Jet-setting tips from a newfound Jet-Setter

If you've followed me lately, you probably know I've been traveling the world. My motto has become: live while you're young. 

I've come to realize God knew just what he was doing in making me a nurse. He knew I can be a hard worker, and yet I can also be the laziest person at times. So, He gave me a job where I go to work and work hard for 3 days. But am off for 4. And I love that-- i never even considered what my schedule would be like when I started nursing school I just always knew that was somehow the right move for me. 

Anyways, with my great schedule, I am given the opportunity to take vacations without even using vacation time. But in addition, I am also given a month of paid vacation. Yay America for treating your nurses well. So in this year of 2017 I've been to: Milan, back home to Florida several times, Rome, Tuscany, Southern Italy, Grenada twice, the Maldives, & Thailand. 

It's been the year of a lifetime and I've done, seen & ate so much. But most of all, I've been on a lot of planes! So I wanna share some pointers with you that I've kinda jotted down in the back of my head.

1. Checking in:

    * Do not freak out when you go online to check in for your international flight and it appears that something is wrong. They just need to verify your passport. So just wait till the morning and check in at the airport the old fashioned way.

   * Which brings me to my second point: for domestic flights within the US & a checked bag, arrive 2 hrs before departure. For domestic flights within the US with just a carry on, you really only need to be there 1 hr 15 mins before take off. For international flights, arrive 2.5 hrs before departure. For any flights OUT OF ASIA: get your butt there almost 3 hrs in advance, the lines will surprise you. For European flights, stick to US rules, you'll be fine. 

2. Where to use the restroom: 

  If you have to pee after getting off the plane, do not use the first restroom you see. Walk to the baggage claim and use the bathroom there. It's less crowded, almost always more clean, & kills a little time while you wait for the bags to arrive while still allowing you to be one of the firsts at baggage claim.

3. So, about baggage claim

 Maybe not everybody is an impatient New Yorker like me, but after a long flight, I just want to get the heck out of the airport. So when you get to baggage claim, don't be a buffoon and stand just anywhere. Look at the other belts and see the way they are rotating--then, proceed to the drop off area of the belt and stand right in front of where the luggage will drop in front of you. It will save you 2 mins but it's worth it. 

4. If you are flying into NYC, for heavens' sake, don't take a cab/uber

If you're on a budget you simply can't afford the50-80 dollars it takes to get to town. Think of the great drinks or meals you could get for that money. Hop on the subway it literally takes just as much time because the airports are far out in NYC and traffic is nuts.

5. Sleeping on the plane

Vino + Benadryl within the first 30 mins of your flight= approximately 5-6 good hours of sleep. For a longer flight, simply repeat the steps above.

6. Get the currency before you get there

 If you're from a big city, go to your local bank and take out 200 dollars worth of the currency you need with your bank here in America. They won't have such high exchange rates as the places in the airport.

7. Make photocopies of your passport and keep them in a safe place during your travels

Don't be an idiot and let your passport slip out your pocket with no plan B like me :)

8. Free booze on long flights. 

Take advantage of this

9. Make sure your Spotify songs are saved to offline mode.

You'll get tired of the one playlist you saved after 1 hr down and 12 to go

10. As much as you can, don't check a bag

You don't want to lose it, trust me. Pack light & for heavens sake bring a rolling bag not a duffel. Your arms will thank me later. 

Happy New Year & get travelin' 

Xoxo, Rambo 

God's Faithfulness This Year

Do you ever let the enemy lie to you and make you feel as if God is against you? Maybe you feel like you're stuck in a rough patch, your emotions are like a broken record, or you just can't seem to catch a break.
Or maybe I'm the only human being that feels this way.

Just for the record, God can speak to you while taking a bubble bath.  And tonight during my bath, He reminded me to remember all the times He was faithful.
It didn't take long for me to realize, He's actually never failed me. I flashed back to some of my weakest moments and realized He was actually there in every moment-- patient as always, and intricately working every broken piece of my story that the enemy meant for my harm, into this beautiful masterpiece, all for my good.
It is with this perspective that I am able to look at the most difficult memories of my past which the enemy tries to use as evidence of God not caring, and am able to see that no, actually, God is able to use even moments when we were acting out of our own free will, out of our own rebellion-- and take all those and create a wonderful story out of all of it!

