School starts tomorrow… hooray! Bring on the homework, bus commute, procrastination, early mornings, new friends, old friends, independence, growth, papers, tests, and speeches. I'm hoping that I'll find my classes on time and that I will handle public speaking better than Mia Thermopolis. Cheers to another year of learning! My goals for this year, boiled down:

Work hard. Be brave. Love fully. Live fiercely.

Seasons

"There is a season for wildness 

and a season for settledness, and this is neither. 

This season is about becoming." 

-Shauna Niequist 

In this season, I'm discovering more about myself and the world than I ever imagined. It's a season of growth and digging deep for answers. Not to mention seizing these summer days before I start college classes in August.

 It's been a summer of walking unexplored streets, adventuring to random fields to do art, learning to cook, pulling out my sketchbook often (and accepting imperfections), hammocking in the mountains and at home, chasing sunsets, making white flour waffles in the mountains and serving them a la mode (because why not?), kayaking, watching tv shows too late and sleeping in a little, missing people, and getting up before the sun to watch it with friends over breakfast. It has honestly been an unusual summer, but I'm so thankful for all I've learned, both from quiet, contemplative hours coming down a mountain and from wisdom and encouragement of friends, young and old. The Lord has answered very specific prayers and built me up through the example of others, and I'm so excited for all the next school year will hold… when it gets here. I'm not kissing summer goodbye yet!

(And to all of you who asked about my editing of the photos on the last post, they were shot on film, so I didn't do a thing. Film has a brilliance of its own!)

 

Things I Learned In The Tetons

On June 24, my dear friend and I got up before the sun, hopped on a plane, and headed to the Grand Tetons to spend a week in creation with other people who love Jesus. What an experience it was! Here are the pictures that turned out (only one of two rolls turned out, sadly) and a few lessons I learned.

- I learned that first impressions are almost always wrong -

- I learned that there are really good and really terrible ways to organize sleeping bags and packs in a tent -

- I learned how to give good hugs, how to comfort others better, how to cry more - 

- I learned that God delights in us and is always saying "come" -

- I learned that rafting is ridiculously fun ("CARPE DIEM!") -

- I learned that I'm less introverted than I originally thought -

- I learned that everyone has a story and it often explains a lot about them -

- I learned that s'mores with York peppermint patties are THE BOMB -

- I learned that the in-between, "little" moments are the ones that make for the greatest memories -

- I learned that swimming in 50 degree water will make your lungs freak out and want to stop working -

- I learned that Enos can break and if they do, it's probably all Austin's fault -

- I learned that sleeping in an Eno Village in the mountains is an amazing experience like no other -

- I learned more about the depth of God's love as a father -

- I learned more about evangelism and how exciting it really is -

- I learned about the depth Jesus' grace and how much of me (all of me) He deserves -

- I learned that God is more concerned with out depth of relationship with Him than anything we can do -

- I learned how much fun car rides can be-- especially ones with good music and Sharpie tattoos -

- I learned how important it is to listen and respond when God speaks to us -

- I learned how great it is to be away from technology for a while -

- I learned how ridiculously hard it is to leave people that you grow to love in a matter of days -

To all 39 of you: thanks for being part of such an amazing week. I know it sounds so cliche, but I feel like God used every last one of you in my life in a special way, whether I even had a real conversation with you or not.

Be bold. Be filled with the Holy Spirit. Take Jesus' love with you always. Change the world! 

Love you all!!!