Some Past Work.

A few snap shots from my brother's senior photos this summer.

Oh Dashing Brother Of Mine!

Boys will be boys!

                                                                                                                                                                 

 Being a mooch for the camera at the family reunion.

Peaceful.

That's Done Now.

As I'm beginning to wrap up my time here at home, I'm becoming more and more nostalgic.  I'm going through old photos to get some printed up for college, laughing at the memories and sometimes telling inside jokes out loud to my computer screen.  I'm marveling in how much I have changed this year.  I have made some of the most amazing friends in the last ten months.  Some have become my best friends.  I have had some of the most mundane activities made amazing, just by having a friend with me.

 Keep in mind that I just met most of these people eight to ten months ago.  I have had friendships lasting over four years that have not been as close as the once I have made this year.  God is truly amazing like that.  I used to think I was never going to find friends like the old ones I had lost, just because there was so much history there that can't be replicated.  A certain comfort level which only time can obtain.

I was wrong.

Going Grocery Shopping

I used hate the term "Click." It felt shallow and meaningless.  A term I previously only used to describe small groups of preppy teen-aged girls in high school.

But it has now taken on a whole new meaning.

Now when I say "click" I'm talking about my friends Erika and Alan.  Two of my best friends.  Never in my life have I "clicked" with anyone the way I clicked with them.  Frankly I could fill and entire blog post talking about those two, and I  probably will, just at a later date.

Moving on!

The last five months have been some of the best that I have had ever.  The Summer of 2013 will be one I talk about for years and years to come.  My children will hear stories of all of the "adventures" I had in my wild and crazy youth.  Including burning couches, watching Disney movies, numerous beach sunsets (in the least romantic way possible), Wii parties, and hayloft chats.  My children will be so bored with me.

Sarah at Holland Beach

My camera was with me most of this summer, thankfully.  So I have been able to document some of my fondest memories.

Penny in the sunset

This one here for instance was my first bonfire of the year, at my friend Louis's house.  I did not know Louis previous to this get together, we met that night.  I spent the evening on his farm with a group of other friends, walking, talking, taking pictures of horses, shooting off fireworks, eating sweets, and discussing geeky TV shows.
This was one of my favorite bonfires of the whole year.

At my friend, Alan's, soccer game.  His sister, Erika, and a friend, Annie, and I sat on the side lines, cheering him on. We had an annoying line judge that would ruin all of our pictures because he was doing his job. Ugh.  So after half time (or what ever you call it in soccer) we started singing "Adelvice" from The Sound of Music.  The line judge stayed clear of us from then on! We also redid a Les Mis song to fit the game a bit better.  I don't even think I could sing the original lyrics anymore.

It's memories like this that I will have forever.  Not that they are anything special to anyone else, they are just precious to me.

Jon's Pond

The pond.  My entire group's summer summed up into one picture.  I can't believe all the adventures we have had here, all the jokes, the countless hours spent on the dock or shore, the pruned fingers and toes, the sunburn, the lost camera, and just the life that happened here.

Life has passed in these last few months. Lots of it.  It will continue to pass in the days to come, but not the same.  Not like it did this year.  I will miss this terribly, but I can't make it last forever as I want too.  We are all moving on now, on to the next section in our lives.  Summer 2013 is coming to a close.  I will wave goodbye with a tear of loss in my eye.  A loss which is so unexplainable.  I'm not loosing this summer, not really, I just can not add to it any more.

I can see great things in the future, for me and for all my friends. And I pray we all get to see each other achieve those great things.  That one day we can sit down and talk about "Summer 2013" as the launching pad to the rest of our lives.

I can't really come up with a way to close this post, much like I am not sure how to close out this year.  I hate endings, and beginnings, its the middle part that is my favorite, and that's done now.

Summer Nights and Movie Scenes.

Today was a movie.  Or at least as close to a movie as my life can get.

It's one of those movies based in a small town in the middle of summer and everyone does "summer-y" things.  Go to fairs, eat corn dogs, ride ferries wheels, swim in a lake (or pond), eat homemade raspberry pie, hang out in the hay loft of a barn, just talking.  A day spent care free, with the only worry being sun burn.  

