Part 11 Of 11.

11 Things That Most Impacted/Changed My Life in 2011
- Taking over GAs and leading Acteens purity retreat
- Finishing my year at Machetanz with Sarah and Laura
- Not getting hired for the Bush
- Leading Old Harbor and telling stories
- Hired at MSBSD; Ken, Terrie, Laurie, Bro, IT
- Breaking up with Chris and going to Seattle that weekend
- Friendship with LDB, Ashley, being rekindled
- Braces
- Reading “Radical” by David Platt
- California and everything surrounding that time.
- Being mentored – “Stepping Up”

Part 10 Of 11.

11 Things I Still Love in 2011
- Krochet Kids
- Crocheting and being crafty
- Dinosaurs
- Bling
- Jeep Wranglers and old trucks
- Biking and Cycling
- My MacBook Pro
- Working Out
- “Say Yes to the Dress”
- Wrapping presents
- Teaching

Part 9 Of 11.

11 Things I Did For The First Time in 2011
- Went to an Alaska Native Village – Old Harbor
- Owned a mountain bike
- Went to the movie theater by myself
- Biked 25+ miles in one day
- Planked
- Climbed Mount Baldy in Eagle River
- Attended my 1st all-expense paid work conference
- Went on a date in California
- Taught at a purity retreat
- Taught principals a lesson about change management
- Got braces

Part 8 Of 11.

11 Songs Stuck On Repeat in 2011
- “Hold Me” by Jamie Grace
- “Lead Me” by Sanctus Real
- “Times” by Tenth Avenue North
- “River Flows in You” by Yiruma
- “Beautiful Things” by Gungor
- “I Do” by Colbie Caillat
- “I Have a Dream” by The City Harmonic
- “Marry You” by Bruno Mars”
- “Enchanted” by Taylor Swift
- “Long Live” by Taylor Swift
- “Rise” by Shawn McDonald

Part 7 Of 11.

11 People Who Most Impacted My Life in 2011
- Ms. Linda, my wonderful and beautiful mentor/Pastor’s wife
- My GAs, all 20 of them, who have such excitement for life!
- Chris, my first love
- Sarah, who taught my so much about teaching
- Katie, my soul sister who yells Truth at me when I need to hear it
- Ken, who gave me a chance and expects great things
- Joe and Janelle, who have hears for missions as big as the sky and a love to match it.
- Paige and Brad who opened their home to me when I was really an emotional wreck and couldn’t seem to move on in life
- Cody and Heather, who did not choose sides but chose to continue to pursue relationships and who opened my eyes to see the importance of individuality AND better-togetherness in a relationship.
- Kristina, who taught me (though she may not know it) about passionately pursuing your passion
- Mom and Dad, who continually challenge me to pursue Christlikeness, live by faith and in the Spirit, and to love.

Part 6 Of 11.

11 Places I Visited in 2011
- Seward, AK – 4th of July Weekend
- Kodiak, AK – June/July
- Old Harbor, AK – June/July
- Seattle, WA – September, December
- Anaheim, CA – October
- Grants Pass, OR – December
- Olympia/Lacey, WA – September, December
- Butte, AK – many times
- Anchorage, AK
- Palmer, AK
- Wasilla, AK
** I had to stretch to think of 11 different places. Not a good travel year!

Part 5 Of 11.

11 Words From God in 2011
- Walk by faith, not by emotion
- Get some rest!
- I see the desires of your heart.
- I am building those same desires in someone else
- Worship.
- Truth is greater than Melissa’s words
- A little sin goes a long way
- Be rich towards God
- Importance of prayer, with your back to the sky
- His way and timing is perfect
- Continue to watch the birds

Part 4 Of 11.

11 Things For Which I am Thankful in 2011
- Safety for Dad, Brad, and Jeff at work
- Being mentored by Ms. Linda
- Biking at Eklutna and Hatchers with Chris
- My green Coach bag
- The letters from my Machetanz students
- New Keen hiking boots
- A trip to the beach in CA
- Heather moving to AK
- Lola
- Kristina living nearby so I could talk to her house in the middle of the night and be safe there
- My job, and work friends like Taig, Charity, and Bro

Part 3 Of 11.

11 Things I Was Pretty Good At in 2011
- Biking
- Teaching
- Leading meetings
- Crocheting
- Reading books
- Planning GAs (even if It was ovten at the very last minute) and GA Activities
- Planking and overall adventuring
- Telling stories
- Picking work clothes
- Keeping gas in the truck
- Saving money

Part 2 Of 11.

11 Crafts I Made in 2011
- 3 sets of coasters (for Ms. Linda, Paige, and Dana)
- 1 sweater for me (blue, with a hood)
- 2 baby sweaters (for Parisha and Ashley)
- 1 hat (that looks like a Star Wars helmet)
- 1 ring (out of wire and Indian pearls)
- The start of a quilt
- Bedazzled shoes (why not?!)
- Purple scarf (out of a T-Shirt)
- Crab ornament (for Crab Hat Girl #2)
- Crocheted rose (to wear on a blind date)
- 1 pillow (to math the to-be reupholstered chair)

Part 1 Of 11.

