Aloha!

I can't believe Michael and I have been in Hawaii for almost eight months!  I didn't fully appreciate how much this place has become home until I visited Oregon last week.  I love going back to the place where I grew up, the place Michael and I fell in love, and the place where so many of my friends and family live.  While I was there though I had time to think about my life now.  How blessed I feel to have my little family together, living in this beautiful place!

Moving Again

July 2010  -->  Erinn moves to Texas

August 2010 -->  Michael deploys to Iraq

August 2010 -->  Erinn moves back to Oregon

July 2011  -->  Erinn moves back to Texas

August 2011 -->  Michael Returns to Texas

Friends, I am happy to announce that in less than three weeks Michael and I will be moving together to Hawaii.  The best part about this move is that we should be stabilized for 1-3 years.  I cannot express how exciting this is to both of us.  Our household goods and car have all ready been shipped to Oahu and hopefully should be there soon after we are.  Michael is working hard to finish clearing Ft Hood so that we can set up travel arrangements and hopefully we will be in our new home the first week of December :)

Michael and I have been together for over five years and it feels so good to finally be able to be in the same place at the same time without any separations planned n the future!

I'm Home

The past thirteen months has been a time of celebration, love, joy, heartache, and moments of uncertainty.  Just over a year ago I was blessed to marry my best friend, move across the country, and get a sample of what newly wed life could be like.  The time was wonderful but short. 

I am amazed to think of all that has happened in the past year.  I finished my last year of school and was able to participate in an eye-opening research project.  Michael has thrived under his new leadership responsibilities and nearly completed a second deployment.  So much has happened I am just overwelmed to think of it all.

This year has been a long journey but today I can say that I feel at home.  I don't feel like I am traveling any more, just trying to get through the next hurdle.  I am excited to be setting up our new home and eagerly waiting a phone call telling me when my love will be home.  After thirteen months we will finally be able to be newly weds.  After thirteen months we will be able to be a couple. 



I am so thankful for the support of all those who have encouraged us through this trying journey.  I am excited to celebrate the end of this chapter with you all!

Two weeks of Bliss

What can I say?  R&R is suppose to be amazing and it was.  I felt so blessed to have Michael here for my graduation and also to spend time with family and friends.  The cherry on top of the trip was being surprised with an extra day on the end!  I love my man and can't wait for him to be permanently home in the fall!

The Grand Finally!

What a crazy four years it has been!  I was thinking back upon it all today and thinking about how grateful I am to be completing my undergrad in four years!  

I could not have made it to this point without the unconditional support of my husband, family, friends, and professors.  These years have stretched me and forced me to grow in so many ways.  I am looking forward to all the opportunities in the future, all the opportunities that this education has opened for me.  Thank you all for your support through this incredible journey!

Broken

There comes a point when God takes your own little picture of what life and reality are like and he shatters it.  I have thought that has happened in my life before.  Little did I know that every glimpse of the bigger world was only preparing me for something more.

Over the past nine months I have been working with street-dependent youth.  What does this mean?  I thought this meant I was learning how to help a population in need, how to rally the community into action, and how to make a mark on social injustice.  However, I am learning something much greater.  I am learning that the face behind the sign on the corner is an individual with a story.  An individual with pain, needs, and desires.  Who am I to judge that person without knowing their story? 

The past months I have heard stories of trauma and survival.  Stories I had read about in books, but now can match with a face.  Many of these are victims of horrible crimes and the sad part is they often don't realize it. 

Today was different.  Today I heard the story, not of a victim, but of a survivor!

I cannot think of his story without tears in my eyes and the realization that I have had a blessed life.  My heart breaks for this 21-year-old brilliant individual with only a 3rd grade education.  At 8-years-old his father made him kill his loved dog with his bear hands and then sold him to a Russian mob for a months worth of meth.  He was then placed in a cage to fight other children for entertainment.  He had to do unimaginable things simply to survive.  At night he was chained in a basement until one day he took a marble statue and crushed the chains around his wrists in order to escape.  He tells me this as he shows me his bent and scarred hands.  He story goes on to tell of selling drugs for a place to sleep, being kicked out by his mother for simply looking like his dad, and then his dad driving him into the middle of the desert only to leave him to die. 

I cannot believe the many stories this one individual told me through the tears.  How can one life suffer so much?  He tells me he is unlovable and everyone that should have been there for him has never cared.  He tells me he forgives them because the hate will only "rot me from the inside out."  With a smile on his tear streaked face he tells me he knows what his purpose is.  To help people like him.  To help them avoid the pain, stay off the drugs, and not sever relationships with the ones they love. 

I am unable to give this story justice and to express the emotion that it deserves.   This one individual has opened awareness on so many different levels for me today.  Don't forget to say I love you today, don't forget to thank the Lord for all He has provided and especially the lack of pain!  I urge you to think twice next time you see an individual asking for food on the side of the road.  Remember, each of us has a story and most of all, each of us are children of God!

Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered.  Proverbs 21:13

Senior Presentation

One of the things that has been taking so much of my time lately has been my capstone presentation research.  It is very exciting but a ton of work.  If you are interested in knowing what I am looking at, here is a copy of the abstract for the presentation.

Needing a Place to Call Home: A Emic Perspective of Homeless Youth

                Teens and young adults who are living without a permanent or adequate residence often face struggles regarding social norms, fitting in with the larger society, and even issues regarding their own identity.  Youth without a permanent home often adopt street habits and lifestyle as a way of survival and may internalize this as part of their identity.  This can make it difficult for staff at resource centers who wish to help the homeless youth “better” their situation.  For homeless youth, giving up part of their street lifestyle for a more conventional one, may feel like losing part of their identity and the security they have found in it.  This presentation encourages case managers and mentors to learn the emic importance of street lifestyle before suggesting change to more mainstream ideas and action.