The Journey

Lately I've been attempting to dive deeper into Scripture. Not that I haven't done so before, but I've been wanting to get a little more out of my reading. I remember as a teenager walking in on my dad sitting for hours reading his Bible. I remember meeting older Believers who get so much joy out of their quiet times with the Lord and just seem to have an answer for everything that life hands them. These experiences left quite an impression on me. And also left me feeling a little overwhelmed at how far I had to go to be like them. You can just tell when someone is taking their walk seriously. And, even as a self-absorbed teenager, I could tell. And so that's my goal- to have that joy in spending time with the Lord and that "easy" knowledge that only time- and effort- can give.  In the past, I highlighted passages or underlined them in a rainbow of colors that each meant something different.. I had so many different colors going that I couldn't keep them a...

We've all had those days when it seems like life beats you down at every turn. Like nothing is going right and no matter what we try, we can't seem to come out on top. Like we're drowning, the air pressing in on us, our chests constricting under the weight of our problems. Maybe for you it's been more than a day. It's been a month. A year. Ten years. And you just can't see what good could possibly come of your suffering. All you can think is:  "God, what are you doing?!" No, wait, don't go. It's okay. You can admit it. Remember the first words I wrote up there? We've all had those days. All. Every single one of us, whether we admit it or not. Whether we choose to remember or not. See, that's part of the problem: remembering. We are such fickle, short-sighted people. During a trial, we can't see past our problems. Afterwards, we immediately forget what we went through. It's like... a mirror. When we stare our proble...

So I have people wanting to hear in detail how my trip from Romania to Ohio went. Here's the shortened version: The drive from Hunedoara to Timisoara consisted of Ioana (my Romanian bestie) and I sitting next to each other while giggling over old memories, private jokes, and emoting to Frozen songs. (Our other three friends, Alyssa, and my parents thought we were nuts, I think.) The picture above is our second selfie attempt because the first one had me sporting a lovely double chin, which made us both giggle some more. (And yes, it was really dark.) After leaving the house at around two AM, we arrived at the airport with over an hour to spare before my 6:25 flight. I'm afraid we did procrastinate a little with the goodbyes, so many photos were taken and hugs given. (I'm totally fine with the hugs, but pictures at that hour?! And with my messy hair? Goodness!) Just before going through security, Ioana asked, "Are you ready to admit that you are a cyborg?...

All we could do was look around us in awe as the elegant streetlamps escorted us past tall, beautiful high risers on the right and the ocean on our left. A giant ferris wheel brought Alyssa's camera out (which, if you know Alyssa, is a regular occurrence). The rest of that trip was fairly uneventful. Close to 1:00 AM, we were dropped off, ready to enjoy our beds. For the next three days, I was bookin' it. I still had things to put in storage, three hours of work, plates to renew, power of attorney form to get notarized, and vote in a city 15 minutes away before we packed our bags for the plane and went to Singles' meeting at church. But, somehow, I made it. On the third day, we didn't sleep because we would be leaving the next morning at 3:30. Our ride picked us up and we arrived at the airport a mere 30 minutes before our flight. And guess what- lucky ducks, our line was the longest we had ever seen at the little Columbus airport! We fidgeted. And waited. And fid...

"Life is a journey, not a destination." -Ralph Waldo Emerson The first leg of our journey is finally over. Life is settling down, and we are trying to adjust to all the strange, yet familiar things around us. Romania is a land of contrasts: the old mixed with the new, the liberal with conservative. A cold wind sweeps across our little city, bringing with it dark clouds and an increase in activity. Everyone must get something done before winter sets in. For the men outside our house, it is to finish replacing the road they started too long ago. For others, it is to gather the last of their crops or gardens. Me? I'm just hoping the boxes come. Which encourages me to recount our little journey, starting with the boxes. Boxes, bags, containers, oh my! They were everywhere. We took over the living room. Boxes and bags of Alyssa's things, bags of mine, boxes of our parents'. We took those little containers and relocated their contents to four larger boxes. Ye...

Hi, y'all! Nikitah here. Why am I starting a blog? Well, why not! :) But seriously, since I'm off to Romania soon to live with my family again, a blog seemed like the best way to keep people up to speed, but also to use as a platform for personal expression. So keep checking back here for adventures, struggles, and news!