It was picturesque, though regrettably my camera was at home all day.

It would have been a good movie, filled with comedy, action, and an epic love.  That's right, you read it correctly.  

Love. 

Now not the Nicholas Sparks kind of romance.  My flame was not quiet the norm.  Most girls would shy away from the thought of him... but he has charmed me to the very core.  I will not share his name, mainly because I do not know it, and even though we have only just met I feel that he and I have a very special connection.   

He is a two week old calf.  

That's right.  A cow.  This is how romance filled my life is. 

My friend just recently got the calf and he hasn't been feeling well, so tonight, after swimming and pie, some friends and I hung out in the hay loft of the barn, to keep it company. 

We talked, laughed, and sang. (The calf was not so keen on these activities as his human companions but I think he enjoyed listening)

We discussed life in the briefest of ways;

-Promising each other we would write each other letters after I go off to college and another heads off to boot camp.  

-Collecting evidence for future black mail.

-Reminiscing over music

It was quite fantastic and I was sad to have it end. Yet again affirming the reality that I'm leaving in four weeks. But I hope to have more nights like tonight.  Many more. 

More Than Just Four Days.

"Sometimes the most ordinary things could be made extraordinary simply by doing them with the right people." -Nicholas Sparks

My weekend has been filled with completely ordinary activities, but spent with the most amazing people.  It was one of the best weekends I have had in a while.

Some how these people can make simple walks, coffee breaks, sing-a-longs, and stargazing into something so much more.   When conversation lulls, there is no need to fill the silence, the simple fact that we are in each others'company is enough.  Now it is rare for the conversation to stop, (we seem to never run out of things to discuss, references to point out, or jokes to make) but when it does it's never uncomfortable and it's never boring. 

We are always spontaneous and that seems to work well for us.  Not often do you make a dingy while sitting in a coffee shop, realize you have sexy and mysterious hair while jumping on a trampoline, become Yoda while stargazing, or discover mangoes during a church service.

God has truly showed me the meaning of friendship, the value of a good chat, and the importance of caffeine this weekend.  I'm in awe of how God is working in everyone's lives, pulling us all closer together while we surge forward into the next phase in our lives.

I have been blessed by these last four days.  They are days that I already miss and will not easily forget.  

Summer Camp 2013

Exactly a month ago, I was at summer camp.  I was a last minute counselor at Christian Horizons. A one week summer camp for special needs adults.

This was one of the most terrifying and humbling experiences of my life.

My week started out on Saturday afternoon, travelling down to camp with a family friend and another counselor.  The day was spent unpacking and setting up for the rest of the staff to arrive. I was blessed to have met two wonderful young ladies that day, Carolyn and Esther.  We instantly got along, which is unusual for three, eighteen year old girls.  

Sunday was a staff training day.  We met Hannah today.  And against the odds, yet another girl joined our little pack.  And thus began "Giggle Fest 2013"

Monday our campers arrived and stayed until Saturday morning.  Boy what a week!

God showed me what it was to be a servant. I spent a week caring for these amazing people, who are so loving, forgiving, and truly amazing.  Granted you have to be a little special to deal with this camp as well.... On average the girls and I got about four hours of sleep a night.  Most of us woke up at 6 every morning, got our campers up at 7, breakfast at 8, at 10:30 morning activities (crafts, boating, bows and arrows, or music), lunch at 12, Nap time for campers from 1-2, at 3 afternoon activities (cooking, bows and arrows, bible study, boating), at 4 we had swimming or movie, then dinner at 5:30, our evening program at 7, snacks at  8, devotions and campers in bed by 9:30.  Was that the end of my day? No.  After the campers were in bed, some of us would head off to the staff meeting and then have break until 11 (we would rotate shifts on different days).  

The girls and I usually would stay up chatting in the stairwell till about 12:30-1:00 am.  Comparing notes on our days, sharing funny stories, or just talking about our lives.  We bonded a lot during that week, not sure I could have survived camp with out these wonderful ladies!  God truly bless me. 