11 Books I Read in 2011
- “The Twits” by Roald Dahl and “Fudge-a-Mania” by Judy Blume
- “Radical” by David Platt
- “Before the Ring” by William L. Coleman
- “Expecting Adam” by Martha Beck
- “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen
- “Little Princes” by Conor Grennan
- “These Things Hidden” by Heather Gudenkauf
- “When God Writes Your Love Story” by Eric and Leslie Ludy
- “My Name is Memory” by Ann Brashares
- “A Vintage Affair” by Isabel Wolff
- “Thing Twice” by Lisa Scottoline

Radical Challenge.

Rich towards God,
In money
And in time
And in love
And in praise.

What does that look like? In every planned phase, in every month, in every job and relationship and task, how can I be rich towards God?

I don’t really know what I’m doing tomorrow, let alone next year. But I do have a plan for my life. My plan is to be rich towards God.

I’m going to take the Radical challenge. But I don’t want to just jump in haphazardly. So I’m going to start on January 1. Until then, I’m praying about how I should give money sacrificially. Sponsor a child? I already help sponsor Steve in CA. He sometimes acts like a child. Give to the Cooperative Program? I love the work Southern Baptists do, but I don’t know that I want to be tied to a denomination. I want to discover my passion, and give to an organization that is in line with my passion.

Ha – Krochet Kids.

But seriously – what is my passion? What is it that excites me about life?

I’ve grown really proud of my friend Kristina lately. She knows her passion in life: she loves to travel. And she is doing that. Every available ounce of her heart, energy, and money go seem to go toward living passionately on a plane, in foreign environments, and with new people. I admire her tenacity, how she knows what she wants and she pursues it. (I spent close to $100,000 at college studying to be a teacher, and I don’t even know if I want to teach after all, at least not in a traditional classroom. I don’t think. I don’t know.) But Kristina just says, “Hey, this is the next country I want to go to, or the country I want to return to, so I’m going to go there next summer. I might do this when I get there, or I might do this, but I’m not sure yet. I just know I want to be there.”

I guess that’s how adventures always start. You get an idea: “This sounds good.” Then you just… Go with it. Being rich towards God – that seems like the start of an adventure. I don’t know how I’ll get there and I don’t know if I’ll know when I get there. I don’t think they’ll stamp my Passport at customs in “RichtowardsGodlandia.” (Side note – I still have that valid Bangladesh Visa. I should go.)

People talk about what they’re passionate about. I talked a lot about myself today. I’m passionate about proclaiming my own kingdom come, furthering my own agenda – at least judging by today, I am. I talk about crocheting often, and I do it a lot. I talk about education and Africa and living in a hut. Lately I’ve been talking about Mr. Darcy (so much so, that I think my Dad is sick of hearing his name).

2011 is almost over. It’s always at this time of year that I get all nostalgic and think about what I did and didn’t do over the last year. And it’s when I make plans for the next year. I’ll be doing that seriously soon – be excited. And live passionately.

Finding My Place.

I couldn’t go to church on Sunday, so I listened to a podcast by James McDonald about Finding My Place. He said that three things really define our “places” in life – our name, location or relationships, and our jobs.

So who am I? What are my names?
1. Melissa. Melissa is Greek for “Honey Bee” which I think fits me well. I am mostly sweet, prone to being ADD, and can have a sharp tongue sometimes.
2. My middle name is Joy. I like that. My joy is in the Lord. A lot has changed in my life recently – and for a couple of weeks, my joy was on the verge of being MIA. But when my perspective is right, I know right where my joy is: in the Lord. In who He is, in my relationship with Him, in His word, in walking through life, hand in hand with Him.
3. My last name is Krauss. It is German for “Curly.” As in curly hair. I do have curly hair. But more than that, my last name has become synonymous with the Army and Cowboys and the School District, with hard work, intelligence – both in books and problem solving, and with a general desire to serve.

So who am I? What are my titles?
1. Ms Melissa. My GAs call me this. Some of them do, at least. It kind of makes me feel old, but then I realize that I am about 10 or 15 years older than most of my girls, and it’s okay if they call me Ms Melissa. It is special.
2. Sissy. Jeffy is the only one who calls me this regularly, but some variations include Sis, Sister, and Missy. It indicates my relation to those who are family. I am the youngest, the only daughter.
3. Project Administrator. When I tell people this is part one of my job title, they give me a blank look and say, “So what does that mean?” Usually I tell them that I plan meetings and send a lot of e-mails. But it’s more than that. I “yell” at people when they don’t do their homework. I am the face of this implementation. I balance three or four calendars.
4. Change Management Coordinator. This is part two of my job title. This is the fun part. This is the part where I walk around the Admin building and say hi to people (I usually end up in the IT department, talking to my Bro or Lunch Club). I update Twitter and our websites and created the Gold Star. This is the side where I can be creative and have fun.