So I thought it might be good for me, and hopefully also for you, to share what God has done in my life in the past year:

1) He taught me where my worth comes from 

On New Years of 2015, I decided to give up social media as my resolution. I was at a stage where I had just moved to New York and was literally pretending to be happy via social media but was actually very very sad on the inside. I was letting my identity be found in how many likes I got on posts or the amount of positive comments people would make on my photos… It took me a few months to realize I was being completely fake and inauthentic. I was struggling so much on the inside with my transition to the city and away from my usual support system. I knew I had to end this "being fake" dilemma, so I decided to do away with all of it.
It was one of the best decisions I made, ever. God grew me in that single year more than I've ever grown in my life.
Sure, it was scary to be alone with my own thoughts and to not spend my extra time in the day scrolling through posts or taking pictures to share. But it was during that time that I came to know God for who He truly is. And slowly but surely, my identity shifted from being defined by how many people's support I had on Facebook to how Jesus truly sees me despite all my flaws, past mistakes, or sadness.

2) He provided me with family in New York

How I ended up in New York is still beyond me. It's literally the craziest thing… I wake up every day and it's like I'm living a fairy tale. Most of you who follow me on Facebook are from home and knew me growing up-- so you probably know this about me-- I was a pretty shy child. I think I was the shyest person I knew growing up and this was a quality that didn't really leave me my whole time in Florida. Even during my two years at UF, I didn't make a single close friend. Lol I sound like such a loser. But anyways, what's amazing about this is that God instilled in me an absolute passion to move to this crazy big, and often deemed unfriendly city, despite my shyness! I somehow just knew that He would supply me with the Christian family I needed when I moved up here, if I would just trust Him.
And He did. The way I came to meet my now closest friends/ sisters in Christ/ also the connection to my wonderful boyfriend was on the SECOND DAY I WAS HERE. I was standing in line to get my NYU ID and overheard a guy talking to another student about a Christian fellowship on campus. I momentarily overcame my shyness and budged in the conversation, getting all the information for this club. The first time I attended their meeting, I met my now best friend in the city, Dehidanin Cuevas, and she befriended me with such a warmth that I will never forget. I became part of her bible study, which soon grew into a sisterhood and is now the closest friend group I've experienced in honestly an indescribable way. Those girls are the reason I made it through my first semester and they're the reason I returned to the city after Christmas break and my faith is as strong as it is today because of them. MARIAH NAOMI CELINA DESSI DEE AND YES YOU ALENA I LOVE YOU!

3) He answered prayers regarding my health 

I never posted about this on social media, but this past year I spent like 7 months with my health up in the air. For almost 2 years, I knew my liver enzymes were elevated, but nobody could figure out why. My doctors back in Florida decided to keep a watch on it; but thanks be to God I had this grand idea of joining the triathlon team at NYU last fall; which caused my primary care doc at NYU to look further into it. Months of testing was done-- blood test after blood test, heart ultrasound, liver ultrasound, liver biopsy, endoscopy… It wasn't until February that I had an appointment with one of the city's (and thereby one of the country's) best liver doctors to tell me the final consensus. Meanwhile all these months I struggled with fear of becoming chronically ill or being in pain or really any worry the enemy could give me. I will say though, God's timing is really cool in that He gave me a new interesting guy to get to know during this time so I wouldn't be all-consumed by worries of my health (more on that later).
So anyways, February rolls around and the final consensus is that I have an autoimmune disease called Obliterative Portal Venopathy. Scary sounding words, but praise be to God for 2 years ago spotting my elevated enzymes, and for the doctors here that relentlessly worked to get to the bottom of my rare results! I am one of the youngest patients they have diagnosed with this disease and because they caught it so early, I can now live my young life carefully aware of the medication I take in and lifestyle I lead so as not to complicate my condition. The doctor told me that although this is a scary sounding diagnosis, I will NEVER BE IN PAIN because of it, and a simple procedure can be done when I am middle-aged to open my portal veins back up and keep my condition stable!
I'm very thankful for this blessing and for the growth I experienced during those months of being patient with the providers as they diligently sought a diagnosis. I believe this experience provided me insight of how it feels to be diagnosed with something chronic even when it feels like you're healthy, and how to trust God through it.