And then come the campers.

The first night, after a very long day, I texted a couple of friends asking for prayer.  I was confused about why God had sent me to this camp.  Why had he put me here of all places?  I wasn't any good at this! But when one of my friends responded with, 

"Just remember, God always has a plan, and he might have put you there more for others' benefit than your own."

I realize then, I was thinking about this whole thing wrong.  

I wanted to know what I would get out of this week, not realizing that it what I put into the week that mattered.  My entire outlook on the week changed.  

God did change me that week, it just wasn't in the way I expected.

Stargazing.

It's a brisk 60 degrees tonight, which is quite a relief from the last week of humid 90+ temps.  I wore a light jacket around the house today, turned off the AC, and opened the windows. It was extremely pleasant, and tonight is no different.

Its been so muggy the last few days that being out of doors was out of the question.  Tonight, all I really wanna do is be outside.  There are no clouds, the moon is almost full, and the stars are shining in all their well deserved glory.  It's perfect stargazing weather.

Warm enough to be outside, but chilly enough to need a comfy sweatshirt and some company.

I used to be the solitary type. A girl who would have spent hours outside after dark, contemplating the meaning of her sixteen year existence.  I'm not that type anymore.  I am a newly converted extrovert, and my friends are quite proud.  I even have a small group of people that like to stargaze with me.

Tonight, I miss them terribly, not just the company they provide, but the knowledge that I am not the only one who has ever stared up at the sky looking for answers.  The questions do very from person to person, but I know they all have them.

I also miss the conversations.  And yes, I know. Stargazing is supposed to be a quiet activity, full of self-reflection and moodiness, and yes, sometimes it is.  But with these people... The talks and laughs that we have while we are all sprawled out, on beach towels, in my yard, are some that I will treasure.

For example;
*Singing "Airplanes" and trying to convince everyone that the satellite that you just saw was a shooting star, just so you can cross it off your bucket list.
*Running around the yard, with a towel as a cape, because that's what superheros do.
*Staring at a star and spinning around in circles until you fall over. (Which apparently makes me adorable.)

Life would be so boring without stargazing nights.

I Have Returned.

Well my blog doesn't look neglected or anything! My last post was Easter, my goodness I am lazy!

Actually not lazy. Simply busy.  I have been blessed with some amazing friends this year, and I have been spending most of my time with them.  Literally. Almost all of my time.  I come home to sleep and get my "morning" coffee and then I'm gone again.  Tessa hasn't been terribly pleased with me, she's attached to my hip (or ankle) when ever I am home.  In the summers, she usually sleeps on the chair in the corner of my room, but lately she has been snuggling up with me in bed, despite the 80 temperatures inside the house.

She knows when I am leaving too; she has learned that when I grab my army green messenger bag, and when my friend Nate's car rolls into the drive, that I won't be home till late.  It bothers her, and she lets me know.  Howling and growling at the window when Nate arrives, and then running to me, crying and trying to stand on my bag.  I'm not neglectful, believe me.  There is always someone else home with her, a brother or a parent, and for the off chance that she will be home alone, I leave her out of her crate, free to roam and play with Riley.  She's well fed and she is let out before I leave.

I'm not sure what I'm gonna do when I leave for college in two months.  The longest we have been apart was two weeks, and even then I was terribly home sick for her.

College is gonna be hell for me.

I'm not only leaving behind my Tessa, and my family, but I have to leave some of the most amazing and understanding people I have ever met...

My Friends.

God has truly blessed me with these people.  And I'm leaving them.

Well I guess I'm being all depressed cause a bunch of my friends just left me for a week and it is beginning to sink in that one week is nothing when it comes to college.  The sun is setting on this part of my life.

Hey look-ie there! I'm so clever, tying that little phrase up with a picture!

Alright. Rant done.  I've vented my feelings onto the interweb.  Now I'm off to enjoy the epic rainstorm going on right now.