Seasons of Love.

Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes.

Five hundred twenty-five thousand moments so dear. 

Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes. 

How do you measure, measure a year?

What a 525,600 minutes it has been. 2010 has been one of the most life changing, growing, hard, scary, fun, challenging, inspiring, peaceful, fun, favorite, dreadful, full of emotion, full of Jesus years of my 31 years of life. Lets look at the facts:

This is what my life looked like in January 2010:

-I spent my days hanging out with Highland Park middle school and high school kids at I Heart Yogurt, Kuby's, Einstein's Bagels, the mall, movies, Starbucks, at their basketball games, lunches, pep rallies, and soccer games. I planned WyldLife Clubs, all night bus tours, Committee meetings, Leader meetings, fundraisers, and had staff meetings with my co-worker, Trent. Many hours a day were spent at the Young Life office with my friends and lunches with them were often and usually hilarious. 

-I was looking for a part time job to make ends meet because of finances in HPYL. 

-I toured Art Institute of Dallas to see their Interior Design program. Before the tour I was worried it was a little University of Phoenix, but it isn't it, it is legit. After the tour I was completely scared and rushed to the comfort and security of Young Life, the only job I had known since college

-My brother and sister-in-law lived in Boston, as a family of two. Jay was a masters student at Gordon-Conwell and Holly was a nurse. 

-I didn't ever use a ruler or even own one.

-I didn't really believe Jesus was for me in life. 

-I thought the south was the only place I would ever live after I finished school.

-I didn't think I really cared that much about grades and told my YL girls that school is important but grades don't matter in the big scheme of life. 

-I didn't even know Set Decorating was a job.

-I was a teeth grinder in my sleep and got migraines several days a week.
-I had never been on a real television set.
-I had never lost a job. 

-I had never worked retail in my whole entire life.
-I had a Facebook and a Twitter.

Now, let's see what has brought things to January 2011:

-I am starting my fourth quarter at Art Institute, studying Interior Design. I work harder than I ever thought I would going back to school. I make better grades than I ever thought I would. I love school more than I ever thought I would. 

-My brother and sister-in-law now live in Charlottesville, VA, as a family of three! Jay is the Director of Undergraduate Ministries at the Center for Christian Study and Holly is a stay at home mom, raising baby Joel. And, I love my nephew more than I ever thought possible (even though I really wanted him to be a girl).

-I work at Anthropologie and really enjoy it. Now, it's not what I desire to do vocationally for the rest of my life, but for now it is a great fit. Actually, I take that back, if the Set Decorating thing doesn't work out, visual something at Anthro would be oh so wonderful. Also, working at Anthro I have realized I am naturally even more preppy than I thought. 

-I lead a small group of SMU sophomore girls with RUF and absolutely love it. I love seeing their hearts and talking about life and Jesus with them. 

-I want to be a Set Decorator and actually have an internship with an Emmy award winning one for this summer.
-I truly believe God is for me in life. 

-For the first time since I was a freshman in high school (yeah, that is 16 years ago) I don't go to some sort of Young Life club pretty much every week. And, am o.k. with it. Sad sometimes, but o.k.

-I eat a homemade lunch most days.
-I have walked through a season of losing a job. 

-I am going to live in California this summer! Do you know anyone in L.A. looking for a roommate or for me to be friends with? Because, I need both.
-No Facebook and no Twitter.  If you want to know some of why, read this article from Relevant Magazine, and even if you don't want to know why, read the article. It is interesting, in this interview Mark Zuckerberg talks about the benefits of Facebook and how it connects people and in the Relevant article many of those ways of connecting people are actually disconnecting people in reality. Also, the other day on USAToday.com "The Year Technology Replaced Talking" was one of the headlining stories. I will say I loved the movie The Social Network and have no judgement towards people that are social networkers, I just need to work on being a better friend in real life right now. Now, I know I have a blog, but there may be some changes in the works for the future there. 

-I sleep with a mouthguard at night and my migraines have gone away. 

-I had to write "Jesus loves me even if I get a B" on the chalkboard in my workroom so I would chill out about making all A's. 

-I know how to use an architectural scale (ruler) and use it most days of my life. I also know what Marker Paper is, how to render and draw furniture at a two point perspective, who Mies Van der Roh, Louis Sullivan, Charles Mackintosh, and Renzo Piano are and random facts about them, like that Mackintosh's wife use to carry a mouse on her shoulder at parties. I know how to correctly draft a floor plan with footings and foundations, how much it costs for a piece of black foam core, and how to mat my own pictures.
-I am a Pinner. And, you should be one too!!! If you want to join, let me know, and I will invite you. 

-I know how to needlepoint. I know, you may be asking, Erin, are you 75? But, it is coming back and as my mother put it, it is coming back "with a vengeance".
-I was a stand in on Lonestar, interned where Lonestar was filmed, and was an extra on Friday Night Lights. 

-I miss my Young Life friends. 

-I am o.k. with not living in the south for at least a season in life.

-I love Jesus more than I did one year ago. His tenderness, power, heart for me, humanity, and love are more real to me today than they were January 2010. And, even though I love the situations where God has my life right now, I love even more the place where He has my heart.

Here is a little video I made this morning and my hope is it will be a reminder in the future that the love of the Lord is good. He is good indeed.

I have to thank all of the people that have been my cheerleaders, truth speakers, friends, shoulders to cry on, financial supporters, study buddies, roommates, family away from family, and actual family through this crazy year. Again, I see that the Lord is good, He is good indeed, through you.