4) Running

If you've kept up with me this year, you probably notice how I've developed a passion for running. I just want to clarify something-- this is 100% a gift from God and a method that I try to use to worship Him. If you've known me awhile then you know that I've always been slim. But, don't be mistaken-- for 21 years of my life i was NEVER FIT. No really, I remember someone making fun of me in high school because I couldn't even manage one push up.
But running has been a unique way in which I've encountered God. I tried with my own might for awhile to run. It began last semester when I was training for my first mini triathlon (to put into perspective how mini of a triathlon it was, I only had to run one mile). But in the early spring I became frustrated with how hard it was for me to run and often chose to eat Nutella instead.
One day I remember calling my mom and complaining about how out of shape I felt and she suggested I just run it out. So I did. And I believe it was the Holy Spirit within me that told me to just keep going. So for the first time ever I ran 6 miles… and before I was struggling to even reach 2! It wasn't soon after that experience that I realized if I traded the dirty rap music for worship music during my run, I could actually achieve longer distances, and with relative ease.
I couldn't do one push up before… I am now training for a half-marathon.

5) The Sandman


To exclude my relationship from this post would be a crime because God has perhaps shown me the most this past year through a young man my friends have deemed "The Sandman." I have this vivid memory from when I first moved here of a friend telling me that God gives you the desires of your heart. It seems so simple now, but I had never heard such a crazy statement before. Back then, I really really wanted a relationship, and hopefully a relationship that honored Him. But, God is perfect in his timing and grew me through a year and a half of being single and living here and finding out who I was in Him. So of course it was in that one season of really feeling myself and having no worries in the world and really honestly not looking for any type of companion that Sanath came into the picture.
The best thing about this is, Sanath was actually a big crush I had when I first moved here! I remember a friend introducing us at church and immediately thinking he was so cute. And I even talked to my mom on the phone about this crush of mine and I never really talk to my mom about boys and she gave me some loving advice to smile at him from across the room next time (lol). Well that awkward glance across the room didn't work and we actually didn't get to know each other for another 18 months (because God is perfect in His timing & I really feel as if that is the true amount of time God needed to restore my heart and make me into the new young woman he intended me to be).
Anyways, I'd really forgotten about my crush on him when he came back into the picture. We've had this discussion several times and both of us really weren't seeking each other out but we feel as if God just placed us in each other's paths. And I'm so grateful! I've never met anyone who reflects Christ's kindness the way Sanath does. Anytime (and it's a lot of the time) that I am upset or confused or misled by my emotions, Sanath always points me back to Christ. I always thought relationships had to be really tough work in order for it to be worth it, but our relationship has taught me the peace of just walking through life with one another. I always thought you couldn't really expect intentionality from any boy under 25, but Sanath has proved himself a young man and God has blessed us with "honesty hours" and has woven our relationship with intentionality from the start. Thank you, Sanath for being my bud. You really are one of the biggest ways I can see God's faithfulness in the past year.

