The Revival Tour

Tonight I went to one of the most amazing shows that I have ever been to in my life. No joke.

Tonight I saw The Revival Tour at Dante's in Portland and I never thought that music could make me feel this good. haha But seriously, a few punk bands and musicians combined their talents and made music straight from something like heaven. Included in the set were Chuck Ragan (whom I saw last year with Social Distortion), Tommy Gabel (from Against Me! whom I also saw), Cory Branan, Nathaniel Rateliff, and Water Tower. I wish I had brought my camera to show you some pictures and videos, but it was too bulky to fit in my back pocket. :) Maybe next year? Anyway, I just HAD to write about it. If anything, this is just a reminder to me that I need to see this tour in the future. Mmmmhmmm.

Here's Tommy just in case you were interested:

A VERY Happy Easter

A day of CELEBRATION...of HUGE celebration.
Wanna know why?

Cause Jesus has died for us. Seriously. For you and for me.
And he rose from the dead. That means he still lives! This is crazy and good!

He is risen.
He is risen indeed.

Let us celebrate his deep deep love for us.
Happy Easter!

Love,
Danielle

Trying New Things.

Here are some pictures of new things that I've tried.
It's been a fun past few weeks. :)

 With Anna at her cabin in WA.

 First time snowmobiling!

I didn't understand this little sign. Can the deer understand it?

 We went to a country bar and took some "Cowboy Swing" lessons. :)

Anna and I finished this puzzle. I'm beginning to notice a theme here. ;)

It is Finished.

My master's thesis, that is. 

 Just about 100 pages. Dang. Done.

ALASSSSSKA.

This week has been absolutely insane. Lots of big decisions were made, projects were finished, friends were accepted into grad schools, and I was offered a job for the summer... I accepted.

I've been applying to numerous jobs at various national parks for the summer. I've come to a place where I just need a "break"--A break from school, counseling, and in a way, normal life in general. So, after a few months, I was offered the position to work with an ATV tour guide company at Denali National Park. It's a company that gives people tours on ATVs. Crazy, right? Well...not that crazy. I have grown up riding ATVs and this is my chance to try something completely different, make changes, be in the wilderness, see animals, and be a little bit more free for a time.

The job is seasonal, begins in May and ends in September. I have a split position to work as a tour guide and to work in the office. I am SOOOO excited for this opportunity. I was so excited that I screamed. I rarely scream. This is a big deal. :) 

Please pray for me as the time gets closer for me to graduate and move to Alaska. 

Maybe I'll get some pictures like this one of Mount McKinley:

New Food.

Today I went to Cabela's for the 1st time ever and ate....

BISON.

It was goooooood.
...every single bite and every single sight. 

The Professional Bull Riders in Portland!

I got to see the PBR today and just an fyi, it was one of the best days I have EVER had. haha Well, that might be an exaggeration, but it was good. Real good. I had some pretty good views of the cowboys too if you know what I mean. Just look:

 The Champion of the night: Jordan Hupp

I got quite a few autographs from the cowboys. :)

 I even got to take a picture with the Champ, Jordan (a fellow believer). :)

 My ticket is priceless. :)

 Erin and I!

No comment.  ;)

Snowshoe Adventures!

Yesterday, Anna, me and some friends spent our day snowshoeing and sledding at White River Canyon at Mt. Hood. The weather was perfect: sunny. Let's just say, most of us were sweating the entire time. That was odd to me since there was snow EVERYWHERE. :)

Here is what I saw and experienced:

After the hike, we went sledding and Anna and I may have been on a tube together and we may have spun around and we may have run into a tree pretty hard and I may have bruised my leg pretty good. I may be okay though. :)

9 in 1

Last year, 2011, was a wild one to say the least. I am not that sad to say "goodbye" to it either. My life has been changed by the events that occurred throughout it. It has been changed through the places that I have gone, the people I have seen and met, those that I have said goodbye to, and those that I have grown closer with. Someone told me that 2012 is a new beginning. I’d like to test out that theory. But right now, I wanted to explain the subject heading of this blog. It means that I have been to 9 states in 1 year. I know that might be a lot to some and to others it might not even scratch the surface of how many they’ve been to this past year, but it’s significant to me. Here is a glimpse of the past year through a few states…

1. Oregon: My home.

2. Colorado: Saw my best friend, Malerie, get married.

3. California: Saw more amazing friends, Kevin and Liz, marry one another.

4. Washington: I drove through this state this summer and made a stop in Spokane for some coffee.

5. Idaho: Again, this is another place that I drove through this summer. I stayed at my aunt’s house for a night and was happy to catch up with her and my cousin.

6. Montana: Spent some time here with my best friend, Shawn and visited Glacier National Park.

7. Wyoming: Visited Yellowstone National Park and The Grand Tetons.

8. New York: I spent Christmas here with my siblings, Angie and Vince. I had a great time.

9. Connecticut: While in New York, my siblings and I made a short stop here. It was beautiful.

Who knows what adventures will be in store for me in 2012. All I’m sayin’ is that they better be good…

My prayer is that this next year will be a year of healing, new beginnings, developing closer relationships, graduating, possibly a half marathon, and of being okay with waiting cause it’s not an easy thing for a person to do who likes to know what the plan is. ;)

Jesus, will you come this year?!

Goodbye, 2011. I'm going to try my best to look forward.