Peace.

Photo courtesy of my mother. Thanks mom!

I'm writing this blog post from the London Heathrow Airport. Now that is a sentence I could never have imagined typing! I texted a friend earlier saying that I had landed in London and it just sounded odd coming from me. I was always the girl who lived vicariously through other people's adventures, and never really thought I'd have my own. And definitely not one as amazing as this! I think that comes from a few different places, but mostly from the simple fact that I'm not much of a risk taker. As soon as I typed that, I thought “well I’m still not much of a risk taker so that really hasn’t changed”. However, I don’t really see this adventure as a risk. It’s truly what I feel like I’m supposed to be doing right now. The way everything fell into place…and much faster than I had anticipated…yeah, this is where I’m meant to be in life. 

(Side note…I use the ellipsis a lot. Just a warning!)

During my last few weeks at home, many people asked how I was holding up with all of the preparations and big changes about to happen. Honestly, I was fine…and I continue to be fine. I kept answering that question by saying that I’ve felt such a peace throughout this entire process, which just goes to show the power of prayer. I am constantly amazed and overwhelmed by the amount of support that I’ve received on this adventure. Even though I haven’t specifically asked for prayers of peace, that is what I feel like I’ve received. My personality is not always the type that goes with the flow…I’m learning though, and I feel like I’ve come along way in that area, or rather that God has done some work and helped me with that. 

To give a specific example, I packed and re-packed a few times due to 2 suitcases that I knew were going to be much too heavy. A few years ago, I probably would have freaked out and cried or got upset about it. Instead, I re-packed, left some items at home, rearranged, etc. Yes, the bags were still too heavy when I got to the airport and I had to rearrange and take more stuff out, but it was okay. HUGE thank you to my mother (and sister) for helping me with that at home and in the airport. And I have to thank Erica as well…she became my packing assistant on Sunday night and helped to rearrange a bit as well. Support and peace. Sensing a theme here? 

Want to hear/read another example? Sure you do! My flight (out of Chicago) was delayed by two hours, which meant that I’d miss my connecting flight (from London to Bucharest). I had to call the airline and cancel my connecting flight. The lady booked a later flight, which meant that my layover would be 9 hours instead of 3 hours. I had to email the lady who was planning to pick me up in Bucharest and make sure she wasn’t stuck waiting at the airport for hours. How did I handle this? I spent the day people watching at the London Heathrow Airport. I ate a delicious breakfast, made myself all cozy and took a little nap, wrote this blog post, watched the people, etc. I’ve actually had a fabulous day! A day alone to spend however I please…introvert alert :) 

Now I don’t give these examples to talk myself up and say how flexible I am, but rather to show how God can change someone’s heart (and personality traits!). Obviously there have been a few ups and downs…leaving my family was extremely difficult, but I think that’s a good thing. It’d be a little odd if that wasn’t a difficult process. Leaving Raegan is something that I have struggled with, but I know we’ll Skype/FaceTime. I also look forward to telling her all about it when she’s old enough to understand.

Anyways, I need to go find my gate, but I wanted to make sure I wrote a quick post before I head to my next destination. I’ll be flying into Bucharest late this evening, and then getting a ride to Sighisoara, which is about 5 hours away I believe. Prayers for continued travel safety and peace would be greatly appreciated. Until next time…

The time has come...

The ticket has been booked. Monday, March 16, 2015 is the day. Despite thinking and hoping that the ticket would have been booked sooner, I feel like the timing is just right. It's funny how that works...

I cannot begin to thank everyone who has supported me since the start of this journey, and those who will continue to support me as I leave and serve. I have received a massive outpouring of support through prayers, conversations, generous financial gifts, etc. It's been overwhelming in the very best way, and confirms that this is what I'm supposed to be doing in my life right now.

To give you a few examples of that amazing support...My friend Erica (and Arbonne consultant) allowed me to host an Arbonne spa party for her, and so graciously donated her commission from the purchases that were made. I have THE BEST friends. It was also great to spend some relaxing time with the ladies (and kiddos) in attendance. A lovely Saturday afternoon.

Example #2: Yesterday, my church hosted a potluck in my honor. Have I mentioned how absolutely amazing and supportive my church is? Going into all of this, I felt such a peace because I knew that I had an incredible system of support. As you may know, I needed to raise 75% of my support before being able to book my ticket. That goal was met solely through support raised by my church. If that doesn't say "we love and support you", then I don't know what does. The goal was then exceeded by the support of my friends and family. Wow...that's all I can say.

No...Maybe...Yes

I was the girl who said “no” to God anytime the topic of missions came up.