6) Nursing School/ Job Provision


God has been leading me in the direction of being a nurse since I was 18 right out of high school. But, I never really felt passionate about that future until literally last week.
Let me take a detour and tell you about God's faithfulness of bringing me to NYU nursing, if you haven't yet heard the story.
I grew up 15 mins away from the best college in the state. My dad and 3 of my brothers went there for college. Every fall Saturday during my childhood was spent on the University of Florida's campus; it was only natural that I would go there after high school, it's simply tradition. But from the get-go, I knew I might not make it into UF's Nursing school when junior year came around because I would need a 4.0 GPA, and although that was easy for me to attain during high school, medical school weed-out classes were the real deal. By sophomore year it became quite apparent to me (though my parents wouldn't take my word for it) that it was likely I would not get into UF's nursing program. So I explored my options around the state and sent out those applications; and in secret sent two applications to schools in New York.
Second side note: I've had a passion for New York since I was 12 years old, an age my mom deemed appropriate to show me the city for my birthday and perhaps one she regrets now. I will never forget my parents asking me during that trip if I could ever imagine myself living here (they were half joking), and I remember clear as day my response: YES.
Turns out, I didn't get into UF nor any nursing school in Florida and THE ONLY nursing programs I got into were in New York. Though it was the more expensive school, my heart was set on NYU for the wonderful education and experience and of course, living in the city. God was so gracious in giving me the support of my (outrageously expensive) education through my grandmother who affirmed she believed in me and I am so so so thankful for that provision!
But that is not where His provision stopped! I went into nursing school at a prestigious institution with the mindset that I'd really have to sacrifice a lot of studying and time and effort to nursing school, as I had never heard anybody say it was a pleasant experience. But actually, I had the easiest experience during school and really never struggled with the curriculum, thanks be to God! It seemed that God's provision truly was with me, even though I didn't feel too passionate about what I was doing.
This all changed a week ago.
I've been spending my summer applying to many ideal health care institutions and nursing positions that I envisioned myself enjoying. I had one grueling interview that lowered my confidence and other than that, have heard nothing for 3 months. Little did I know, God was trying to point me in a different direction.
After having some discussions regarding the matter and watching a great film about the topic of mental health, I sensed God showing me during my quiet time one day last week that I need to hone in on this topic of mental health. After 20 minutes of solid revelation from the Holy Spirit and just a pure stirring of my heart, I felt God clearly calling me to become a mental health nurse. I didn't have any doubts-- I knew this was Him speaking to me. So after praying, I picked up my laptop and searched every position I could find that met the criteria I felt He had provided me with. I sent out about 10 applications that day.
Several days later, I felt discouraged after a conversation with my Mom on the phone wondering if any job opportunities were going to happen. I expressed these worries to Sanath and felt frustrated when suddenly-- my phone buzzed. It was an email offering me an interview for a children's psych nurse at a Catholic-sponsered non profit mental health facility for children and families in the Bronx. A few days later I interviewed (with complete ease and provision over my dictation from the Holy Spirit), and a day later I was offered the job!
This is not what I expected at all but as my wonderful aunt likes to say, "God does not call the qualified, he qualifies the called!"

So all of this crazy long post is really just to say, GOD IS FAITHFUL. I hope you can see that in the stories I've shared with you. I hope you take a moment and see that in your own life.
I am so eager to begin this next chapter of my life with what I feel is a divine appointment from God, a unique calling made just for me. I hope you have found that calling that is unique to you as well, and if you haven't, I would encourage you to spend some time thoughtfully in prayer and honestly asking where God might want you to make your impact. In my case, He answers pretty promptly, and looking back on all these instances I've provided above, I have no reason to believe that He won't be faithful!

God Bless,
Miranda

New York Life Lessons

I'm sitting on a big leather couch in this rad coffee shop that I just discovered which is playing the best playlist of 90s rock I've ever heard. It's a mildly warm/ slightly cool rainy day in New York City-- my favorite kind of day. You can walk around boldly without an umbrella because it's only drizzling, and you don't have to have a coat on because it's nearly 60. 

The barrista is in hysterics crying… I quickly search on google if we've been attacked… it doesn't seem so… maybe his girlfriend broke up with him?

It's so weird living in this mecca of culture, knowing any day it could be attacked. My approach is simple: avoid big events and popular places. 

I just felt compelled to write down the things New York has taught me thus far. 

I am amazed when I realize I was always meant to be here during this season of my life. I am saddened when I think of moving on from this crazy but amazing city in nearly 5 months. 

I don't think there's anywhere in the world that can prepare you to be an adult quite like New York City… I could be wrong.

Life Lessons from New York: 

1) Suck it up 

After my first experience crying on the subway during my second week here, I knew I never wanted to do it again. New York lacks personal space AND social graces-- something that sounds like an equation for disaster, but somehow it fits just right. I used to hate that I couldn't have my 2 minutes of peace here, or that I could never have a truly private conversation on the phone when I'm not at home, but it's taught me to toughen up in a lot of ways. Just the other day, I wanted to cry on the subway-- but i closed my eyes, and held it in. Repression is good sometimes? lol 

2) Don't give into the New Yorker stress-bug

There is a certain energy here, you hear people say it all the time. And indeed, it's true. Everybody's got somewhere to go, a deadline to meet-- and they're friggin' stressed about it. This is something I refuse to cave to. They say it's good to shake your core beliefs by throwing yourself into a different environment. Well I definitely rose to the challenge by coming from a population of 2500 to 8 million. But, one thing I've decided I will not relent on-- my chill attitude. The only thing that truly stresses me out, is stressed out people. I strive to advocate for laid-backness as much as I can. So many of my classmates constantly tell me they can't believe how calm I am. I think it's the secret to staying sane here. Just don't allow yourself to care too much-- it'll all be okay. 

