first post

In beginning my new adventure as an Outward Bound instructor, and so I don't go incommunicado for the next several months, I have created this blog. It has the same name as the blog I kept up while living in Freiburg, Germany in 2004...but I could not find that blog any more. It has been lost in the electronic wilderness of the internet. If you stumble upon it, let me know. It would be interesting to see what I was writing five years ago. At twenty-five, five years is 20% of my total life-span to date - a significant percentage, and an interesting lapse to look at and mull over.

Well - It would be lovely to hear from any or all of you either by comment, email, letter, or phone. Here is where I am at right now:

I will be leaving Kalamazoo for Chicago on August 24. After a couple days in the city with family and friends, I will head to Fairhope, Alabama on August 29 for OB training. The job I will be doing and learning involves leading high schoolers on extended wilderness trips - to my understanding, these will be 20-30 day canoe trips throughout Alabama and Florida. Some programs will involve work with "at-risk" youth, some will involve work with adjudicated youth, and some will involve youth that are there by choice, just looking for an adventure.

I am excitedly anticipating the start of this work. I feel as though it is a great step in my path of calling and career - which may never be straightforward but which so far has been meaningful and interesting. I don't feel the need to elaborate on my calling or what has led me to this point, but - it definitely feels like the right move for me. And it will be a great adventure.

In the next two weeks, I will be wrapping up my work at The Adventure Centre and as Lord of Life. There will be many people and places in Kalamazoo that I love and will have to leave behind for a time. It is hard to make connections and then walk away from them. I have gotten a lot of support from these places and people and am so grateful that they can support me in this move as well - in fact, sometimes it blows me away, how gracious and encouraging are the people in my life.

Regardless of jobs and travels and adventures, Kalamazoo will always be home, and I hope that life will return me here to stay someday.