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More Than A Bucket List

2/16/2015

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BY: MEGAN DRAKE and JORDYN FERRARO
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Bucket lists, we all have them. We all have those things we want to do before we die, things we want to do that make us feel like we are #living. And both of us have them, dreamt up one night our Freshman year of college and while some have changed over the years – and many more added – a bucket list is a great way to begin dreaming and scheming for what you want to do in the future (or now!) But what makes those experiences more than just checking things off a list? Here are some ways we have found to make our dreams more than a bucket list and key lessons learned throughout living one of our greatest bucket list dreams.

1. Figure out the why

Why do you want to do the things on your bucket list? What are you doing them for? Who are you doing them for? 

Our dream of traveling Europe started out as something on the top of our bucket lists, each of us having specific places we wanted to go and see – for Megan, Croatia was at the top of her list and for Jordyn it was Cinque Terre, Italy – but quickly these destinations turned into more. We wanted to experience these places and new cultures for more than the check in the box. And as we each questioned more and more (and got asked by many others) why we wanted to go travel Europe, it became about more than simply doing it for the sake of going and became a dream far greater – wanting to travel as more than consumers, seeking to slow down & find the true beauty behind God’s creation and His people.  For us, that was our lens going into the three months, but what is it for you? Some things are on that list for the sake of doing it (why else would shark cage-diving be on it?) but understanding the why behind the what or where can make the experience so much more meaningful.

When you figure out why you want to do the things on your list, their meaning enhances. And ultimately, your experience enhances. 

2. Be Present 

When you finally get to experience the things on your bucket list, one of the biggest things we can encourage you to do is put down your phone, put down your camera and be in the moment.

For Megan, this is like second nature as she is more likely to not have her phone than actually have it on any given day, but for Jordyn, this takes a bit more intentional effort and it is by far one of the greatest disciplines I’ve found to practice because there is so much I miss by not actually being present in the moment and giving all your attention to it. Pictures are great – and take hundreds, thousands even because by no means are we saying not too – but also take time to set it aside & put it down. Look at what’s in front of you, at the people around you, to see them as valuable and actually look at them, at what makes them who they are in this place so unique and unfamiliar to you. This experience is yours, so make it yours – in however that looks, take ownership. Take the time to soak it all in, don’t be in such a rush that you miss it. Enjoy where you are.

That was a priority for us. It wasn’t always easy, and sometimes we lost sight of it. But the trip was so much sweeter when we stopped to see what was around us, bask in the richness of where we were.

(and just a little side tip, get people in your pictures – they’ll mean far more down the road than just another sunset picture because lets be honest, will you really remember where it was taken in a year?)

3. Laugh through the chaos
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Expectations vs. Reality

Its not always going to look like you expected, we can tell you first-hand without hesitation that you will experience hiccups. You will not always be on the mountain top, you may get kicked off trains or you may get stuck in the pouring rain because actually doing the things on your bucket list may not go exactly as planned or may become more draining than you expected. They key to overcoming these valleys is laugher. You can’t always change your circumstances, or move from the smelly person on the bus, but you can laugh through it. And trust us, those giggle-fits will get you through the most trying of times. Don’t take yourself too seriously, and don’t place so much weight on your experience that it crumbles beneath it because often times, the moments you remember most aren’t going to be the ones that went perfectly to plan, but those moments when you were at wits end and you’re able to laugh it off with those with you.

We all build up expectations, we each had so many going into this trip(whether we like to admit it or not), but reality always looks so differently. Sometimes in absolutely amazing ways that blow your expectations out of the water and sometimes in ways that make those expectations come crashing down. So the greatest advice we can give is hold those plans with open hands, hold them loosely, ready to say ‘come what may’ and able to laugh at the unexpected & unknown.

