As Summer Closes...

   At last, after nearly three weeks, I am posting!! Thank you so much for bearing with me and my non-updated blog; life has been full of busy happenings as summer vacation comes to a rapid close. My family and I have taken a couple trips, as well as welcomed our cousins from Texas into our home for a week. With all the restless (yet wonderful) events taking place, it has been nearly impossible to steal away and dedicate a few precious moments to my blog. This long-awaited post is dedicated to my five favorite events that took place this summer: 1. Seeing my cousins from Texas 2. Going to Patrick Henry College 3. Camping 4. Competing in Tennis 5. Vacation Bible School

   My Uncle and Aunt have five children and the oldest is only six years old. Hearing the sound of high-pitched voices, seeing tiny shoes scattered throughout a room, and washing off small stubby fingers after each meal became very pleasing. Having small children around the house again was really enjoyable :) All five of the children are precious and have really sweet hearts. They stayed at our house for a few days, then we all packed up and went tent camping at my grandpa's large ranch. Having my mother's side of the family all staying together at once was really special. After sleeping under the stars for a few days, my cousins left California and flew home to Texas. I can't wait to see them again!

   About four days after getting home from the ranch, our immediate family re-loaded my Dad's truck, and headed to the hills for our second camping trip of the summer. Lake Alpine - where we camped - proved to be the perfect place to wind down before school and all its academic rigor begins again. We hiked, swam, played games, laughed, and greatly enjoyed each other's company. I truly have no greater friends than my parents and siblings! Unfortunately, we forgot to bring our camera, so that camping trip will be remembered solely by the mental pictures we snapped :)

   Over the past couple days, I have been organizing my textbooks, school schedule, and my cluttered desk in preparation for this coming Monday. It is hard to believe that summer is already over; after all, didn't school just end yesterday? The classes I will be taking are: Algebra 2, Spanish 3, U.S. History, English, Violin, Tennis, World Music, and Piano. This semester, I will really be focusing on expanding my knowledge of music and (hopefully) dramatically enhance my skills as a violinist. Please post in a comment the courses that you will be taking this year; I would love to know!

   Every summer, my tennis team and I have the opportunity to compete for the state title. Our team placed second in our local league,  which earned us a spot in the semi-finals at Clovis. However, we were narrowly defeated by our opponents on the first day of the competition. Even though our team didn't win, I am so grateful that we had the opportunity to make it to the semi-finals and grow stronger together as a team. Next year, our goal is to win :)

   Our church stretched Vacation Bible School out across five weeks and held it every Thursday night during that time. I oversaw the "Bible Memory" station where I selected, then taught the children memory verses each week. The kids competed against one another in a venture to see who could memorize the most portions of scripture. I felt so blessed and privileged to be able to work with the children who had eager hearts to hide God's Word in their hearts :) To check out photos from this event, click here.

   As my beloved summer vacation comes to a close, I thank God for the many wonderful memories that these few months will forever hold :) Now it is time to confidently sharpen my pencil, complacently sit at my desk, and courageously begin my junior year. God bless you, my dear readers!!