The Big 2-3 is Here!

#1: Fountain of Life Fellowship

IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!! I'm 23...eeek! It's already been one of the best birthdays, by far. At midnight, I was walking out of a hilarious comedy show with Scotty (who is seriously a CHAMP for putting up with so many birthday festivities...yikes) and this entire day has been exciting from the beginning. Definitely can't complain about a thing. Ever.

At the beginning of this walk down memory lane, I said they would be in no particular order. This one is the exception to that rule. This time last year, I was going to church because I knew I needed to but I was not spiritually fed as much as I was needing. To see the path that God took to get me to where I am now is incredible. I would've never guessed in 100 years that I'd leave the church I grew up in and take a leap of faith in this direction. I'm a huge fan of NEVER CHANGING ANYTHING EVER, so to uproot myself like this was definitely not in my plans. However, it ended up being the best thing that's happened. In August I began attending FOLF and the Lord has blessed me abundantly through the change. He has taught me that my plan is definitely not the way that's best...at least not ALL the time. ;) I feel so so so blessed everyday for the church, the members, the lovely ladies in my accountability group, the relationships made during Life Together Group, the God-fearing leadership, the opportunity to be a deacon, the truthful sermons, the youth, the young adult group, the women's ministry...pretty much EVERYTHING that it entails. Praise God for his guidance and his plan, despite our best efforts. :)

Our Pastors, Matt and Scott, standing outside of our church in Fountain Valley, CA.

22 was definitely an amazing year and I look forward to what's in store for 23!

xoxoxoxo!!!

22 Memories of Being 22- (#2)

#22: My Job

As I'm writing this ON my actual birthday (cheating because I am a blog-slacker), I can't help but be overwhelmingly thankful for my job and my co-workers. I'm currently sitting in a heavily-decorated office (it's like the color pink exploded everywhere and I love it). I'm so thankful to have a job in this tumultuous time and even more thankful for the amazing people that I work with. We have SO much fun, SO many laughs, and we are a great team. As much as it can be stressful and overwhelming, it's just as equally fun and enjoyable.

22 Memories of Being 22- (#3)

#3: Bass Lake

A huge highlight, by far! My family (everyone-aunts, uncles, cousins, everybody) and the Atkins fam packed up and went to Bass Lake this summer. It was amazing...beautiful...hot...relaxing...everything a vacation should be!

22 Memories of Being 22- (#4)

#4: Angel Games


This is a highlight of every year, but the Angels had a good season so it was especially fun!

22 Memories of Being 22- (#5)

#5: Wine Tasting

I'd never been wine tasting before and I was stoked when Genesee made plans to go for a bunch of people's birthdays! It was so much fun and I highly recommend it if you've never been. A party bus is also a great idea. ;) We went to four different wineries and it was a blast! We all definitely recommend "Hot Lips" at Faulkner!

22 Memories of Being 22- (#6)

#6: Youth Group Leader

In April, I started as a youth group leader at church. This has always been something I've wanted to do but never thought I'd have the opportunity for. It worked out perfectly and I'm so excited to get to know the girls (and boys) better. We are going camping on June 22nd, so if there are no posts after that, I probably didn't survive.

22 Memories of Being 22- (#7)

#7: Some Not-So-Fun Stuff

As fun as it is to reflect on the good times of the year, sometimes it's the trials that make the most impact.

Everyone makes fun of me for taking the death of Angel's pitcher Nick Adenhart so seriously, but it really impacted me! I guess because it was so sudden and he was exactly my age. He had his whole future ahead of him and it was wiped out by someone who decided to drive drunk. I can't imagine being on top of the world and then being gone in an instant. It's such a reminder to take every day for what it is and to be joyful. We can be called home at any moment. Each day, each minute, each breath is a blessing.

Another tough moment was hearing that my good friend, Roy Atkins, was diagnosed with a very rare blood disease. There is a light at the end of this tunnel as the disease has no spread to his marrow or his major organs, so he'll be undergoing chemo to kick this in the butt. Genesee and Roy are handling this hard situation with joy and hope in the Lord, which is always encouraging. Roy is one tough cookie and will pull through this! However, it's reminded me that we need to keep our faith and hope in Christ regardless of the circumstances. Roy's website is www.caringbridge.org/visit/royatkinsjr if you want to check out his status!

22 Memories of Being 22- (#8)

#8: Cara Coming Home!

My really good friend Cara was in Tokyo for 7 months of my 22nd year! She was working at Tokyo Disneyland as Jasmine, Belle, and Pochahontas. I'd post pictures of her doing it, but she would literally murder me and it's way too close to my birthday to be murdered.

Although we talked on iChat and all that fun stuff, it's not the same as having "car chats" (sitting outside of our houses in the car to vent) whenever necessary!!!



I'm so glad to have my friend back!

22 Memories of Being 22- (#9)

#9: Holly the Highlander

I'm soooo excited about this one! My car was SUCH a blessing that I definitely was not expecting to get anytime soon. All the pieces totally fell into place and she's PERFECT!!! I'm such a lucky car-owner! :)

"Holly" is a 2006, 7-passenger Toyota Highlander! I've had her for a month and am still so excited!!

22 Memories of Being 22- (#10)

#10: Finding Out My Friend Was Pregnant

My dear friend from church had been wanting to have another baby for a long time--ever since I met her. She has an adorable son already and it's obvious that he's the light of her life. We were all praying for another miracle baby to come along and IT HAPPENED! A precious little baby boy is due in September and I'm soooooo excited! This is truly God's baby and I can't wait to meet him. It's no secret that I love babies...so this year also brought the blessed arrival of Katie Ford, Amaris Cabral, and Savannah Rustulka. I want to SQUEEZE all of their little faces. Babies are such a blessing!

