about me.

so as i've mentioned in other posts, i've spent a lot of time the past year+ trying to be more honest with who i am, how i work, hopes, fears, strengths, limits, blah, blah, blah. and in digging into the deep stuff, it's also been fun to know more wholistically more about myself - the fun stuff included. a lot of you, even those who know me just a little, may already know a lot of these things. and feel free to ask more about any of the below. but anyways, here's a look at a broad spectrum of who i am...

-i love big, amazing breakfasts, but can't eat that much right away in the morning.
-i love breakfast sandwiches.
-i have a slight addiction to taylor ham.
-i'm a relational person.
-i find that i can invest better in things less-complicated/singly-focused.
-i need to be part of a community to thrive.
-i need to operate within structure/vision, but get drained by institutionality.
-i am secure in myself, but rather insecure with regard to others (yes i know that sounds contradictory).
-i loathe selfishness.
-i love GOOD music (etc, etc, etc).
-i hate bad music.
-i love GOOD beer (etc, etc, etc).
-i hate bad beer.
-i love GOOD movies (etc, etc, etc).
-i hate bad movies.
-i love both good and bad coffee.
-i get frustrated really easily.
-i desire to see people living their best.
-i desire (and believe my true nature is) to live simply.
-i loathe superficiality.
-i look up to those who are authentically and truly themselves.
-i love reading.
-i am financially-challenged.
-i don't know what i want to be when i grow up (although when i was 4, i wanted to work at Dairy Queen when i grew up.)
-i believe my (and most others') basic needs are to be included and engaged by others.
-my native way of being in the world is as a servant.
-i have a incredibly loving and supportive family, and do not take that for granted.
-i have a deep desire to see the Church behave differently today.
-i am (sub)conciously over-anxious about wanting to be married.
-i am not one to "beat around the bush".
-i desire (and truly enjoy) to simply be present for others.
-i am a christian not because i think it is the "right belief", but because i believe that jesus' desire for us (the world) is the right desire.
-large groups of people and the energy they command drain the life out of me.
-i am refueled by spending alone time, time in thought/reflection, or in meaningful interaction with one other or a couple other people.
=introvert.
-journaling heals my soul.
-being in the out-of-doors heals my soul.
-i would roadtrip for the rest of my life if i could (and may try to figure out a way to do so).
-i wish i could write songs.
-i have packrat tendencies (and i inherited it from my father).
-i love to cook, and am getting better at it.
-i want to build my own house.
-i want to hike the (entire) appalachian trail.
-i have tattoos, and desire many more.
-i believe most conversations/experiences can trigger some reference to a simpsons or seinfeld episode.
-i do not like preserves (fruit chunks), can tolerate jam (crushed fruit), and love jelly (no chunks at all).
-i could eat good fettucine alfredo until my stomach burst.
-there are many things in my life i would do differently, but only one regret.
-i like most nuts by themselves, but largely loathe nuts in things such as breads, cookies, etc.
-i grew up in new jersey, and am proud of that (but would not desire to live in new jersey again).
-i believe the word evangelism is not defined by what you say, but how you live.
-i understand best through experience.
-i enjoy the learnings of analogies.
-i wish i operated with more grace.
-i know God is real, through tangible examples in my life.
-"status quo" nauseates me.
-jesus loves me, this i know, for the bible tells me so.

amen.