3) You can definitely get immune to coffee

'Nuff said. I don't think my heart rises a beat from my crack of dawn cup of joe. 

4) 99cent pizza

Because why spend 15 dollars on any other meal around town?

5) A Levain cookie solves most problems

If I ever have to give myself incentive to complete an assignment, or have a tough day at the hospital, these cookies are all the motivation I need!

6) When in doubt, brunch it out

Because sunday carbs don't count

7) Just because you're a pedestrian does not mean you burn off that bowl of pasta

One of the most unfair conclusions of this lifestyle. You mean to tell me I walk my butt off every. single. day. At least 5 times more than you Floridians, and I don't shed a pound of fat? Yes, Miranda, that's precisely what I'm telling you. 

8) Patience is a virtue

You gotta learn to accept this one early or your life will be a living hell. To get anywhere in the city, allow a minimum of 30 minutes. Always. Period. End of story. 

9) Haters gonna hate hate hate hate hate

There are some angry people in New York. It just is what it is. You're going to occasionally bump into someone on the sidewalk, or cross the road a few seconds too late, or just be somewhere at the exact moment that an inconsiderate New Yorker doesn't want you there. And you will receive the F word. And you just gotta shake it off, shake it off. 

10) The faster you walk, the quicker you'll get there

All my life in Florida, I was the slowest walker ever. People would always complain of my pace. Then I understood what 20 degrees and sleet almost every winter day felt like. 

11) 55 degrees is pleasant, not cold 

Florida, just because it got to 40 at 2 am does not mean it was cold at 12 noon-- in fact it was 75 at 12 noon, wasn't it?

12) The world is a really big place 

If New York has taught me anything, it's that anything is possible-- and you should always keep exploring and stretching your comfort zone.

Peace & Love, 

Rambo

Haiti

Home again, home again, jiggidy jig.

um… I mean-- New York again, New York again, hustledy bustle.

That was lame.

Anyways, regardless, I am back in the States. 

My week in Haiti was eye-opening, to say the least. I spent the whole first day just kind of in shock at the poverty. We delivered clean water to the poorest neighborhoods of City Soleil, each huge truck of clean water costing 5 US dollars. Yeah. 

Each time we arrived to deliver the water, we were greeted by dozens of small voices chanting, "Hey you! Hey you!." I didn't really know what to think when I was getting off the tap-tap and there were children just swarming and reaching to be held-- most half-naked, some in their birthday suit. 

What could I do but embrace as many as I was physically capable of?

The first child I picked up kicked or punched any other boy or girl that would approach me. The desperation was real. 

The next day was a little more my speed. I took part in a wound clinic that the nuns hold 3 times a week throughout the community. Getting to the wound clinic was a story in itself. 3 of my team members and I shoved in the back of a Toyota SUV with two nuns, a Haitian volunteer, and another American volunteer. We drove through what looked like an umbrella city. Umbrellas and tents everywhere, people swarming all over the place, and somehow our vehicle driving right through the middle of it. 

We held the clinic, no joke, in the middle of an alley. All my nursing school instincts were telling me hand hygiene! But that wasn't really an option. 

After one demonstration of how to treat the wounds from one of the sisters, we were thrown right into it. And to my own surprise, I went to work without hesitancy. I had no problem with any of it. I was just in the zone and focused. After about a half hour I realized my face was literally raining sweat onto the poor guy's legs I was hunched over working on. 

2 hours later, all the patients had received fresh dressings (and there were a lot of them). 

That particular experience was one in which I felt I really contributed my part. 

We were able to see the village which the organization I went with, Healing Haiti, established. It has a foster-home type of set up with several houses having a mother & father figure parenting several kids. They have their own church, cafeteria, school, medical & dental clinic. One new addition to the school was the library, which one boy about 10 years old was excited about and supposedly visits every day to teach himself English. 

On that same day, we went to visit 5 elders that Healing Haiti keeps in touch with. Members of my team were able to wash them and treat their skin with lotion (I'm not scared of nasty wounds, but deathly afraid of old people--makes a lot of sense), while the rest of us sang worship songs with what became our traveling band. 

