North Carolina

Dear North Carolina,

I love you. I'm not excited to go home (but excited to see my beau). 

I want to live here one day. The end.

N.C. Happy list

It's been only THREE days since I've left California and let me tell you, I miss it absolutely 0%. However, I do miss the people and my boy. I think I could live here...

Happy list.

1. East coast family.

2. Tan lines after two days.

3. Going in from the hot outside into the air conditioned house.

4. Wake-boarding.

5. Tubing.

6. Swimming.

7. Cute accents.

8. Letting my hair dry naturally AND wearing no make-up...I look grrreat....

9. Super cold diet cokes.

10. Amazing southern food!

Mexico

Well, I'm not super sure how to sum up this years Mexico trip but I'll try in just a few words and pictures...but basically the trip is a group of amazing high schoolers, college kids, young adults, and older adults being the hands and feet of Christ, and building a house for a family in need. We take five days out of our summer and serve in Tijuana. I love it. I've done it for four years now and it seems like it just keeps getting better and better. This year was the second best trip I've been on (nothing beats the first year when absolutely everything went wrong) and I think it's because I pushed myself out of my comfort zone in a whole lot of different ways. First was evangelizing. On the second day of building the house, or group splits into two teams and one stays on construction and one goes off into a different town and gathers people up by banging on their doors and screaming "Buenos Dias!" as loud as possible. Every year I've gone to Mexico in the past, I have stayed behind and worked on the house, but this year I was challenged to go with the second group and share my testimony and pray for those who have never heard of Christ. At first I was terrified and so nervous but I did it anyways. 

I also ate brain. Yes, cow brain. It taste like super fatty beef. I doubt I'd eat it again...unless it absolutely needed to be done...annnd played some mousetrap spoons. Ouch.

Over all it was an amazing trip, with amazing experiences, and amazing friendships that came out of it.

 

(pictures from Geoff, Lance, and Candace)

Now tomorrow at five in the morning I'm off to North Carolina from two weeks. I'm almost positive I'm taking my laptop, so I'll try to keep up with the blogging world, but it's not my all so we'll see. 

xxoo.

Home

Home from Mexico. (More pictures coming soon) Amazing trip! Tons of fun, tacos, tears, Jesus, Bible reading, praying, encouragement, dirt, trying new things (cow brain anyone?), mouse trap spoons, hugs, and pictures.

Now I have three days until I leave again to North Carolina....I think I'll go do laundry.

What's up generation?

Sometimes..when you just can't sleep..and you've been trying for hours..and you got in bed extra early..and you're almost to the point of tears because you've been starring at the ceiling for hours and you've tried every possible position you could sleep in..you turn on the raido. 

Yeah maybe not you, but that's how I try to remedy this situation. Most of the time it works, but last night it didn't. I just got distracted with the words of K-love and didn't fall asleep for a long time. 

One of my favorite worship songs came on and normally has this amazing effect of emotion on me, but last night it did not. In the song Hosanna by Hillsong there is a line that says "I see a generation, rising up to take their place with selfless faith" and I got to thinking that in this day and age and with MY generation...there aren't many people my age even trying to rise up and take their place, and I sure as heck don't see much selfless faith. What's up, generation? What are we even doing with our lives? 

I think I'm going to start focusing more on my selfless faith and living my life worthy of the calling I've revived by Jesus Christ himself. I think I get caught up in the fact that I'm only 17 and most people stereotype teenagers to the max.

I want to live like this:

"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity" 

1 Timothy 4:12

Sometimes..

Sometimes when you're beau is in Hawaii and you really miss him, all you need to do to cheer yourself up is...Sleep in, spend eternity in Target, wear shorts and nerdy glasses, eat cantaloupe outside, go on a run, start packing for Mexico (yes even if it's five days away), and work on getting your boat license. 

Okay maybe not cheer myself up but distract myself definitely! 

Um hello July. Where did you even come from?

 June is OVER. Uhh, what? Crazy. However, I'm excited that it's July! 

I think this month is going to be the best July I've ever heard.

Mexico and North Carolina here I come.