Abordinginals

I have been doing some "soul searching" this past month amongst the many life changes. Tonight, I was looking over old Facebook photos I posted...kinda in a memory lane mood. I came across this picture posted here. Yes, a little crazy and confusing. My little (but not so little anymore) sister, K, came to visit me in Orlando when I was going to UCF. She spent the night with me and this is what ending up happening. We were fully in character mode: Abordiginies who wanted to kill each other.

So, this is the part of me that I feel has faded...alot. Maybe it's me being overly critical, but I know it's at least partially true.

It's like I can be 2 very different people sometimes.

#1: Very talkative, full of life, thinking of funny/goofy things to do. Very interested in the people in my life. Wanting to be very intentional with my friendships. Not caring or afraid of what others think about me. Confident in who I am.

Then there's #2: Shy, quiet, not knowing what to say in many circumstances. Introverted. I say introverted because I get caught up in thinking about myself over thinking about others. Questioning myself about liking who I am.

Ok so that was a little more sharing of personal stuff than I planned :). Anyways, I have spent some time with the Lord on this, and will be doing so for a while I'm sure. But I know that #2 is NOT me. I know I'm not the super outgoing, super funny person that my amazing husband is...and that's okay, but I do know that I'm not that shy, introvert that rears its head often.

I realized that I NEED to be looking to the Lord everyday so that I can be myself through Him. It's kinda "back to the basics", but it's something He's teaching me right now.

Anyways, with the Lord, I'm gonna try to bring back the CRAY CRAY!

I Can Sell Ice to an Eskimo

As you may know, I am on the job hunt at the moment. Not easy, but the Lord is teaching me a lot through it. I had an interview on Tuesday through a career college for a job involving admissions.

I show up and there are 4 other women there with the same interview time and for the same position. Hello!! It is now a group interview! Never done one of those. So my heart palpatations...which were normal...then went on a little sprint.

There were 2 older, black ladies...which were both really nice and enjoyable to talk to. An older, white lady and another girl who was about my age. "Ok, Karis, you can do this," I thought to myself. I was wearing my Calvin Clein black career dress and my nude pumps, so that certainly was a helpful boost of confidence.

Our potential boss was the only one interviewing us, and he seemed to be very knowledgeable and experienced in his line of work. He was intimidating, but I have to say that is good for me...that's when I'm pushed to excell more when under pressure.

He proceded to describe in detail the job and expectations. In sum, it was a sales job with a tiny portion of counseling. "Ok," I'm thinking, "I'm not exactly the sales person type, but I think I could do this job." He asked us 4-5 questions and we all had a minute each to answer...however, most took more over that 1 minute.

The funniest part of the night to me was the older, white lady. She had the voice of a 10+ year smoker and thought she was the world's greatest sales lady. I thought she was very nice and fun to listen to, but when she was asked why she thought she'd be good for the job she responded..."I can sell ice to an eskimo! I am an awesome sales person and can sell anything to anyone! You want 200 calls a day...boom! You got 400 calls a day from me!" Let's just say I had to really focus on what contortions I was turning my face into at that moment.

Oh but the sad part of the interview came right at the end. "If you were the manager and had to chose one of you here for the job, not yourself, who would it be?"

Every one of the other ladies was chosen with a good reason why....besides me.

But, it's ok, I know I'm not exactly a sure fit for sales. I'm too nicey nicey. It was a great learning experience though!

Out of the Mouth of Father-in-Law

You know it hasn't been bad living with Paul's parents. Sometimes there are interesting things that arise from it. Such as the other night....

Paul and I were laying on the bed in our room with the lights out while I was talking to my mom on the phone, catching up with her. Paul's dad walks in and says "Oh you scared me for a second...all I saw were asses and elbows!" Then he closed the door and left.

Let's just say Paul and I could not stop laughing.

Mini Breakdowns are Good, Right?

In the words of one of my favs, Beth Moore: "Without faith it is impossible to please Him. And if we even have half a heart for God, He's likely to shake our perimeters and stir up a little excitement."


Man, the last thing I want is to miss the great adventures He has mapped out for me by shrinking back from a walk of faith!

