Kick off to the next chapter

Dang.  A lot has happened in the last week and there is no way I could tell you everything and keep your attention, so I'll give you a little glimpse into how this journey started and tell you about my first days in Budapest in a later post.

My flight was on Tuesday, but since everyone in Eureka was still in school, Mom was kind enough to drive me south on Saturday.  I said my goodbyes on Friday and took my pictures to have the freshest memories of my beautiful siblings...they are so adorable that I can't resist showing them off.  I have a feeling that Carson did not think this was so adorable.

 It just happened to be the birthday of one very special individual, so Whitney (college roommate), Noah (her fiance and my friend) and Ashley (wonderful APU friend since sophomore year) got to join the Hoye family in celebration of Brando's birth.

We spent Saturday boating on Sonoma Lake.  The sun was shining, the sky was blue and the breeze on the boat was absolutely beautiful.  I did get my first burn of the season, but some aloe afterwards made it all worth it (I promise Mom, I reapplied my sunscreen TWICE!).

That evening was such a joyful one.  Some of Brando's family friends came over for a big fajita dinner, so all 11 of us sat around the table talking, laughing and toasting Brando's life.  The food was pretty dang good, too.

Sunday morning started out with breakfast on the patio in the beautiful backyard and then church.  The weather was absolutely incredible, and we went to an art and wine festival in downtown Novato.  It was definitely toasty, but looking around at all of the local products and hearing the live music was a treat.  We headed down to Finnigan's and shared Irish nachos.  If you haven't tried them, do yourself a favor.  They're to die for.

We were ready to relax after that, so we all headed back home and played barefoot badminton in the yard, goofed around with the dog and kicked back with some books.

The evening came with another delicious dinner, a movie and, of course, swing dancing in the foyer!

I woke up on Monday morning feeling well rested and ready for a wonderful day.  Brando and I went on a hike not too far from his house.  Though it wasn't a rough hike, it was pretty muggy, we we were ready to jump in the pool soon after we got back.  As I got out of the pool, I couldn't help but be grateful for summer days like those...I do love the redwoods of home, but feeling a little sun on the shoulders next to great friends and a cool drink is what summer is all about.

Brando then took me down to meet Whitney and Noah in Santa Clara, but not without stopping for my first California burrito ever!  It was a good dinner, but I won't cry without them for the year.  Whitney was kind enough to show me a bunch of the wedding decorations (and possibly a sneak peek of the Dress!).

I spent the morning with Whit's dad, visited her on her shift at Starbucks and ate delicious crepes with Noah near his church.  Before we realized it, Whitney informed us that it was 3:05...time to leave for the airport.

This is when the next leg of the journey begins, and I think it's only fair to give your little eyeballs a break before I jump to that.  I'll find some time soon to tell of my airport tales and Budapest adventures!

Grace and peace,

Hilary

God Willing

With one week to go, 4 years of college to reflect upon and a year-long adventure abroad ahead of me, there's a lot on my mind.


I'm at home now, visiting with old friends who have also joined the college graduate club and I'm Skyping and texting with fresh grads from APU.  I would say it's strange that we're all starting our lives right now, but my cousin Casey freshened my take on that.  We've been living our lives already--for the past 20-something years.  Now we're just moving to a new phase.  Because who digs monotony anyway?  Not this girl, that's for sure.

But I'm thinking now about what that next phase looks like for me.  I only have the next year figured out.  Then what?  But that's my pride showing right there.  You see, I had a friend recently tell me that she'd go back to church when she changed a certain detail of her life.  That got me thinking.  So many of us do that!  We mess up, know it's wrong and then decide that starting on [enter your date here], I'll change and stop that bad habit.


But who are we to say that we'll be given that chance later?  For my friends and family of faith reading this, who's to say that Christ won't come back before we decide to turn our lives around, fix that flaw?


And for everyone, how can we be absolutely positive that we'll even wake up tomorrow?  I know some of you reading this also cared about my friend, Kassie Lee.  For those who don't, Kassie left us just over a year ago due to a pulmonary embolism--just a week after her graduation from Fresno State.  Young, healthy, optimistic, just like I am.

If you're looking for a good read, buy this book.  It's written by a Jewish New Yorker (though he mentions several times that he's about as Jewish as the Olive Garden is Italian) who decides to live biblically as literally as possible for 12 months.  I love how an agnostic author could get my brain cranking so much.

One little segment was titled, "Do not boast about tomorrow...Proverbs 27:1"  The author mentions James 4:13-15:

¹³ Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” ¹⁴ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. ¹⁵ Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”

So, God willing, I'll wake up tomorrow and check off my to-do list from top to bottom.  God willing, I will finish packing by Friday night.  God willing, I'll hop on a plane in SFO next week and land safely in Vienna.  God willing, this will be a fantastic year, and God willing, He'll guide me just as smoothly into the next phase of life as He did this one.  

Grace and peace,

Hilary