Why Pushing Play?

Ok so this is it I'm finally starting a blog! I know it's taken me long enough, after all we have been in Korea a whole month tomorrow!! Wow, a whole month....it really does not feel like it! I kind of feel like its really only been a couple of weeks and it makes me wonder how fast the rest of the time will go. Also I can't wait to see where all Logan and I will travel to in the rest of our time here in South Korea and what kind of adventures we will have together! I guess I should maybe back up just a little and explain how it is a girl from Missouri wound up to be living in South Korea just in case any of you don't know. I was born and raised in Missouri and PROUD to be a midwest girl, if you've never lived in the midwest you just wont get it but the people are just different. You can ask just about anyone from there that's spent time other places, they will tell you the same, people are different and the way of living is different. Not that there is anything wrong with other places but I know that that is where I want to raise a family. Ok ok I know you get it I like the midwest, haha I'll move on! After going to college in a small town up by the Iowa boarder I actually moved down to Florida. I know, why would someone that loves the midwest so much move there? Well it's simple really. When I was in my Jr year of college my mom married this wonderful man, Dale, and moved down there. I'll tell you all this right now, besides being a proud midwesterner I'm a HUGE momma's girl! I don't think I ever realized it either until she moved away. I love her so much she has always been there for me no matter what and I know she always will be! Hey she even came up to visit me when I was still in school and came out with my friends and I, yes my mom is cool! haha
Anyway, after college I wanted to be closer to her again so I packed up and moved to Fl also. I will admit now that I do like Florida for the most part and it was even better because one of my great friends, Jessi, moved down with me! So after moving to FL the only jobs I could find were serving jobs because I just didn't have the experience I needed for anything else out there. I started working at 2 different restaurants about a month after moving and continued working the 2 for year. After that I was lucky and got hired at the Ronald McDonald House in Jacksonville and I do mean lucky! When I first interviewed I was only 24 which would of made the youngest one working there and also unable to drive the van that we use to transport families that have no vehicle around. Well thanks to the very wonderful words of a friend that my mom and I new that worked there already they decided to hire me!! I was soooo happy I can't even describe! I remember walking out of there after they offered it to me wanting to scream and jump up and down, even if it was just part time and at nights it would allow me to get rid of one serving job!! I worked there for a little over a year and I LOVED IT!! Sure it was hard at times and sometime completely and totally sucked, esp when you spend time getting close to a family and a little kid and then they leave only to later pass away from whatever horrible disease they may of had. Even though that part sucked I will tell you right now if you're ever feeling down about your self or life go by your local Ronald House and volunteer. I'm serious, the energy and amazing spirit of these children that most likely are dealing with something you've never dealt with will put your life in perspective. I met some of the most AMAZING families there and I'm happy to say that I still keep in touch with some them as well.
Ok so I'm sure you're know all to the point of that's great Shawna but how did this get you to South Korea?! haha Sorry I tend to start typing sometimes and the next thing I know I've wrote a short story! Anyway, after about a year (around mid April) of working at RMHC I was really starting to get unhappy, not from the job don't get me wrong I loved the job I just wasn't happy with where I was at in life. Back in Oct. I had started dating this amazing guy (Logan) that I had been pretty good friends with for over a year and that was going great but otherwise I just felt like I was in rut. If I were honest with myself to I'd felt like that just about since I graduated from college. I mean come I had NO DESIRE to move to FL and continue to serve, I hated serving!! My job at RMH was great but even that too was still only a few hours a night M-F. I had to either move up there or find a new job! Well one day I saw on facebook that an old friend from church back in MO was asking if anyone was interested in teaching English in South Korea. I've always wanted to travel but really thought nothing would come of it if I just asked what the details were. Honestly I figured she'd give me the bare details, I'd say oh that's cool and nothing else would come it.....man was I wrong!! The next day I had an email from her saying "you would be perfect for the job here is all the info send me your resume and I'll get back in contact with you" You see she was already over there and her contract was ending and so she was having to find a replacement and her boss really wanted to hire someone she knew instead of bringing in a completely new person! Of course because I'm a momma's girl I had to talk to my mom and Dale right away and see what they thought and I'm pretty sure stunned is no where close to the right wording! haha I mean if you know me you'll know that I really like being around my friends and family and that just moving away to FL when I only knew my mom and family down there was a HUGE step for me, now here I was talking about picking up and moving half way across the world where I would know no one!! Yeah stunned is definitely not the right word. I of course talked to Logan about it as well and his first words were "well I go where you go so I'll of course come with if you want me to" omg yeah I pretty much awwwed out loud when he told me that and of course I said good because I would love for to come with! After talking to him about it and my mom and Dale everyone pretty much agreed that if I were offered the job yeah it would suck and I would miss friends and family but I would be INSANE not to take the opportunity! A couple of days after that Lauren (old friend whose spot I would be taking) got in touch with me and told me that Grace, boss lady, would like to offer me the job!! I'm really not sure how to describe the feeling I had when I read that email, I was excited and nervous as all hell too. It didn't even sink in until we were at the airport leaving either, I'm not going to get into that though because otherwise I'll be sitting here trying to type while crying! I had asked about and gotten the job all literally within 1 week....1 week. That's one week to think about it, inform loved ones about the possibility and decide to move half way across the world for a year!! I remember thinking did I really just decide this all within a week?!?! But at the same time when I went back to the restaurant to work the day after getting it I knew that I had made the right decision I could not wait for my last day there! I loved the people I worked with but I was just so tired of dealing with everything else and waiting on people that I was ready to snap at just about every table that had even just a minor problem....not a good idea and luckily I never did!
Anyway, now to why I named this Pushing Play. Like I said before, I had felt like I was in rut for awhile but in April of 2011 I stepped out of my box and excepted a job that I feel like is going to help me grow even more as a person. I LOVE LOVE LOVE my friends from college but I have always been so envious of them because of the things they were doing with their lives and how not in a rut they seem. Even if not true it was a feeling I hated. Now I feel like I'm finally doing something with my life, I'm no longer on pause waiting hoping that the right job just comes along or that the right guy comes along and sees me for who I really am or that you know maybe some day I'll be able to travel like I've always wanted. I have a wonderful guy that has helped encourage me to do the things I've always wanted to do and always had faith in me even when I wasn't sure I could do something. With the faith he and my family and friends had in me I was able to see the faith I have in myself and except this huge offer for a job and finally take a step in a direction I knew I would love. Time to stop talking about how I want to travel and I want a different job it was time to do it! I finally "Pushed Play" on my life again and I couldn't be happier that I did!
Now I'm sure most of you are like wow that's great Shawna nice little story but we want to hear about what you've been up to since then. Well sadly Logan is sick so I'm going to spend some time with him and besides I think I've wrote enough for my first blog don't you?! Besides, maybe this way it will get you to come back next time so you can read about what we've been up to since being over here!

Love to you all, esp those that have always believed in me, and I promise to post again soon and maybe even pictures eventually once I get the hang of this thing!

Love
Shawna