I knew what would happen if I changed my answer...my life would change drastically, and I didn’t like change. Growing up in a mission-minded church, you can imagine the number of times that I said “no” to God. Throughout the last 8 years, I’ve had to work extra hard to hold on to that “no” as various conversations and opportunities came my way. I was always happy to listen and support in whatever way I could, but there was no way that I was taking it a step further. Over two consecutive summers of serving as a counselor at church camp, that “no” became a “maybe”. Finally, a small, shaky “yes” surfaced this past summer at camp. It was prompted by the week’s sermon series in which the pastor asked if we would “choose to hear His voice every single day”. I knew that I had been choosing to ignore His voice, but that simply couldn’t go on any longer. Every single sermon and song that week was being spoken and sung to me and for me. The “yes”, although still small and shaky, was out and there was no turning back. God had a plan and once I chose to hear it rather than ignore it, I was amazed at how quickly it came together. And that my family and friends, is how I got to this point...

THE DETAILS:

Source

Where: Sighisoara, Romania

What: Serving on the Nazarene mission field as a child development specialist/social worker in the children’s programs at Veritas. Veritas provides social services, educational programs, and community outreach to the people of Sighisoara and the surrounding areas. I will also work alongside the local church to develop their skills for Sunday School and VBS-type activities.

When: In the very near future (Feb/March). I have a renewable 3 month contract.

How much: Around $6,000 to cover housing, transportation, food, insurance, language classes, etc. for 3 months

SUPPORT:

I believe that missions is best done through community, and that you can be a part of this mission that touches lives around the world. Please consider supporting me as a prayer partner, and ask that God would prepare my heart and provide for my needs. I would also ask for prayers for the people I will be working with and alongside, as well as travel safety.

The World Evangelism Fund (WEF) has provided a base for my service through the generous giving of people like you (i.e. support for the local missionary, leadership, and district development). As I mentioned above, I need to raise around $6,000 for expenses during the 3 months. Should you choose to support me financially to help with this ministry, here are the details:

• Checks should be made out to General Treasurer, Church of the Nazarene and mailed to Church of the Nazarene, P.O. Box 843116, Kansas City, MO 64184. Each donation should be clearly marked with “Romania - Bloom, Casey - Mission Corps”.

• In addition, I am in need of personal funds that are not eligible for a charitable tax receipt. Personal funds cover things such as toiletries, extra clothing, school debt, etc. If you wish to help with those expenses, you can send the donation directly to me. Remember, if you send funds directly to me, you will not be eligible for a tax deduction. Feel free to contact me with questions about personal funds, and I'd be happy to answer any questions.

I cannot thank you enough for your support, both prayerfully and financially, as I continue to hear His voice and reply with a “yes”. One of the many reasons I feel at peace about doing this is because of my amazing support system, which includes you.

More details coming soon...

Sick day = blog post

Photo via Unsplash

Congratulations to you! I have taken a sick day due to possible food poisoning, which means you get a blog post! This post will likely consist of me rambling, but it is what it is.

(Time passes)

Soooo I've had this tab open since about 9 am. It's now noon. Clearly, I'm still figuring out this whole blogging thing. That and the simple fact that I am very scatterbrained sometimes. (For the record, I haven't been sitting here staring at the screen for 3 hours.) I think it's going to be easier for me to think about my blog as a place to share about things rather than my thoughts...if that makes any sense. Allow me to explain.

I could easily tell you that I spent the morning drinking Toms coffee while wearing my amazing Banded headband and snacking on my Graze box. It'd be a little harder for me to give you a run down of what I was thinking throughout the morning, and it also wouldn't be me. When I thought about starting a blog, I was excited to be able to share all of the "things" that I find while browsing the Internet. I didn't really plan to write about my daily life. For a split second, I think, "well who wants to read about the things I come across...people want to hear about life", but that's not always true. Many of my favorite blog posts are those with links to things. I love a good weekly links post, like REALLY love. On the contrary, some of my favorite bloggers are those who share about their daily life. I think it's like an opposites attract kind of thing. I don't care to share about my daily life, but you better believe I'm nosey and want to read alllll about other people's lives. (Fun fact: I'm a bit obsessed with the lives of celebrities too). I told you I'd be rambling...

Regardless, this brings me back to the post that inspired my first post, which I'm sure I'll find myself referencing quite often. There are two points in that post that seem to fit my current thoughts...

Just put your stuff out there. Somebody will like it. True fact. 

Don't be afraid of your own voice. It's the only one you have (unless you write fiction). 

I think I'll just leave it at that. Undoubtedly, a weekly links post will be coming soon...

Renegade Craft Fair 2014

Another summer, another Renegade Craft Fair in Chicago. My friend Erica and I went this year, but I was also able to meet up with Abby. We actually took a photo together, which was groundbreaking! As much as I love Renegade, I'm starting to think that I'm getting too old for it. Erica and I had only made it halfway and we were exhausted. My back hurt. I needed a snack. Old lady alert. I bought a few things, which I'll share in a moment, but I also want to highlight some booths that caught my eye. 

