rally away.

After a couple of cool conversations this week, this phrase has stuck in my head.

The ability to rally people. 

I think it's a trait that the best leaders have. The ones who are so good at not just being in charge, but at taking people along with them on the journey. 

What would that look like? Someone who is able to get others on board with a mission or an event or even just on board with them. Someone who is able to let others follow, but also get them excited about it. Someone who says, let's go. Someone who tries to get people to participate, might fail, but then is just as likely to keep going. 

just a little love.

Every college kid needs to read this and remember this and take a deep breath. Amen.

art 107.

Amidst the psychology case studies and the books on homelessness and the ANOVA math problems that have been filling my time of the past few months and even more so over the past week, there lies a single class that keeps me sane. 

Art 107: Drawing, thank you for being part of my life. It kept me alive throughout the semester. Six hours a week is the perfect amount to take a seat, breathe in deep, pick up my charcoal and see what happens. I walked in the door on the first day of class with no expectations of myself and maybe a little bit of a bad attitude. But, praise the Lord, I have left with lots of confidence and a can-do attitude. Drawing, you don't scare me anymore. 

Our final art show, ART NOW, was this past week. Even if my work wasn't the best hanging around, I'm still proud. It represents so much more than just the paper and the black charcoal. 

P.S That's me up there. #selfie

colle & mcvoy.

I love innovators. I love people who say "What if we...?" I love people who ask questions and aren't afraid to try something new.

Maybe that's why good advertising and fun marketing always catches my eye. Those people always seem to be on the freakin' cutting edge of everything.

The advertising agency, Colle & McVoy, based in Minneapolis, literally fits my definition of cool. Not to mention that they win industry awards left and right and are ranked as one of best places to work. In the country.

Fly me up there, now.

They like to play & ride bikes & work with their dogs sitting next to them. And, they've done some pretty awesome ad campaigns for companies like Caribou Coffee, Cannondale Bicycles, and now Mountain Hardwear. Sick.

Can you tell I'm procrastinating from studying for finals?

the newbies.

Look at these four beautiful people. Will and Katie. Grant and Jennie. They are the newest YOUNG LIFE LEADERS for North Central High School. It's going to be a wonderful journey to walk with them over the next few years. I'm already so thankful for their energy and passion and willingness to step out of their comfort zone to learn.

anything but this.

When I left Colorado a week ago, there was nothing I wanted to do more than not leave. It took extreme amounts of willpower to put one foot in front of the other and get to that airport and on that plane back to Indy.

But, I did it. And here I am. Back at Butler, studying for finals and working on papers, which to be honest, is also something that I would rather not do. Anything but this.

In order to combat these feelings of nothingness, I came up with my Amazing Daily Christmas Challenge.

Nothing extravagant. Every day, I do something Christmas-y. I've gone on a Christmas lights drive, drank some hot cocoa, listened to this song which is a Butler classic, made some paper snowflakes, and went to see The Nutcracker.

I tried to get little bro Jared & the rest of the family on board. My roommates have been all for it. My boss joined in one day. No matter who else participates, I'm still going to push for it.

Whatever gets me through the next twelve days. Whatever it takes.

#dreamday2012.

Lately, more than ever, I feel like I have been "flying my freak flag," as Kelle Hampton declares so often. I have been flying it high and proud. It's a beautiful flag, one of many colors, probably with some peace signs and happy faces on it. Whenever my flag goes up, it shouts, "I LOVE LIFE!" It's a flag that goes up at celebrations and good gatherings of friends and spontaneous adventures.

The main reason that I've been so freaky high on life lately is the prospect of my new favorite idea. It's simple in its nature, but I think it's going to change the world. The idea is none other than DREAM DAY. 

My first official DREAM DAY occurred this past week. Here's a little preview of what happened. More on #dreamday2012 and what that actually means at a later date. 

Freak flag is officially unfurled for all to see. 

happy national sfrb day.

Brunch is my favorite meal. If I could eat brunch every day, then I would. But, then again, it wouldn't make brunch special. Because, to me, that's what a brunch signifies. Something special. Something big. Something to celebrate.

Last week, was a national holiday. Happy National Secret Friend Reveal Brunch Day! It's official.

This brunch was a culmination of a semester of community. All through the semester, a group of college girls, myself included, have been "Secret Friends" to a group of freshmen girls. We sent them notes and presents and encouragement to get them through their first semester of being at college. There's nothing more that I like than the combo of handwritten notes, secret admirers, and encouraging quotes. It was bound to be a success.

We gathered at an off-campus house on a beautiful Saturday morning. All of the older girls cooked up some delicious brunch and the younger girls showed up with no expectations.

Afterwards, the reveal. My big idea of the day was to create our own version of America's Next Top Model. So, it was like Indianapolis's Next Secret Friend...or something like that. We had all of the girls lined up...

And each of the older girls would come out, one by one, and reveal who their secret friend was.

One of my secret friends, Kim.

Amen for brunches and for friends and for surprises and for secrets. Last part of the morning was an impromptu photo shoot. Why not, right?

inspirational quote tuesday.

the whole universe appears as an infinite storm of beauty. 

~john muir

thoughts on creativity.

Last Friday afternoon, the next Oscar-Best-Picture-winning movie was created. No, seriously. Well, at least the best of music videos...that are created by high schoolers...for YoungLife. I called up a group of girls to ask if they wanted to help me make a video promoting our last club of the semester (tonight!) and our reveal of CAMP info for next summer. And, they said yes. I love that. 

Claire, Ibby, Olivia, & I spent a fantastic few hours full of dancing: in the car, in front of strangers, by the dumpster, in a field, and all the other really great places that dance parties tend to happen. 

