colorado | Livin it Up as HayUp

For a recent internship application I was asked to provide an autobiography….in 500 words or less. This assignment came as a little bit of a surprise to me but, I am thankful for a chance to show their company just exactly who I am and where I come from. I wanted to share this with you.

My Autobiography

I am from Wilmington, on the North Carolina coast, about as far east as it gets. I grew up in a brick house with a white picket fence where I lived with my parents, older sister and a blonde cocker spaniel, that I so proudly named Snuggles. I spent my summers kayaking, swimming, tubing, surfing, traveling and spending time with my family. From Kindergarten until the 8th grade my mom and I went to school together. I was known as “Mrs. Upton’s daughter” which was a title I wore proudly until about the 6th grade, when I realized the boys didn’t want to talk to the teacher’s daughter. She was a legendary teacher in my county’s public school system, and she even had her own television show on the local education channel. My mom, along with my Dad, a professional photographer, seemed to know everybody in Wilmington, which is not a small town. From a young age ,I have been very outgoing and friendly, and this is an attribute that I cultivated from my parents.

I give my parents and my youth group all credit for who I am and everything I have today. When I was twelve years old, I started attending my church’s youth group, which was one of the largest and most active youth groups in Wilmington. It was through my youth group and on our mission trips that I traveled to Colorado, Puerto Rico, Kentucky, Arkansas, Bimini, West Virginia, Tennessee, Florida and numerous rural places throughout North Carolina. It was during these seven years that I became a woman of Christ, acquired my love to travel and was taught to find what made me “come alive”.

On the opposite end of North Carolina at Appalachian State University in Boone, where both the Appalachian Mountains and the Blue Ridge Parkway run, is where I am an early senior in college. Much of my time is spent hiking, biking, hammocking, snowboarding and exploring. Living in both the mountains and on the coast, I realize that I truly have the best of both worlds. I am constantly in amazement of the Lord’s vast creation. When I graduated from high school and came to college, I wanted to find a major and career path that would continue to inspire me to find what made me “come alive.” Now, I am a Recreation Management major because I want to see the world and encourage others to do the same. Jesus came so that we may have life and live it abundantly, and I feel that it is my passion to encourage people to leap outside their comfort zones, as challenging as it may be, and come alive.

join the fun

When I was going into my freshman year of highschool, a mature 13 years of age, I was finally old enough to go on my youth group’s mission trip to Colorado. We road tripped out there in our legendary First Baptist Church charter bus. All of my mission trips were life changing but this one was my first and it introduced me to something I had never been exposed to before….the mountains.

I grew up on the coast of North Carolina and Wilmington is as flat as a pancake so seeing the mountains of Colorado was a brand new experience for me. Our bus even overheated as we navigated up the mountain. We stayed in a very beautiful cabin where you could walk outside and see the mountain peaks. Throughout the week we spent there i fell in love with Mountain life; the simplicity, the natural beauty, the fresh air and mostly the fact that it wasn’t 100 degrees outside.

Our mission work for the week included leading a vacation bible school for children, leading a sports camp in a nearby neighborhood and doing repairs on a local church. I have memories of the children I met and have articles of clothing that are covered in paint from painting the church but unfortunately much of the 9 day trip has turned foggy over time.

However, what has continuously stuck with me over the years was the hike we went on during our last day. This was probably one of the first real hikes i have ever been on in my life and as we reached the top i could hear a waterfall and when i turned the corner and when saw it my heart stopped beating. Instantly the word “yes” popped into my head. Just the word “yes”. Like this is where i’m supposed to be. All at once i was looking at a waterfall and snow at the top of the mountain, two things i had had almost no exposure to. I was in awe of the view and in awe of the Lord’s vast creation. After this trip to Colorado, i wanted more, so much more. I wanted to see it all. Many things in my life may have changed since i was 13 (i no longer have braces) but my desire to see the world has not.

It was because of this mission trip that i decided to come the college in the Mountains of North Carolina and pursue a degree that would allow me to hike and see many more waterfalls well into my future.

Where are some places that you have had that “yes” moment?