Through being able to put a check in the box on each one of our bucket lists, we have discovered there is often more to experience than the checking of the box. And while that is a good feeling (its okay to admit!) – we often find ourselves putting things already completed onto our to-do lists just to make that all-too-satisfying check. Like we said, somethings on the bucket list we have listed just to experience (jumping in a shark cage, sky diving, bungee jumping, etc.) But they’re not all that way, some of the things on our list have a bigger reason & purpose – and it’s those that we’re calling out.
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To round out this post, we decided it was time to go visual! So here you have it, take it as an encouragement, a reminder, something to tape to a mirror or simply the short version of this entire post – but no matter how you do, our hope & prayer most importantly is that when your dreams finally become reality you are able to get the most out of each experience. To really feel what its like to live, to get to do something extraordinary(because every dream come true is just that). We encourage you to embrace the get to’s in life, because life is an adventure after all.

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So Long, Unemployment

2/10/2015

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BY: MEGAN DRAKE and JORDYN FERRARO
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It has been quite the eventful two weeks, filled with many moments of “are we actually going to be able to do this & stay in Ireland for this year?” and constant, daily – hourly – reminders that the Lord would take care of each of us. It was stressful, overwhelming, and often times discouraging. All that to say, many of the uncertain moments were based on employment – obviously a very, very big factor in our ability to live in Ireland as we both jumped into adult life (hello, bills) which in and of itself is an adjustment – and then trying to do it in another country. And as our prayers were many (& a very big thank you to everyone at home praying with us) – we can now say we are both employed!

Time for a little boasting as Megan is now employed & officially started her job yesterday, securing what will be a year of living here in Ireland, giving much more peace of mind to the months of unknowns. And best of all, to top off this exciting news, we had a great weekend of celebrating as Megan’s brother Noah came to town. As you may remember, Noah and his friend Marcus joined us on our European adventure for a few weeks so having Noah come to Ireland to visit our new home was so exciting & refreshing – getting to show him a little piece of beauty of Galway and enjoying time together filled with pots of coffee, lots of movies, relaxing nights, & just sitting around the table talking. Our time together gave us all refreshment and renewal to start our weeks fresh and energized.

That being said, as we start to both get a better grip on what life here will be like, we are so thankful. In the Chronicles of Narnia it is said, following the Lord is not always safe, but it is good. The same is true of dreams & of the pursuit of this dream here & now. It hasn’t always been easy – and the struggles started long before that first flight to Europe last September – as we each faced the struggles of saving and the unknowns to come. And while some doors flew open, there were many we each were left knocking on, waiting on what the Lord would do and what He had in store. And, my goodness, those times of waiting, knocking, & praying for that door to open were rough. They were nights of tears, days of wondering whether flights back to the States would need to be booked sooner than planned, hours of restlessness, but ultimately, it wasn’t through anything but the promise of knowing God had us, that He would take care of us that would bring light & hope to those days. All that to say, we understand the weight of pursuing your dreams – we are with you in it. There is the unknown of how those dreams will play out, never knowing if they will work out the way you planned, and we can both say Ireland sure looks different than we thought it would, but going after them is oh so worth it & we can each say this confidently as we’re there & we’ve been there, chugging through the long dark tunnel to get to the light at the end.

So we leave you with that (once again) to encourage you to go after your biggest dream. Yes, there is a chance it is going to look a lot different than you would imagine – & honestly, yes there is the chance it just may fail – but it is worth it and you have these two girls, near or far, being your cheerleaders & rooting you on. Like we have said before (as you can tell, this stuff is a huge part of what makes us, us)  we are people designed for big things in our ordinary lives. It is when we bring those dreams into the ordinary that the ordinary becomes extraordinary. So we hope you find your dream & go after it. Our dream is coming true & new dreams are meant to be formed from here on, but whether its a dream big or little, we hope you find refreshment in the Lord, in the people around you & the ones miles away to go be extraordinary.
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And as tradition has it, here is the beat of the week! Enjoy this little gem of a song from a band we heard on the streets of Galway!

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