YoungLife camp reveal video

Also, things that are wonderful in life: photo shoots. Which are so much better when there are other people involved; not just me, the world, and my trusty camera, PACO. Through my job at the Office of Admission, I was put in charge of a photo shoot for a brochure that gets mailed out to all the admitted students in January. 

Some of our preliminary pics, taken by my lovely boss, Beth. 

Both of these experiences over the past few weeks remind me of this: I never want to be someone who wakes up, goes to school, does my homework, and then goes back to bed, only to start the sad routine all over again. 

I'm big on creative living. I think that creativity doesn't come from sitting in my room thinking, but from being out in the world living, experiencing, meeting new people. But, creativity is also just about saying yes. To trying something different when it seems like it wouldn't work. Saying yes when people ask if they can be a part of something. Saying yes to some high school girls who want to create something. Saying yes to a group of Butler students so they can be a part of something unique. 

Say yes to creativity. 

but the greatest of these.

With this new position as Student Staff for YoungLife, I have the opportunity to participate in trainings led by Linda once a month. About 20 other similar college students come from all around the state to join together for a few hours to love each other, have real discussions about how to fall more in love with Jesus, and how we can be world-changers in our ministry through YoungLife. Here's my 30-second iTunes preview summary of what we learned today:

Faith is not...believing that I can do everything.
Hope is not...pride.
Love is not...a selfish competition.

Faith is...TRUST & COURAGE.
Hope is...an openness to SURPRISE, POSSIBILITY, & EXPECTATION.
Love is...a sense of MUTUAL BELONGING.

opportunities.

My new motto is "Fridays are for FUN."

I really think that every weekend should be a three-day weekend. And that there should always be a day filled with friends and relaxation and free time and being places and eating good food and going places and sleeping a little extra.

Good thing I don't have classes on Fridays next semester. Can I get a HEY YEAH!?

Any who, last Friday, a dream came true. Another thing Fridays are good for. I'm slightly obsessed with TED. I watch the videos online and just love everything that they stand for. So, I jumped on the opportunity to go to a TEDx conference in Indy last Friday.

It. Was. The. Bomb.

It was combo between talks that inspired, talks that made me think, talks that made nod my head, and a couple talks that left me confused and needing a little more. But all of the people are doing things in the community; they are movers and shakers and changers. And those are the kind of people I want to be around.

My favorite person talked about distraction in our world and how it affects learning and working. She said that "distraction is between where you are and where you want to be." It's a place that is messy and where we are uncomfortable. She used the word beautiful to describe how we need to try to embrace this way of learning.

Also, things I was obsessed with: games and playing them. The TEDx conference was full of them. Activities that engage you and let you see what everyone else is thinking. Like Mad-Libs for grown-ups. And neighborhood dream boards. And pop-cornimunication. And a map of where you learn best.

Amen for TED. Amen for "Ideas Worth Spreading." And AMEN for Fridays.

happy halloween.

When you're in college and separated from the real world, the actual day of Halloween isn't as fun. No candy, no trick-or-treating, very few costumes. It's kind of a sad existence.

But, it's okay. Because this past weekend wasn't just any weekend. It was Hallo-weekend. My wonderful friend, Brady, and I dressed up and helped work a haunted house on campus. Another friend took it upon herself to do our makeup. The design was called "rotting flesh." Very spooky. Then, we spent three hours working the Torture Room, where Brady got sawed in half and my throat while slit, right before I got dragged across the room through puddles of fake blood. It. Was. Awesome. Definitely something to check off my bucket list.

A very happy Halloween to all.

banquet time.

Things I've learned recently...being in charge kind of sucks sometimes. It's stressful and overwhelming and can be too much. But, it's all worth it in the end.

Last week, Washington Township YoungLife had our annual fundraising banquet. We invite community members, parents, teachers, and anyone else who wants to show up to see what Young Life is doing at North Central High School and all the middle schools. The banquet ranks up there as a close second to summer camp in a full year of YL experiences.

I love that the banquet combines all of the different groups of people who are in the YoungLife community: the kids, the leaders, the committee, and the parents. Everyone gets to see what the other side looks like.

But, my absolute favorite parts of the night is when the kids are involved. About forty high school students showed up at the banquet to sit with a table of adults and share answers about how they are different because of being involved in YoungLife and because of their relationship with Jesus. The answers they share are honest and real and beautifully convey that they are searching for something more in life and have found it.

We also film a fantastic video that showcases each leader along with a high school-er that they have a close relationship with. I loved sitting with Emma and reminding myself why relationships are important and why I'm a YL leader and why she loves that I'm in her life. Watching it last week choked me up. Too emotional.

The last part was Cardboard Testimonies. A group of kids shared a poster with who they were before they were involved in YoungLife and who they are now.

More than any of the stress that I had about being in charge of all of the high school-ers and more than  anything that went wrong that night, it was worth it in the end. More than any of the overwhelming feelings I felt beforehand, it was all worth it to see the love and caring North Central #YLfam come together. They love each other and it means the world to me to see everyone supporting each other in this.

insta-life.

I love blogging. And I love words. And I love stories. But, I think, more than any of that, I just really love pictures. A picture is its own story. You can make it up, use your imagination, and think about the possibilities of what was going on when that tiny moment was captured. 

Hence, why I'm OBSESSED with Instagram. Not a new obsession, but definitely a worthy one. At work, my boss and I share the same idea that pictures with filters and fading and borders are the best kind. We've been working on a project where I go and take pictures of Butler, we Insta those beauts, and then turn them into notecards that the office can use as thank yous. Yep, you're right, it's pretty much the most awesome project ever. 

What a beautiful place I live.