We were able to visit a couple of orphanages and share faith lessons with them. This was a really neat experience for me, especially with the first visit. As I approached the orphanage, I was immediately greeted and embraced by a girl about the age of 13. As the visit continued, I just felt the Spirit leading me to shower this girl with love. I can't really describe the connection we had, but it was just joyful. 

So those were the highlights of the week. I don't really know what else to say. I feel like I didn't do enough to actually make a difference. The poverty is overwhelming. And coming back here, especially to New York City, everything just seems so…available, dispensable, meaningless. 

The one thing I will say though, is that the faith of Haiti as a nation is remarkable. On every single taxi there is the name of Jesus! Imagine that in the Big Apple! There'd be a riot, for sure. 

In general, I am reminded of Matthew 23:12

"For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted."

God Bless Haiti

Another One (school year) Bites the Dust

I made it!

I can't believe I am on a plane back home after a whole school year at NYU.

As I stepped out of my dorm building this morning into the 65 degree (hallelujah) morning air, I found myself immediately missing the city before I had even left it. I promptly reminded myself that I'll be back in a mere 2.5 weeks. 

My nursing semester ended last week, but I had to stay in town for a singing exam I had yesterday evening. The past 7 days have honestly been some of the best days of my life (second only to all my memories from this past summer in Italy.)

I have rekindled my flame with traveling by going to DC, explored the city and sat in the SUN for hours, rode a bus from the top of Central Park all the way down 5th avenue to campus just for the heck of it (nearly 100 streets), ran outside several times b/c the weather finally permits, and have been able to play my best role that I inherited from my mom ("hostess with the mostess")--having friends over last night for our "last supper". 

These past few weeks have served as such a period of reflection for me. I am so incredibly thankful that God knew what he was doing by bringing this small town girl to New York City of all places. If I have learned anything in this first year, it is that He has big plans for me. And I don't deserve any of it-- but, I humbly accept the role He's given me in this thing we call life, and can't wait to see where He leads me next. 

I think back to who I was this time last year, or even this time at the end of last semester-- and I know for a fact that I am not the same girl. And it's a good thing.

For the past several years, I have really struggled with being comfortable in my own skin-- not necessarily in a physical appearance sense, but just seeking others' approval and taking whatever others say about me as the truth-- letting those things define me.

And don't get me wrong!-- those things weren't always bad. My whole life, my parents have showered me with love and praise which I am so grateful for, and I needed it. But for the first time in my life, I respect what they think and their opinion, and recognize that they know me to the core-- but if they tell me how proud they are of me and how great I am and I don't believe that about myself, it means nothing. 

This year, I've had to learn how to live without my Brady Bunch of a family right around the corner to lean on and learn from. And at some point I became so fed up with who I was that I had to "take the bull by the horns" and just… change. 

And I give all credit to Jesus Christ that I was able to successfully make that change.

I was strong this year, but it's because He constantly told me to be and gave me the added strength I needed to simply get through the day. 

Eventually, the struggle just evaporated and the long-awaited smile appeared on my face. 

Can you believe that 8 months ago I was on a similar flight home thinking I would never return to this "hell-hole" of a city? It's comical the way God works. I'm so glad He told me to come back, be patient and just trust.

I'm literally falling in love with this city now. I have become part of it. All the things I used to hate about it, I now adore. 

I love that I walk miles upon miles every day. I love that I'm surrounded by people all the time and yet, always in my own little world-- listening to my music as loud as I want and drumming the beat on my suitcase while waiting for the subway if I so please. I love that, for the most part, the culture of the city is accepting and the "you do you" attitude just radiates throughout every street corner. I love that the subway is like a whole other world and has it's own unwritten but universally understood rules and regulations. I love that it's rude to look people in the eye because it just cracks me up, honestly. I love that if you remember to look up, there's beauty in much of the architecture. I love that a bunch of yankees squeeze in a public park like a can of sardines just to appreciate the first day of Spring.

I do NOT love the cold weather. 

But, like that dark season of my life that has now passed, so has the winter.

And I am joyful about it.

Four seasons may suck but at least when summer finally comes I'm much more appreciative of it than I would be in Florida. 

When I think about it, I realize I fell in love with this city the way you fall in real love. First, I was attracted on a surface-layer: for the shopping, the skyline, the lights, and the warm-fuzzy feeling it gave me when I visited. But later, a lot of imperfect things about the city were brought to my attention-- yet, I was kinda already in too deep. And instead of running away, I decided to love the city despite its flaws. 

