I Made It…

Alright so… it’s been a while since I’ve posted. In my opinion, it’s been entirely too long, and I apologize for that.

Today is my last day of class of my junior year of college. I finished at 2:40pm after turning in my last Portuguese 430 test. DONE. But not finished… I am so close to ending this semester that it hurts to think I haven’t quite gotten there yet. There are still papers to write, projects to do, presentations to finalize, etc. It’s a busy time, no doubt, but I still hold myself to this blog. From now on, I should be posting more!

The past four and a half months of my life have been pure mayhem. To say the least. Classes have (nearly) killed me, I’ve made some friends, lost a lot of people I thought were friends, and got played like an old 8-track for four and a half months by a girl I genuinely had feelings for (Highly uncommon for me– the feelings part). I’ve written a lot, I’ve read a lot, and I’ve learned even more.

Note: I hope she’s reading this right now. That would really be a kicker, wouldn’t it?

PLOT TWIST

It’s hard to put a finger on “The hardest *insert time period here* of your life,” but for me, I can honestly say that this has been one of the hardest years starting out of my entire life. There was loss, gain, failure, success– all in the extreme, and I’m grateful for all of it. That, however, does not mean I enjoyed it all while it was happening or even after the fact. Today, I can sit at my desk and type this and honestly admit that I am physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted from this semester.

The balancing act that has been my semester has affected me greatly, but one thing remains the same– my drive for Brasil.

I’m about a month and a half away from being back in the country that I refer to as meu lar. My home. I’m going back to Brasil to spread the Good Word. I’ll be there until mid-August, teaching, playing sports, interacting with the children in the community, and working and living on a farm. I couldn’t be more blessed or excited to have the opportunity to return to the most beautiful country on Earth.

What I find most incredible about my passion for Brasil is that it is unwavering in every way. Through all my changes in interests as a child, teenager, and young adult, I have always had a passion and interest in Brasil. Not only has it not gone away or faded into the background, it continues to grow. Daily. That excites me.

Losing friends, being led on, and dealing with school creates a lot of ups and downs– Brasil was never one of those ups or downs. It is a rising consistency in my life and becoming a true possibility for after I graduate. I have no doubt that I will be able to, and will, live there after I graduate from college. There is not a doubt in my mind. That brings peace to me.

I attribute that peace and unwavering nature of my interest in Brasil to God. It could be nothing but God. Unwavering. Unchanging. Ever-Inspiring. That is my God. This passion for the Portuguese language, for Brasilian culture, its people, its music, its food, even its futebol (SANTOS)– it all comes from God– I fully believe that. How exciting.

As this semester comes to its close, I hope you, my readers, have something to find peace in. That you have something to rest in– and I hope that something is God and the passion, the Calling that God has given you. We all have our own Calling, don’t be afraid to go find yours. It’s an exciting thing.

Changing Gears…

I haven’t had much time to work on custom mini-cars of late, but I have at least sanded down my 240Z casting, and I’ve also picked up multiple castings (Including a Toyota 2000GT!) to customize over the summer, so keep a look out for updates on Mini-Cars!

As far as Fly Fishing goes, I started this blog in January… so not much has happened in that arena, but in mid-May I’ll be headed out to Damascus, Virginia to spend some time in the waters of southwestern Virginia on the head end of Trail Days! Extra exciting! So please, check back often for updates, and keep reading!