This may or may not* be a dramatic reenactment of actually finding out she was pregnant.

(*It is.)

22 Memories of Being 22- (#11)

#11: Wicked at the Pantages

For a Girl's Night Out, we decided to go see Wicked while it was still in L.A. Besides all of the homeless, drunk people and the extremely uncomfortable shoes (which ended up in some of us walking barefoot down Hollywood Blvd.--no big), it was SO MUCH FUN. We went to an awesome restaurant for dinner, the show was amazing, and the company was irreplaceable! :)

22 Memories of Being 22- (#12)

#12: Mexico Trip 

In December, I had the opportunity to go to Mexico with my church. We went with a group called Spectrum Ministries (who are there every weekend) and we basically went into a little area, set up tents and a bathing system with stations, organized clothes, etc. The girls were in one tent and the boys were in another. Two girls in our group and I were in the hairstyling section. We'd give the girls a braid or a ponytail, along with the hair "doo-dad" of their choice. 

Going on mission trips never ceases to amaze me because I always go thinking that I am going to BE blessing them, but in reality, I am infinitely more blessed BY them. The girls were so appreciative and joyful about what we were doing. It was so humbling to see how little they have and how easy it was to make them happy, when we are blessed with abundantly more than them and are constantly whining. It really showed me that true joy does come from something greater than the crap we surround ourselves with. I say "crap" because that's all it is. It's just junk that fills our rooms--stuff for next year's garage sale. The state of our hearts is so much more important than what the world places value on. I'm definitely excited to go back to Mexico; it's a lesson that can't be learned enough.

My sister and Sara setting up the girls' tent. 

22 Memories of Being 22- (#13)

#13: Meeting James Denton

When I tell people that I'm shy, they usually laugh in my face. However, I do have my moments and this was one of the only times in my 22nd year that I actually was speechless. James Denton (an actor primarily known for his role on Desperate Housewives- a show I no longer watch...ya, kinda trashy) is a co-owner of the OC Flyers baseball team. My friend's family has tickets and we'd go all the time. Well, James was there one day and I almost had a heart attack. I seriously was so star struck. When we went up to meet him, I almost died a little. So here's the picture of us with him. Ya, his arm is touching me in this picture. Don't hate.

22 Memories of Being 22- (#14)

#14: Life Together Group

I remember when the mention of Life Together Groups (LTGs) occurred in our Friday night bible study. I was not a fan, mostly because I didn't go to the church where the rest of the ladies went. Basically, LTGs were going to be taking over our Friday night study. Well, long story short, I ended up joining an LTG and it was such an amazing experience. Being a newbie at the church, I signed up for one that had the most names I didn't recognize so that I could get to know people better (not typical for me). We just wrapped up our "trimester" and I'm so sad to know that our groups are going to be switched up in the fall, but excited to see what the Lord has in store!

22 Memories of Being 22- (#15)

#15: Seattle

I had the AMAZING chance to go visit one of my good friends in Washington in early December. Washington is seriously the most beautiful state and I would move there in a second if I could. We took a day and went up to Seattle. It was sooo fun and I can't wait to go back!

I love this picture of the Space Needle because it shows how gorgeous the sky was. It was the first weekend in December and no rain in sight! We got lucky. 

In front of the original Starbucks...so exciting! It's so tiny inside; there are NO tables or chairs and the line is always so long. There are also a ton of other coffee places (including other Starbucks) in that area, but of course this one is the most popular!

22 Memories of Being 22- (#16)

#16: DeepQuestions.net

R.I.P

22 Memories of Being 22- (#17)

#18: Driving Scotty to Work

Ok, I'm not going to lie--this wasn't one of my *favorite* memories, but it did have a big impact on my 22nd year (and on the tires of my car). For 7 weeks (so 13% of my year), Scott and I were basically BFF since we had to see each other first thing in the morning, intermittently all day at work, at lunch, and until about 9 pm. You'd think he would've been dead by now but I practiced self-control. ;) But in reality, we had some good times and we are even better friends now. I was kinda sad when he started driving again because I was so used to having someone to talk to while sitting in traffic! Bonus: now whenever I want/need anything, he owes me his life so it was totally worth it and will greatly impact my 23rd year (and 24th, 25th, and so on).

22 Memories of Being 22- (#18)

#18: Women's Retreat at the Hot Springs

A small group from our church went to Calvary Chapel's huge women's retreat in September. It was sooo much fun. I can't even really explain it; it was just fun to get away and do something different. Plus, the venue was beautiful! We're all so excited to go back! (Sidenote: Heather's face when she won the raffle prize was hilarious--"SZILAGYI!!!")

22 Memories of Being 22- (#19)

#19: Camping (...IN A TENT!)

I went tent-camping for the first time (outside of church camps when I was younger, and I think that was only once). Ok, if you know me well, you know this is NOT my thing at all, but it was SO much fun. I am actually looking forward to going back. Miracles do happen. (Oh ya, minor detail: I slept in the car because I was LITERALLY freezing my butt off. I was not at all prepared for how cold the evenings would be. But come on, miracles happen... just not overnight.)

22 Memories of Being 22- (#20)

#20: Get Carded by Rachel

I made a website, ordered business cards, and even had a little party at my house. It's exciting to have people enjoy something you enjoy--so THANKS to everyone who's shown support and encouragement for my mini-business.