But what I love even more than the city is the person I've become-- because I fought to become her. 

To God be the Glory

(and see most of you soon!)

- Miranda

DC

So, I went to DC this weekend! My good friend Dessi joined me, and I'm so glad we went.

We were super productive and I had the best food since Italy!! (a great success story, in my book)

We saw all the monuments and walked 14 miles on the first day. (that's a whole meal in burned-off calories, my friend)

struggling, lol

Because a red, white & blue pop was just necessary.

 Check out these gorgeous flowers at Arlington Cemetery. It amazes me that a color that vibrant can occur naturally. 

I think the thing that surprised me most was that things are so. spread. out. 

Like, it's not a walkable city. 

Bikable? for sure. Walkable? Not a chance.

We rented bikes Sunday morning, which was super fun and so much easier than the marathon walking the day prior. 

After docking our bikes, we went for brunch near Capitol Hill at a place called Ted's Bulletin. Homemade pop tarts and white russian milkshakes. 'Nuff said. 

Walking down 8th street in the Capitol Hill neighborhood.

Okay, so this carousel is really important to me. Fun fact, I was named after a character in the movie, "Chances Are," which is based in DC. Once of the best scenes in the movie is filmed at this carousel (across from the Smithsonian). So, naturally, I had to take a picture for the 'rents. 

The only memorial we didn't cover on Saturday was the Jefferson Memorial-- but, on our way there Sunday, we ran into paddle boats. 

Being out on water is the bestttt. A much needed spontaneous adventure for these Florida gals. 

We also checked out the metro on Sunday… which looked more like Space Mountain or the Men in Black ride at Universal than any resemblance of the good ole' subway here in NYC.

We both found it very interesting that a city could exist without skyscrapers or trash on every corner. 

Mind-blowing, really.

I chose to visit DC mainly because I believe spontaneity is one of the greatest joys in life, but also because I'm on the hunt for a good place to work when I graduate…….. wait for it…… this time next year!

But.

I think. I may have. Been bitten. By the NYC bug.

What can I say? There's nothing like it.

:)

- Miranda

Healing Haiti

Hey everybody! 

I just wanted to share with you that I will be going on a week long mission trip this summer to Haiti.

The way it all came together was quite interesting.

Roughly two years ago, while singing in the choir on a Sunday morning, I had a vision of me using my nursing skills for mission work.

Since then, it's not a topic I've really thought about… Until about mid-February this year. This particular week (valentines week) I had missions really on my mind, but when I looked up the opportunities that my campus ministry offered, they were all right in the middle of my summer semester.

What to do, what to do?

I laid the thought aside for just a bit, until I attended a conference with my campus ministry that weekend in Massachusetts. Within the conference, there was a workshop all about missions-- it was during this workshop that I knew the Lord was really wanting me to find a way to be a part of a mission trip this summer. I didn't think God understood-- I only had less than a month of a summer before I began nursing school again, what mission trip could possibly fit into this time slot?

The following wednesday at our fellowship night, a guest speaker was there to speak about… you guessed it… MISSIONS.

I was very exhausted that night, but decided I had to at least speak to the lady and share with her my new found dilemma. She referred me to another woman present at that meeting who had the perfect organization for me-- Healing Haiti. I had not really given much thought at all to what location I wanted to do missions, but once this woman shared with me that the organization sends out groups every week of the year, I knew Haiti must be the place.

When I got home that night, I immediately turned in my application for the one week that would work with my schedule, not even informing my parents about the decision. The next day, I received an email from the coordinator that my application has been accepted and I will be accompanying a group of believers from Minnesota. 

This group has been so loving towards my spontaneity and it's actually pretty cool because most of us are of a younger generation-- something the coordinator expressed was rare.

I will be doing a variety of things during my time in Haiti: delivering clean water, visiting schools, interacting with nursing home patients, and distributing food and supplies. 

I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for my time in Haiti-- a place He obviously wants me to be. 

If you would like to be a part in this adventure and help me help Haiti, you can visit this link.

https://app.managedmissions.com/MyTrip/mirandafugate1
Will definitely be posting about my experience in just over a month!

Love,

Miranda