The view from W. River Parkway — my commute home from work. In December of 2017 I was doing research online and found a small magazine based out of Minneapolis, Minnesota, that I really liked. A few weeks later I was in Southern California visiting family and wandered into a shop that had the print version for sale. It was different than most. The value set and quality of the publication made my heart swell — I was living across the country, but I wanted to be a part of writi

I thought this photo was fitting because I am kinda, sorta standing out on a limb. More like a ledge. You get the drift. (Chattanooga, Tennessee) You know when you go out on a limb for somebody, or something — you hold your breath after you say something final or make a big decision and hope that the other end will come through or approve or affirm so that you can exhale and feel at peace. There is a moment of silence, a pause after you do the thing. You took a big, fat risk

My view from the rappel tower at Frontier Ranch. Mount Princeton, 14,196 feet. Buena Vista, Colorado. I’ve been trying to form words to describe my month at camp for two weeks now. Certain words don’t mean enough, certain ones aren’t precise enough and others flat out fail to explain. What the heck, man. I have these feelings that whirl and swirl and bump into each other all agressive-like in my brain, yet finding letters and sounds and syllables to stuff some sense into them

I’m sitting in Allen on the second floor, my usual spot. I was bracing myself for this week—each day over the weekend I was praying for productivity and peace. Nothing too dramatic is happening—just midterms, a few homework assignments and a story for the newspaper. Normal day-to-day, week four things. Still, I drafted a map of my schedule, and the meetings, interviews and study hours needed to keep up with all the shenanigans seemed more than overwhelming. I prayed more. Yet

When I left Eugene at the end of June, I was so ready to be home. I was excited and expectant and free. I tried my best to tie up loose ends and pack away the boxes of my sophomore year so that I could shift my focus forward. To me, forward seemed glorious. I felt like I was on the edge of a revelation. (That sounds super dramatic, let me elaborate; when I hear God speak to me it is never audible, and most of the time it isn’t a crazy sign either. It’s not this freaky religio

I’m sitting on my new couch, looking out my wide-open windows, and man oh man do I feel good. Take this with a gulp of perspective because if I’m being honest, most moments of goodness I’ve experienced lately are sticky with a feeling of anxiety and fear. But for the most part, I am feeling a little lighter today. Anyway, back to the big windows and my overstuffed couch (seriously people, Craiglist gifted me the world’s greatest piece of furniture). I’m listening to country m