Yesterday I posted this picture on Instagram .  This quote is in The Lovely Adventure mission statement and it's been something I've carried around with me for years. 

I went to college thinking I would get a degree, earn the big bucks and change the world.  Turns out, college revealed everything I wasn't good at (math, test taking, memorizing, reading large amounts and comprehension).  I thoroughly hated the academia of college. I wouldn't trade my friends and social experiences for the world, so in the end I'm glad I went. But also in the end, I had no idea who I was or what the heck I was going to do with my life.  Gifts? Did I have those? According to my college GPA and test scores, no.  No, I did not.  So, after college I wandered.  I worked at camp, which I loved.  My husband (boyfriend at the time) had moved to the United States for a job and that fall I followed.  We worked for the same YMCA resort, he did challenge adventures and I did outdoor education.  It wasn't my favorite job in the world, but, I did discover that I was good at being creative, hard working and people generally liked me as a human (always good to know).  

I got engaged that fall on a trip to Australia and that winter of 2010 in the off season I started this little crafty adventure of mine.  I discovered this love for handmade, re-purposing and teaching myself new skills.  

I went on to work full time at Heartland Camp after we were married in the fall of 2011 (I could write a whole novel on how much I love that place... I'll save that for another day).  That job gave me the freedom to discover that I loved design.  I loved graphic design, web design and event design.  I was pretty good at leadership (always room to grow) and I just hardcore love being part of a community and learning people's stories. I don't think I would have ever learned those things about myself had God not opened doors for me and had I not mustered up the courage to walk through. I'm all teary just thinking about it. How much I love how God has called me out of my box and said, "Andrea, you were made for so much more than this." 

Some days I struggle to believe it. Most days. Most days I want to curl up under a blanket and stop pushing my boundaries. Get a "real" job, stop trying to learn new things and just be safe.  But the truth is, it makes me feel alive. My soul craves creativity and design and learning new things. Starting this business has been the hardest and best thing I've ever done. And as soon as I want to throw in the towel, stop "wasting" our money and give up, God gives me a new idea. Or sends me someone who inspires me.  I have yet to hit a dead end.  And for me, always the pessimist, who is usually searching for the dead ends or an excuse to stop, that's pretty remarkable. 

Living the life you were created for doesn't really have an end or a golden answer. Living. It's a verb, it's continuous while we are blessed with life. Don't let your doubts or who the world says you should be create your box.  Turn that dang box into a spaceship and send it to the moon, you won't need it. Life is full of freedom without it. It's full of struggle and doubts and tears, too. But, when you aren't trying to fit in a box that you weren't created for in the first place, it's full of discovering who a boxless God created you to be. 

It's also worth noting who God didn't create you to be.  I thought I was meant to be a top of my class PHD psychologist.  Because that was successful (and really, it is...just not for me).  Coming to terms with the fact that my brain doesn't comprehend math, it can really only learn kinestetically and that my introverted tendencies are sometimes my best has changed my life. When you stop trying to fit into that box, you find you didn't really like it in there anyway.  

So here's to living the lives we were created for.  To giving up our boxes and pushing our boundaries. Here's to doing scary things (even if they are small) and figuring out how to be the best you.  You have something special to share with the world. There is only one of you and someone needs what you have.  Find it and don't stop sharing your story. 

Love,

The Lovely Adventurer

P.s. You're the best