I bought three bookmarks from Pink Tank. One for my mom (monkeys), one for me (hot air balloons), and one for a future gift for someone. They're so dang cute. 

Fun fact: I love ampersands. I bought a postcard from Starshaped Press with a & on it. It's cute. (Fun fact #2: I say cute a lot.)

Erica and I split a card sampler from OrangeBeautiful. The cards are gorgeous. I'm excited to send them! They are also hosting an event in November called Show of Hands. I'm hoping to attend! 

I was tempted to spend some dough at the following shops too...

I would buy anything and everything by Yao Cheng. Such beautiful watercolors. 

Almost everything by Alisa Bobzien. 

She had a cute little mug with a pretzel on it. 

My high school mascot was a pretzel so I was pleasantly surprised to see that mug. 

This print from Little Canoe

The floral wall calendar by Michelle Brusegaard

The bags at Suspiro catch my eye every year. Maybe I'll give in next year.

The STiiCKs from Well Made 

Gilmore Girls

Warning: I'm about to throw up all things Gilmore Girls. Prepare yourself. 

Gilmore Girls is my all-time favorite television show. I own all 7 seasons. I watched it religiously when it aired from 2000-2007. I often recorded the episodes on VHS tapes if I had to miss them for some reason. When the final episode aired, I literally bawled my eyes out. Who am I kidding, I STILL bawl my eyes out when I watch the last episode...and many other episodes. I've watched the series more times than I can count. One time, I went through and only watched the episodes that Jess appeared in. Yep, I am Team Jess. For your enjoyment (or maybe just mine), I am about to share a slew of links related to the residents of Stars Hollow. Enjoy!

Also, Gilmore Girls is coming to Netflix on October 1st. Since I already own every season, this isn't a huge deal for me. However, I'm extremely excited for everyone else to experience the awesomeness of this show. Yay!

19 Reasons JESS was the Perfect Match for Rory - THIS. IS. EVERYTHING.

The Definitive Ranking of the Men on Gilmore Girls - Luke and Jess, always.

How Gilmore Girls Should've Ended, The Rory Gilmore's Boyfriend Edition

13 Weird Gilmore Girls Town Events You'd Like to Experience

19 Signs You're Just Like Rory Gilmore

24 Reasons Why Lorelai Gilmore is the Coolest Mom Ever

The 23 Wisest Things Lorelai Gilmore Ever Said

17 Moments When Paris Gellar was Totally Relatable 

The Unofficial Guide to College, According to Rory Gilmore

27 Amazing Things We Might Get In a Gilmore Girls Movie

17 Definitive Reasons Luke and Lorelai Deserved a Better Ending 

Which Gilmore Girls Guy is Your Soulmate? - Jess, DUH.

How Many Books From Gilmore Girls Have You Read?

All 339 Books Referenced in Gilmore Girls

Which Rory Gilmore are you?

How Well Do You Know Gilmore Girls? - 18 out of 18

16 Things You Didn't Know About Gilmore Girls

And finally, 36 Times Jess Mariano Completely Melted Your Heart on Gilmore Girls

Found here.

Things in my Pocket

Found via Pinterest.
You can buy this painting by Katy Smail (well not this one because it's sold out) on the Buy Some Damn Art website.

So I realize how awkward this title sounds, but stay with me for a second. I use Pocket ALL OF THE TIME. Problem: I actually use it a little too much and then rarely get around to reading EVERYTHING that has accumulated in there. Solution: Make it a blog feature so I'm forced to go through it regularly...and share some of my favorites with you! Basically, it's my version of a weekly links post, which is one of my favorite things in blog land. We'll see how it goes...

Spending time alone...I was going to try to pick some of my favorites from this list, but they're just all so good. I couldn't narrow it down so I guess you'll have to read the whole thing!

Jimmy Fallon & Adam Levine's musical impressions...Impressive

This is VERY helpful.

Who doesn't love a good photobooth photo?

I pretend to be an adult most of the time. This is helpful for when I can't pretend anymore.

Sooner or later you will learn that I am completely obsessed with GILMORE GIRLS. My ultimate goal in life is to read all 339 of these babies.

I work in a school. This version of motivation (aka torture) is brilliant.

I like kindness. #12 - check!

One word: Chipotle

Another word: Midwest. I can't help but love it. #11, #14, and #18 for the win!

Okay, I think that's good for now. I hope you've enjoyed my first attempt at a blog feature. Not sure when or how often this feature will make an appearance, but I'll figure it out. I'm sure the suspense is just killing you...


Also, I just joined bloglovin' so there's that.