All this being said, why is it that I still manage to have mini breakdowns like the one I had last night? I have been asking the Lord to challenge my faith and push the comfort zone boundaries. Well, He's done that by having us move and start a very different life here. I am so growing closer to Him through it, but it's still really hard.


I miss the comfortableness that I had in Orlando. Friends, home, usual weekend activities, knowing how to get to places without Mapquesting it. And even having a job...not that the job I had was easy. But it was what I was used to.


Don't get me wrong, being comfortable is not a bad thing. In fact, the Lord gives us periods in our life where we are very comfortable. However, comfort can have a lazy effect on my faith after a while. Hence, all the transitions now that are challenging and growing my faith.


Paul and I went to a sweet Senior Retreat at a lakehouse this past weekend. Had ALOT of fun tubing, being out on a boat, playing around, etc. The group of people were awesome and fun to be around. The last night we were there we had Communion out on the dock and had time to talk to God. I was looking up at the awesome stars and I remembered all of a sudden how the Lord is my Teacher. And how I adore it when He is teaching me the wonders of His Word. That's what He's doing with all these new transitions in my life. Teaching me.


Paul and I went to the beach on Saturday and we saw a dad teaching his little daughter how to surf. It was so adorable to see. She had little swimmies on, looked a little scared, but seemed to feel safe out in the waves with her dad. The dad didn't expect her to learn right away, but was getting her acclimated to the waves and surf. And that's what God's doing with me right now. He's going to get me through these transitions, but also wants me to learn through them.


So I'd have to say that my mini breakdown last night was actually a good human relief that was needed. It didn't mean I regret this move or didn't want to be here. I know this is where God wants us. Just needed a good old fashioned cry :).

Good ol Roy

In my struggle to find motivation for hunting for a job, I have been spending some sweet time with the Lord. I've also been running the past 3 days. Can I say rough runs?! My legs are feeling heavy, my stamina hates me & the run has not been feeling good. I have been forcing myself to run.

Paul & I went for a walk with his parent's dog, Roy yesterday evening. Roy is one of those good dogs that you can take on a walk without a leash & he stays right by you the whole time. He doesn't go down any streets unless we lead for him to go and he's looking up at us alot through the walk.

Then it hit me, I have been spending good time with the Lord lately, but I have not been following His every lead..I have not been looking to Him enough. Instead of making God just a part of my life...He needs to BE my life.

Leave it to a dog to show you about how you're walking with the Lord :).

Orange Park Yo

Paul & I packed all our belongings in a Uhaul truck & left Orlando...home to me for the past 6 years. Very bitter sweet I must say.

We drove 55 mph all the way to Orange Park..which is in Jacksonville for those of you who don't know. Btw, 55 mph was not an easy feat for me..I tend to have a case of lead foot syndrom.

We were welcomed by his exciting family when we arrived & Paul's dad cooked some goodness on the grill. It still had not dawned on me that we were not just visiting.

We woke up the next day...early. Uhh, I had been going non-stop for 3 days packing & scrubbing & I had to get up at 6 AM. Not. Fun. We unloaded all the stuff in the Uhaul into a storage facility. Ok, now that may have been alot of work, but there was some entertainment along the way....

Paul's dad helped us out, which was great cause we needed it. But Paul knew that his method of unloading was the best. His dad knew that his own method of unloading was the best. Annnnd of course these were 2 entirely different methods. Can we say that there were some clashing? Instead of finding this annoying I chose to see the humor in it. And boy was it funny!

I had an awesome suprise too that morning! We had the majority of the unloading done and up walks 2 of my best Orlando friends! Schmandi & Steph! They drove up to hang out with me all day...how awesome is that?!

Paul was such a good husband & let me go without finishing up & eat some good CrackerBarrel with the ladies. He pretty much rocks.

We had a girls shopping day: I got a sweet new purse & some other unmentionables :). Then we came back to the house & they helped me unpack all our clothes and put them away. My ladies are AWESOME.

So, that's a sum of the beginning of our new life here :).

Did I mention that we are living with his parents until we get our own place......