Drum Roll Please.....

Well I have spent a lot of time thinking of the last few weeks (and really much longer) trying to figure out what's next. I have been able to put a few things together and I officially have some sense as to what the next nine or so months are going to look like...so here goes:

One of my main goals in taking this "sabbatical" was to spend more time with family and I have been able to do just that. I have seen each of my siblings and their families along with getting some good quality time with each of my parents. I have also been able to spend some time with aunts and uncles and my grandma which has been wonderful. There isn't anything that can replace late night dance parties with Amelia, seeing a dinner and movie with my grandma, playing at the science museum with Rosie and Issac, watching State games with Collin, and various other experiences that I often miss living so far away.

January/February
I am continuing to spend time with family and take a two week spin to Washington, DC and Philadelphia to visit some great friends and probably paint a table or two with my friend Mali. I am also going to attend some family bridal showers and potentially take a quick trip up north to visit my sister.

March
My cousin, Lev, is getting married in Israel in March and I couldn't miss this opportunity to be a part of his wedding. I am joining my Aunt Kathleen, Uncle Mark, cousin Eva and her husband Jamison to see Lev get married and participate in the festivities. He is getting married in Jerusalem on March 19th in a traditional Orthodox Jewish wedding. I am very excited to go and also to see the country. My good friend, Janet, will be joining me for the trip. Janet is a friend of mine from the Lasallian Volunteers program. She volunteered in NYC while I was in Philadelphia and we got to know each other very well. We have been talking about traveling together for awhile now and this all came together. We will be visiting Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Nazareth, Bethlehem and many other place...and hopefully go to Jordan as well.

April
Janet and I will be in Israel for about two and a half weeks and then we fly to Paris and will make our way to Taize. Taize is an ecumenical community in France that welcomes people from all over the world year round to experience prayer and communion with God. Ever since I was introduced to Taize prayer, I have always wanted to visit the actual community in France...and I am finally getting the opportunity. Janet and I will be there for at least a week and potentially two. I will celebrate my 30th birthday in France which is kind of exciting. If you would like to learn more about the community and what they are about, you can check out their website here: http://www.taize.fr/en.  I have included a video from their website at the bottom of this post which describes more about the community.

Late April/May through September/October
For at least a year now but probably longer, I have been thinking about moving closer to home and in particular Detroit. I told someone recently I felt Michigan and specifically Detroit whispering my name if that makes any sense. Combined with my Uncle Matt and my Grandma Lois passing away in the past year, I felt a need to be closer to home...that I was missing too much with my family and life is quite short sometimes. With all these thoughts in mind, I meticulously started following articles and blogs about things happening in Detroit and let the idea seep deeper into my soul. I recently visited Eva and Jamison for a few days in the city to explore and get a sense of the place. I was born in Detroit but have never really felt like it was home.

During my visit, I met with the owner of a local bike shop in the city and was offered a job working for them starting in mid April. I will work in the shop and help lead tours around the city from late April until they close in October. It is really a perfect opportunity for my to explore the city, get to know some people and really decide if I would like to make a more permanent move there. Only time will tell.

None of this is out of the blue although it might seem like it to some of the folks who read this. I have been thinking about moving to Detroit and this spring trip for awhile now and it all just came together in the past seven days. I have been waiting to post until I knew more specifics. I am both excited and nervous for the next part of this year but mostly excited. I get to have more dance parties with Amelia, watch more state games with Collin, catch a few more movies and figure out of me and Detroit are a good fit. It is really the first time in a long time that I felt these were the right moves and decisions...I mean I could totally be wrong and hate the bike shop and Detroit, but I will never know until I experience it. And I am pretty sure I will regret it if I never give it a chance.

More to come later and for sure I will try and blog while I am in Israel and France. On a side note, Janet and I have a layover in Romania...I am going to try and count it as visiting the country!

Here is the Taize Video:

Life at Taizé from Taize on Vimeo.