling and all the shenanigans that'll be happening. Oh, and did I mention I get to go to the Civil Rights Museum, French Quarter, Beale Steet, and go on a swamp tour? EPIC!!!

As you can see, my life has taken a turn for the even more epic. I'm sure more blog entries about NOLA are to follow. I'm so excited, and suuuper nervous at the same time. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go pinch myself repeatedly.

I send ALL the love!  Be epic and be well.

-Megan