what's next? (alternately titled "Q and A")

so you may be thinking to yourself, "Valerie is so cool! she's my favorite person in the whole wide world!"

oh, you weren't thinking that? well...okay.

maybe you were thinking something more along the lines of, "i wonder what's next for Valerie this year."

and, well, if you were thinking that, you've come to the right blog post! ;)
today's blog post will answer that question and the other gazillion questions i get asked regularly.

to answer the first question...

Q: "what's next for you this year?"
A: i'm not sure what's next for me.
i honestly don't know.
my future is a bit hazy at the moment.
i pray for guidance and peace, and feel like i get nowhere.
i'm at a point in my life where "settling down" sounds amazing, but seems a little unachievable.
i'm at a point where i'm quite tired of being told to "go see the world and don't worry about getting married yet, because once you get married, you can't travel anymore." because people don't seem to understand that i've kind of already "seen the world" and i want someone to share the world with, if you know what i mean. also, who says you can't travel once you get married?! yeah, you have more responsibilities and more expenses, but still...you can make it happen if you really want to.

but what's next? i'm not sure. i've started "putting down roots" here in Maryland, working two not-quite-part-time jobs, doing photography when i can, and volunteering at my church. i still feel called to go on missions trips and use photography as a ministry and blessing. however, i'm not planning any long-term international trips at this point. so America might be seeing a lot more of me this year (i have the tendency to go MIA for months...thanks to the wonderful world of traveling). :)


but anyway, back to the other questions.


Q: "do you have opportunities to go back to YWAM and work there?"
A: yes, but i don't have peace about it.


Q: "what about going back to community college and finishing your Associates degree?"
A: i could, but i haven't felt God telling me to go back.


Q: "would you consider going to a 4-year college? Bible college?"
A: not really. i'm kind of over the whole college thing.


Q: "would you consider taking Bible classes?"
A: i've thought about it, but haven't had clear direction. but should the opportunity (and money to do it) present itself, yes, i would probably take some Bible classes.


Q: "where and when will your next missions trip be?"
A: i don't know, i'm waiting on God to tell me. (i do feel a pull towards Peru though, so if there are any missions trips to Peru in 2014 that want/need a photographer, let me know!)


Q: "will you be going back to Africa?"
A: at this point, no. it may be a possibility in the future, but probably not in the next year.


Q: "will you be going back to Greece?"
A: my heart's desire is to go back to Greece for a week or two in the Summer or Fall of 2014. i would love it if you could pray for guidance concerning this possibility (and pray for provision, if it's God's will). :)


Q: "are you going to get married soon?"
A: well, that depends on if i get a boyfriend soon. which depends on if any men ask me out soon. in other words, i'm not hearing any wedding bells for me in the near future, but who knows? things tend to happen suddenly for me! my mom once said to me, "Valerie, you don't do anything slowly. you just dive right in." so yeah. maybe God's trying to tell me to slow down and be patient. :)


Q: "are you interested in anyone?"
A: ah, yes. trying to get information out of me, are you? well, if you must know, i don't really have my heart set on any particular male at the moment. except Captain America. ;) haha. but in all honesty, there are currently a few men that i could be interested in, however, none of them have made any moves or done/said anything to make me think that they are interested in me. so i'll wait and see. and maybe join Christian Mingle in while i'm waiting. ;)


well, there are the answers to (most of) the questions that people ask me all the time!
if there is a question which was not answered, and you're dying to know the answer to it, just ask! :)


some of my 2014 dreams & goals:
continue learning to play the banjo,
shoot two weddings as the head photographer,
take senior photos for ten 2015 seniors,
redo my photography blog,
travel to Greece for 1-2 weeks,
buy a car,
go on a date,
live as debt-free as possible,
go on a missions trip to Peru or somewhere in South America,
and continue to use my photography for God's glory.

here's to learning new things, trusting God, and making dreams happen in 2014!  

Uganda video

i went to Uganda in August.
and then i made this video from all the short clips i took while i was there.

i hope it makes you smile like it makes me smile. :)
i hope it gives you a glimpse of life in Africa.
and i hope it makes you want to go to Uganda.
please watch and be blessed.

on looking back to move forward.

note: i wrote this post on my 20th birthday (in October), but because of my travels (i'm home now!) i'm just getting around to posting it. :)


wasn't it just yesterday that i turned 13 and was terribly impatient in waiting for the "important moments of my life" like driving, graduating from high school, and getting married?

wasn't it just yesterday that i was 14, insecure, and wishing for a close friend or two?

wasn't it just yesterday when i was 15 and scared to death of driving over 35mph in a 50mph zone? ;) 

wasn't it just yesterday when i was 16, saving every penny for a "big camera", and dreaming about photographing weddings and high school seniors?

wasn't it just yesterday that i was 17 and had a checklist for my life? 

graduate from high school: check!

launch my photography career: check!

leave the family farm: 

graduate from college: 

fall in love:

get married:

start a family: 

wasn't it just yesterday that i was 18, wearing my brave face, and confidently leaving home to take on the world, but secretly terrified and shaking in my black Converse sneakers? 

wasn't it just yesterday that i turned 19 and decided to throw out my life's checklist? because nothing had happened the way i had planned and i was confident that God had a different (and way more fulfilling!) plan for my life.

wow. 

