This is the blog of Olivia, a girl who works to love without limits.
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| Photo Credit: Ben Scheuer "She swirled her mermaid hair 360 degrees catching the attention of several gentlemen..." -Sarah Widlicka |
Olivia was born in a small town in northern Minnesota—the kind of town that people grow up in and never leave. However, she knew that one day it would be her day to leave. That day came sooner than anyone expected.
Just a few days shy of her nineteenth birthday, Olivia packed her belongings into far too many suitcases and flew to California. Her move was a response to God’s leading in her life. This blog is the chronicling of her life since then.
But let’s go back a little farther…
Olivia only has memories of living in one house in her small town. Her family had moved there when she was just one year old. She’s grown up with her loving parents, older sister, and younger brother.
She has been blessed to grow up in a household where Christ is at the center of it. Since a fairly young age, Olivia has been passionately in love with the Lord. He never ceases to amaze her with His love, faithfulness, and grace. In Him, she finds unmatchable comfort and joy. He is truly her everything, and she seeks to follow after Him every single day.
Although they certainly have their fair share of disagreements, her whole family loves to be together. Additionally, they love the outdoors. They spend their summers taking road trips, camping, and fishing. One of their favorite vacation spots is the Puget Sound in Washington. They catch Red Rock and Dungeness crabs in the Pacific and cook them in their campsite. But they don’t stop there. They also pick blackberries and make delicious jam.
Since she was young, Olivia has always enjoyed traveling. She’s been to 25 states, as well as various countries. When she was fourteen, she spent two weeks in the Dominican Republic doing missions work. Her time there was the most life-changing experience she’s ever had. In the summer of 2010, she spent over three weeks traveling across the United Kingdom. She enjoyed ever minute of it.
Olivia’s years of traveling have taught her two very important things about herself…
First—traveling brings her all kinds of levels of joy. It excites her that there is always more to see, learn, and experience. With every new, majestic scene that she lays her eyes on, God reminds her of His greatness.Over the years, Olivia has realized how much people intrigue her. But they don’t just intrigue her, nay, they fascinate her. While she may cherish her alone time, she absolutely loves being with people. She has been blessed with truly amazing friends.
Second—one of the things she enjoys most about traveling is meeting new people. She loves when people tell her their stories. Olivia believes that everyone has a story to tell, and now she wants to be the one to share those stories with the world. She hopes to use her love for photography and writing to communicate the tales of everyday people. They are the ones who have the stories that can change others’ lives.
In the last year, she has come to recognize how much she loves one-on-one conversations. As one who understands how precious time is, it means the world to Olivia when people give her their time. When they sit down with her to talk and to listen, they are telling her that she is important. They are conveying that she means enough to them that they would give her their time.
She always notices when people are truly listening to what she has to say, but it means even more to her when they share. When people share their stories and their hearts with Olivia, she is truly touched. She desires to be the person that others know they can trust. She wants to be the one that people know they can turn to whenever they need something—no matter how it may inconvenience her. She hopes to be the type of girl that others desire as a friend.
Now, don’t misunderstand, Olivia has all kinds of flaws. She makes mistakes that hurt her and others around her. But these errors not only make her human—they make her who she is. Through each of these blunders, the Lord is growing, changing, and shaping her to be more and more like Him.
Olivia won’t always get things right, but she will continue to grow.
She will make mistakes continually, but she’ll learn more about God’s grace.
Her heart and her head may tell her different things, but Christ will continue to lead.
And she can’t wait to see where He will take her.