So where am I? Where do I physically do life?
1. Halfway between Palmer and Wasilla. That’s where I live. Really, they blend together so well that it’s like one big city. Wasmer. Or Palilla. Hahahaha.
2. Palmer. I work in the School District Admin Building, a converted elementary school. I have one of 10 windows in the whole building by my desk, which is quite nice. My desk is large, located in the Business Services department, and unless you asked Darjon, you wouldn’t know where I was. Though now, other people know too. Word gets around.
3. Wasilla. Church is in Wasilla. Sunday School, Big Church, GAs, etc.

So where am I? With whom do I do life?
1. My parents. I’m their “roommate,” so to speak, except I don’t pay rent or buy food. Or pay utilities. So I guess I’m their daughter who moved home after graduating from college and deciding to NOT move to India. They challenge me and pray for me and speak Truth to me and let me watch Project Runway on their big TV.
2. Ms Linda, Janelle, Jackie, and other women from church. They have taught me so much about life, and following the Lord, and being a woman after His heart. They continually challenge me to grow and love Him more. I see so much of God in their lives.
3. My girls. Twenty of them, first through sixth grade. These girls light up my life! Their enthusiasm and prayer requests and stories and everything just brings me such joy! I’m usually tired by 7:00pm on Wednesdays, but these girls don’t let a week go by without blessing me, and I pray that I bless them, too. Dates with them start next month! I can’t wait.
4. Work people. Ken, Terrie, Charity, Nancy, Darjon, Justin, IT, Cindy, Jade. Oh man, Jade sent me the funniest picture. At work, my mom was teasing me about my braces, since I was talking with a lisp. Jade found a picture of Sid the Sloth from Ice Age, being followed by three dinosaurs. She asked, “Are the IT guys the dinosaurs?!” It was really funny, but I told her she’d have to ask the IT guys.
5. Heather, Kristina, Han, Jade, Sydni, Rhonda. Coffee or lunch or planking or talking or whatever the case may be, these are my go-to-girls.

So who am? What do I do?
1. Craft. Mostly crocheting, but I’m branching into other things, mostly thanks to Pinterest. I’ve begun sewing more and have a quilt in the works. There’s a chair waiting to be reupholstered. There are some tiles that will soon be coasters. Mostly there’s that tub of yarn though.
2. Teach. Mostly my Girls in Action, but sometimes Sunday School, too. And sometimes a Change Management session or two. I love teaching. I love the preparation and creativity and the acting and artistry of it. But I don’t know if I want to actually have my own classroom anymore. I don’t know. The Lord will guide, but what is the desire of my heart in this? Still searching.
3. Missions. I do missions. In Alaska, and the USA, and the world. Africa. My heart has been Africa since high school. I don’t know why. But my heart has always been Africa. Obsessed? Probably. The Lord is so Good, why NOT tell others about Him?!
4. That MSBSD Job. I really do enjoy it: creating cool forms with Adobe, running meetings, professional wardrobe, etc. People are always surprised when I tell them I like what I do. But I do! I like what I do! Well, only when I’m not bored. Because when I’m bored, I turn to Krochet Kids or something else that would likely get me fired.

Who are you?

Late Night.

I can’t sleep. Isn’t that usually how it is? It’s past midnight, I’m recovering from a surgery, and I can’t fall asleep. I hate that.

I had to ask forgiveness tonight, for losing my identity in Christ. For letting life overwhelm. For not keeping my focus.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately, about friends especially. How they come and go and change and you hold on and hold on and hold on but it really isn’t the same and you still can’t bring yourself to let go. Then they get engaged and start planning weddings or have babies or just get busy, and you’re like, “Wait, what? Where did they go?” But neither of you really slow your pace to reconnect. It’s sad. Interesting. I like when that moment comes, that moment that forces your hand practically, and says, “Hey! You don’t have a choice! You need this person more than you know. Get off your high horse and deal with the hurt and the pain that’s ensued lately. You have HISTORY together.” You know?

It’s almost 1:00apm now. I’ve been listening to iTunes, to a playlist I made for a friend.
Hey, Soul Sister: I was glancing through one of my old journals (number 17 to be specific) and it mentioned the first time I met you. Funny how, even in the beginning, we knew a special-connection friend when we saw/met one. And sure enough: that’s what you are. I like that. It’s like, we formed that special-connection friendship and no matter how LONG that friendship has been established, I know you are there for me in heart and soul, even if not physically. Like the song, “Pray for You” by Roads to Rome. You make me think of that song.

I’ve seen lately that to have a good friend, one has to be a good friend. I don’t think I’ve been a good friend to some of my people lately, and for that I am sorry. How can I remedy this? I guess it starts with an “I’m sorry for…”