7 years of my life.

what can i say?

i can't believe how much i have changed...but i can believe it.

i regret much,

lost much,

hurt much,

and wished much.

i also learned much,

saw much,

lived much,

dreamed much,

grew much,

and loved much. 

it's funny to look back over my "teenage years" and see who i was then compared to who i am now. 

but when i look at who i am now, i realize how much more i still need to grow. 

i'm looking back to move forward. 

and today?

today i say goodbye to the teenage years.

today i look forward to my best years ever.

they're right in front of me, happening as i type. 

today i look forward to the dreams and goals for 2014 that God will give me.

here's to a year full of just Jesus, total faith, and fantastic things. :)

on jersey cows, missing home, and the will of God.

the first two-and-a-half weeks in New Zealand have flown by.

aside from the sightseeing and picture-taking, i have been learning a lot.

being on Jersey cow dairy farms has been quite interesting for me.

my family milks Holstein cows.

not Jerseys.

and if you know anything about Jerseys and Holsteins,

they may both be cows, but that's about they only way they are similar.

Amy keeps trying to tell me that "Jersey's are better"...

...but i still like my family's Holsteins more.

because hello. 

at home i don't have to squat down to be able to attach the milker. 

enough said.

haha. ;)

(to you non-cow-people, Jerseys are BABY-sized in comparison to Holsteins.)

but it's been pretty good so far.

although i am counting down the days until i get to go home.

i'm not quite sure why i am so "homesick" this trip,

but i really feel like i should be at home right now. 

i feel like i'm missing out on so much and i want to be back home.

but despite my feelings, i've been reminded (several times...) to "be all here". 

in the words of Jim Elliot, "Wherever you are, be all there! Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God."

and boy, i have been placed in several situations and encounters that seem to be the will of God. 

from the stewardess on the airplane who struck up a faith-building conversation with us because she saw Amy reading the book of Isaiah,

to the opportunity to talk religion with a Mormon lady and her non-religious husband,

to going to church and meeting a girl from Wisconsin,

i can see God working.

it's been neat. 

i am excited to see the other ways God will use us during our time "Down Under". :)

photos coming later...

Hobbiton

below: Samwise and Rosie's house.

below: me and Amy in front of the Hobbiton sign. :D

below: the "Party Tree" that Bilbo had his 111th birthday party under.

below: Bag End, Bilbo Baggin's house

Amy and i went to Hobbiton (Matamata, New Zealand) on Tuesday. it was AMAZING. 

i felt like i was actually in the Lord of the Rings movies.

going to Hobbiton was a dream-come-true for me. i was as giggly and excited as a 13-yr-old girl going to a One Direction concert. haha. ;)

it was SO NEAT to hear how Peter Jackson brought to life the vision for Hobbiton and SEE it. 

having lunch (scones and non-alcoholic ginger beer) at The Green Dragon (the pub from the LOTR movies) was definitely a highlight. i enjoyed the day so much. :D

more photos to come later!

New Zealand is beautiful.

hello! 

so Amy and i arrived in New Zealand yesterday morning. our travel went fairly smooth, and after a fun day with the Gecks (the first family we're staying with), we both "crashed" at around 7pm (NZ time) last night. 

can i just say that New Zealand is one of THE most beautiful places i have ever been?

because it is. 

despite the chilly temperatures of "winter" (40-60 degrees Fahrenheit), everything is so green and beautiful. 

i am in awe of God's creation.

here are a few instagram photos from the past two days! :)

leaving (again).

hey all! 

i apologize for not being a better blogger, but my life has been CRAZY this summer. 

now it's fall. 

my Mexico and Uganda trips are both over, but TODAY i leave for 7 weeks in New Zealand (+ one week in Australia). 

i am kind of in shock (almost) of the fact that this is ACTUALLY HAPPENING. 

i mean, i dreamed of going to Australia and New Zealand when i was a kid. i dreamed of going to Africa when i was a kid. i dreamed of going to Europe when i was a kid. now here i am, two months shy of my 20th birthday, and in the past year, i have spent three months in Greece and three months in Hawaii, two weeks in Uganda, a week in Mexico, and i'm about to spend 7 weeks in New Zealand and a week in Australia. sometimes i just stop and ask myself, "HOW IS THIS REAL LIFE."

i love my life. i love that my dreams are coming true. i love that every day is a crazy adventure...

...but i must say that i am looking forward to resting when i get back to America in October. i don't want to have to say "goodbye" for a while. i want to be still and listen to what God has planned for me in 2014. i want to pour myself into my relationships here (at my home in America), and really focus on discipleship and listening.

don't get me wrong, i am SO EXCITED to be going to New Zealand and Australia, and i can't wait to get there and make new friends, but i so need a season of rest right now. i just got back from Uganda two weeks ago, and the thought of spending another 20-ish hours on an airplane + jetlag kinda makes me depressed...but i think i'll be okay once i get there. here's to a smooth trip to New Zealand. America, i will see you again in October!

PS. if you don't remember what i'm doing in NZ, my friend, Amy, and i are flying to NZ to visit several dairy farms, then we're flying to Australia to visit a YWAM friend of mine. please pray for open doors to share our faith with the families we'll be staying with in NZ. :)