Past, Present, Future

Fall is my favorite time of year. The sweater weather, changing trees, and holidays combine to create the perfect environment for good times. This year I would like fall to back off and for summer to hang out for a little longer. Way back in April I noticed that I had hit a rut. I could not believe that in less than a year after graduating college, I seemed to have lost sight of what I wanted to do, not to be confused with what I had to do. The solution?...Take a vacation…P.S. it works! Last minute I pleaded for time off work and flew down to San Diego with my friend Alex. Nothing like the ocean and some sand to clear the mind. This trip lead me to “find my dinosaur”. I proceed to do things that I had always said I was going to do. I competed in Ski to Sea, was in Guys and Dolls the musical, learned to windsurf, painted a mural, went sailing, mountain biking, and on some pretty awesome trips. I would be crazy not to want summer to continue but here fall comes anyway. My summer ended with an epic road trip from Seattle, WA to Rio Rancho, NM with Kyle Maltz (read about the trip on his blog!). We took five days to meander down south, seeing some of the most beautiful landscapes and some that left us wondering “Why?” The trip was amazing but ended in one of the saddest events of my life. My brother Michael died on Sunday morning. He was 24 years old. I have a lot of questions and not a whole lot of answers to why this happened. I am grateful for the time I spent with him and blessed to have him as a friend. Even with the grief that sits heavy on all our hearts I am trying to live my life as Michael did, with “peace, respect of others, love, acceptance, and my God.” In nine days I leave for Turkmenistan with the Peace Corps for 27 months. I have too many emotions that fill my heart to accurately describe. I am sad, burdened and angry over what was done to my brother. I am also nervous, scared, and excited about the Peace Corps. Life changes fast, I’m glad I packed my running shoes. 
-Steph