Senior: ah!

Tomorrow is the first day of my senior year. I'm thrilled, but still baffled by the fact that 3 years here has already gone by so fast. I'm scared to death. I have no idea where I will be a year from now, but I do know that the Lord has a plan so I've got to chose to rest in that promise [Jeremiah 29:11-13]. Lately nothing as gone according to plan and everything I've know as a comfort at school as changed. So these first few months are going to be beautifully chaotic. I want to soak up every minute and enjoy all the surprises. Everything is just so different this year. Why is life constantly changing? [That's rhetorical. No answer is needed in my comment box] Time for reading and sleep before the first day. Here we go...

Vanilla Chai and Meg

Monday morning I had the chance to sit with my big sister Meghan and talk through how our time at home had been [we were both there for a weekend]. Breakfast with her was really fantastic. I had a huge cup of vanilla chai at my new favorite coffee shop in Huntsville: Stern's Coffee, and I had an hour of uninterrupted genuine time with Meg. The only set back of that morning was when I walked into Stern's the people working there thought I was a complete moron. Part of being in coffee shops for long periods of time is that you begin to watch people come in and how they interact with the people there. Well, Monday morning it was very obvious that I was the newbie. My first brilliant move was when I walked in and completely missed the menu which was about 3 feet x 4 feet plastered on the wall behind me. So in my most brilliant moment I looked at the kind woman taking my order and asked to see a menu, she didn't say a word and just pointed behind me. I slowly turned around feeling like I was shrinking as I turned. My eyes jumped around the 8000 options of coffee and syrups and special drinks they offered till I found the chai section. My heart was so happy! [Mind you: there are about 5 'regulars' standing behind me in line giving me the "would you please just kick it into gear and order please" look] After ordering my drink I decided to find a table in hopes that I would handicap my genius self from making everyone aware that I had no clue how to navigate my way around Stern's. Shortly after my grand entrance Megs showed up so our breakfast could begin.

I really cherish the one on one time I get to have with her because those opportunities are usually few and far between. She is one of the few people that have always been constant in my life. She is one of the people I can be completely honest and vulnerable with and trust her to do the same with me. All that to say: Monday started off beautifully because of Vanilla Chai and Meg.

Here are some snapshots of my time at home:

Life is funny. Sometimes you just have to embrace the humor.

Airplane: the roles are reversing.

MC: I'm kind of obessesed with her.

Peaches.

Lots of driving.

the roar

A beautiful picture of what is to come...

...I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count,

from every nation, tribe, people and language,

standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb.

They were wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.

.Revelation 7:9

Olympics

I'm watching the opening ceremony.

My jaw is about to hit the floor.

Wishing I could be there.

Desperate to experience the roar in all different languages.

The next week:

This week has been just fantastic: Christi came home from HK and I convinced my teacher to let me take my final late so I could go hang out with her for a few days- she's an amazing friend, I hope you have the chance to know her someday, school is over for the summer (aka: one week break till school starts again), SYTYCD Finals ...Katee and Joshua's lyrical piece was my dance of the year. I'm kind of sad the show is over, but I guess that's the beauty of YouTube, I can re-watch dances over and over again the whole year. I didn't realize how crazy busy the next couple of weeks are going to be until I was telling one of my friends about my plans. There are definitely pros and cons to my out of town adventures, one of the great things is that I am going to be able to spend lots of time with my immediate and extended family. I haven't seen my immediate family in what seems like forever so I am looking forward to some time to be able to sit and talk with them and then I get to travel down to the beach to visit my dad's side of the family. They have an abundance of family photos that I am itching to look through and copy. My dad's mom passed away when I was a baby so I have only known her through my dad's stories and the few pictures we have of her. I am looking forward to hearing more stories about her and my grandfather. The down side to all my traveling is that I have so many wonderful friends that are about to move that will still be in Auburn and I will be missing some quality time with them. But hopefully I'll get some good time with them when I'm back in town. Another exciting thing about being home is being able to talk to my family about Japan!!! I absolutely can not wait. The entire process was just undeniably of the Lord and I'm baffled by how He works through the details of my life and just weaves them beautifully together when I least expect it. I really need to sit down and write the story down, but that will need to be on a day when I have some time to think and process through everything. Now I need to go enjoy the gorgeous day outside.

it's a new day.

It's going to be a beautiful day.

I'm so thankful for a fresh start today.

To be able to walk to class and soak up the sun.

To laugh in a class full of new friends.

To pick up one of my best friends at the airport after a 5 week trip to Hong Kong.

It's going to be a beautiful day.

truth conquers hearts.

I appologize in advance for the poor resolution of this picture, but it had to be taken without a flash to prevent glare from the top coat of this painting...

This is a piece I painted right after I got back to Auburn

this summer from working with Kenny & the amazing students of

HaU [my youth group in Huntsville].

The vision that is being placed and prayed over the students is one of growth. Hence the inspiration behind the painting.

The vision is that we, as leaders, would be committed to meeting students where they are, guiding them and encouraging them to fall deeper in love with the one and only God who is Love.

[And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love.

Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.

1 John 4:16]

Today was a wonderful day because of a great conversation I got to have with a friend in the parking lot of Sonic. It started out as a simple run to McDonalds for some dinner and a McFlurry. Well, I should have taken Bek's words of wisdom that haven proven true the past 2 times I've been there: the ice cream machine at McDonalds in Auburn 'breaks' every night at 9:00- just in case you are ever craving a delicious treat, go before then. So since the machine was 'broken' we resorted to Sonic where we talked a lot about how God is growing his global family and what it looks like to be his children and to understand the privlege that we have to be a part of His story. My friend lives in China told me a few stories of his friends there, but one in particular just spoke straight to my heart and astounded me with the power of truth.

Do you ever have those moments when someone is speaking to you and you know that their words are flowing straight from their heart? Just the honest, vulnerable, real truth of where they are and what is going on in their life.

Tonight I got to hear a small glimpse of that from a great friend.

It is so amazing to me how God orchestrates our lives.

I am so thankful for friends who love me and invest in me, I'm so undeserving and have been given so much.