2019

A year in review:
January: 
I escaped the cold weather of Chicago and started the year on a missions trip with a team from Village Creek Bible Camp and Resourcing Now to serve in Belize. While in Belize we sorted a shipping containers worth of Christian Literature to pass out and distribute to people all over the country. We also visited many jungle villages where we held kids clubs and shared the gospel. 

February:
After a night of excruciating pain and a long morning in the ER I found out my gall bladder was inflamed and filled with stones. I now live with minus one organ and can no longer say that I've never had surgery before.

March:
I'm sure there were other things that happened in March but the most news worthy was a trip down to Kentucky to visit my family and play outside at their country home. We always enjoy stomping through the creek, hiking up to the cave, and driving around in the "Kat". 





April: This month I attended my first ever Women's Ministry Retreat with Glen Ellyn Bible Church. I got to room and spend time with some pretty great friends while enjoying an afternoon along Lake Geneva. 

May: 
I ran in a 6K with other Glen Ellyn Bible Church members to support World Vision to help make water more accessible to those who have to walk approximately 6K a day for water. This was a really great race to be a part of as not only did it challenge me physically but I got a good visual of what it would be like to have to walk 6K with a jerrycan. 

June:  Our family went on a reunion to the family farm in Edmonton, Alberta to celebrate the life on my grandmother. We buried her ashes in the small country church cemetery where she attended church as a child. After that we headed to Jasper and Banff National Park for some sightseeing and hiking through the beautiful Canadian Rockies. After parting ways with the Harsch family we met up with my cousin and her family in Kalispell, MT for a trip to Glacier National Park. 

Mom and her brothers at Nanny and Poppop's resting place. 

Wiesenthal Cemetery

Nanny and Poppop's burial site. 

One big happy family!

Hiking along Beauty Creek! 

Spirit Island on Lake Maligne

Glacier National Park with my cousin and her daughters. 

July: Apparently, nothing happened in the July. I was in the depth of grad school classes and do not have any pictures saved in my phone from this month.

August:
I went to visit my good friends Lindsay in Souix Falls, SD with my other good friend Katie and her two sons. We had a blast laughing, goofing off, and being silly. Because that's what we do best. I also got to spend a week working at Village Creek Bible Camp.

 September:
I started September with a road trip to Colorado to visit many of my friends and family from the year that I lived there. I also hiked my first 14er. It was pretty awful. Gonna be honest. But the view was spectacular. I also visited my brothers family in Kentucky to celebrate his birthday and my nephews birthday. It was hot but we still made the best of it. At the end of September I got to spend a weekend at Village Creek Bible Camp and speak during one of the chapels about including non-believers in our struggles to help us meet our need. Lastly, I started my job at Jubilee Kids as an Infant Teacher. It was a busy month.


October:
I celebrated my birthday and ran my first ever 10K. I also dressed up as the rainbow fish for halloween.

November:
I got to visit my college roommate while she and her family are home from Vanuatu. I also got to run the Brookfield Zoo Reindeer Run and see all the Christmas lights with my cousins.

December:
Had a great time celebrating Christmas with family and ended the year at my home away from home at Village Creek Bible Camp. What a year it has been. A constant theme I've seen throughout this year has been running. I've found a new joy in running and I can't wait to see where the new hobby takes me in the 2020.