more biking...

Breanna and I went for a little ride this morning. Our first stop was Starbucks where we ran into Nicole and her mother. We sat and talked with them about Nicole's pageant she's in tonight. She's going to win, I know it :) After my grande passion iced tea lemonade we proceeded to the park. We sat in a gazebo and had some good girl to girl talk and had a mini bible study. I'm going to miss this girl when we go off to college.



Andrew came over for dinner, we had pizza and played some speed. I whooped his booty three games in a row!



Smore's at Breanna's house and then some more Lost. I'm so addicted.

Bailey

I layed in bed a little bit longer than I should have this morning. When I finally rolled out of my comfy hole I put a head band in my messy hair and went to lunch with Nick Opitz. He's been going to school in Indiana and has been back for the summer so it was nice to sit and chat with him for a while. I drug him into Payless since it was next door to Quiznos and he made me put on one of those converse boots. He got a good laugh out of that and I found a bunch of cute shoes that I'd like to have. What's new?

The neighbor's dog has been mysteriously getting out of their backyard and my mom keeps finding it running around so it's been staying at our house while the owners are at work. They just moved here so we don't know them quite yet but the guy's name is Mark Clark and his girlfriend is Sandy See. Kinda funny I thought. Bailey is the dog's name and he's a boy. He's such a sweet thing. I don't mind hanging out with him.



I went swimming again today and my tan improved! A little relaxation time and then I finished Jennifer and Austin's senior pictures. We didn't quite make it to our second location last night so the fountain was the place tonight.

bike ride, smoothies, senior photos, what a day!

Laurel and I went for a two hour bike ride along the river and jumped off the dock once we got hot. We stripped our socks, shoes and shirts and hit the cold water. It was so refreshing but I had to work up some courage to even do it in the first place. I don't know why I was so afraid but I was.. Good thing Laurel held my hand and forced me to do it! We attempted to go through the drive through on our bikes but ended up just going inside to have smoothies. We left wet butt marks on the seats, oops.



I took Jennifer Jones's and her boyfriend Austin's senior pictures tonight. It was the first senior photo shoot I've done this year but it was a lot of fun. I think the pictures turned out pretty nice as well.







On the way home the sunset was absolutely gorgeous. It was a challenge to snap a photo while driving but I managed.



Laurel, Andrew, Matt and I then went to the movie Despicable Me. It was simply adorable! I recommend it to anyone. You'll laugh the whole time and it will make your heart happy.

It's Tuesday.

Roller blading,
knitting a scarf,
bike riding with Matt,
eating a popsicle...
that was my day.

Psalm 34:5

Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.



See for yourself.
Go places.
Seek out the good.
Tread lightly.
Worry less.
Take chances.
Face your fears.
Do what you love.
Give back.
Make a difference.
Laugh a lot.
Breathe deeply.
Know peace.
Enjoy the journey.
Live while you live.

Good song.

6:15 day

I opened my eyes at 6:15 and that was the beginning of my day. I crawled out of my sleeping bag, slipped on my poncho and was welcomed by the cool, crisp air of the woods. I attempted to make a fire because I was a little bit chilly but failed that task. I tried for a good 30 minutes but gave up. I sat in my backpack chair and had a good time with God instead. He showed me some pretty cool things.

Go away! You are unclean! People cry to them. "Away! Away! Don't touch us!" When they flee and wander about, people among the nation say, "They can stay here no longer."
Lamentations 4:15

As I was reading that verse the sun began to shine directly in my face from between two trees. I believe that God was reminding me that even though the world is full of darkness and sin there is happiness as well. He saves and he shines his light on those dark places in the world. It also reminded me that I am a light for him.. that I can be a light to the unclean and the ones who are told to "flee". Through Jesus I can show them compassion and a better way of life. I can show them hope and a love like none other.


Help, Lord, for no one is faithful anymore; those who are loyal have vanished from the human race. Everyone lies to their neighbor; they flatter with their lips but harbor deception in their hearts.
Psalm 12:1-2

Doesn't that make you want to do better? To be better? It makes me sad to think about how true that verse is.. our world has turned into a simply corrupted place so doesn't that make you want to be different? To be a faithful servant, a loyal friend, only allowing truth to escape your lips and hold compassion and love in you hearts? I know for me, that makes me want to be different.

It was three hours before anyone else woke up. I attempted to keep myself busy but I did get a little bit bored. Once the other girls emerged from the tent, Karyn made us french toast for breakfast. We then drove a little ways down the road and hiked through a cave. It was honestly one of the scariest things I've done in a long time. We didn't have any flash lights and the cave was pitch dark. I had my camera so I used the flash to light the way. It was a challenge and one of the most memorable things from the whole trip! We hung around the campsite for the majority of the day and then started packing things up. Laurel splashed water on my face to wake me up while driving. I kept getting really tired and it was hard to keep my eyes open. It was actually really scary so I made Laurel drive the rest of the way home. I slept most of the way back.

All in all, camping was tons of fun and I'm so happy to have the friends that I do. We came from four different schools yet God brought us all together to share a beautiful friendship.

camping!

We packed up the vehicles and Karyn, Belen, Jenna, Natalie, Laurel and I were on the road headed to Bumping Lake for a night of camping and many adventures. The scenery on the way up was beautiful.. a world full of trees, water and beautifully shaped clouds. We stopped at a fruit stand and bought some cherries. They were oh so delicious! Once we got to our campsite we struggled getting the tent up but a good 30 minutes later it was tall and sturdy. The neighbor with the mullet surly got some good entertainment. We had some lunch and made our way down to the lake to do some floating. It was so peaceful and beautiful. Laurel and I got our own little canoe and Karyn finally let us take off our baby life jackets only if we promised not to fall in. We roasted some hot dogs on the fire, added a little onion cream cheese to the bun and wala! I'm not a fan of hot dogs but hey, we were camping. It was almost a necessity. Smores were next and then it got dark so what did I do? I fell asleep in my backpack chair. It was perfect. Laurel shared her blow up mattress with me and before I knew it I woke up on a rocky, cold floor but I'm not complaining. That's what camping is all about and every part of it added to the experience.