Delighted

lannnnnds sakes!

I'm once again quite sure summer has my heart, but then every season that rolls arounds tends to woo me to some degree or another. *grins*

yet summer, is so carefree.

I feel like such a kid, more so than I normally do. and I LOVE it!!!

I've been eating like a growin boy, gettin' sleep like a baby, and just all around playin' like I'm 10 again! ooooh sunshine, school-less days, spontaneous outings, late night pow-wows with close friends, and sweet family time, summer..... I do believe I shall swoon over you!

I haven't blogged much, I know... this season tends to leave me with an irregular posting schedule...yet from the looks of it everyone seems to be enjoying the warmth just as much as I am so I don't feel like I'm neglecting it too too much, ( am i?....nahhhh)

I've been more busy than I was during a week of finals.... yet it's all been FUN!!! or shall I put it this way..... it's all be things I have CHOSEN to do, or SIGNED UP for, or be INVITED to do.... nothing I honestly HAVE HAD to do or I would " fail my futurE" as some of those silly teachers would tell me. well loooky here.... boo on you! rainin' on my happy parade like that.

Yesss....

summer has been free of the "forced" and filled with the "chosen" *insert Yoda voice*

Since right before Harmony Highlands I have been the happiest that i can remember.

Truly, I have been SO SO SO happy!!!! I have been smiling excessively, laughing way way more, and just sometimes feeling like happiness would come bursting out of me!

(I do believe the majority of the mood was caught from HH, so thank ya!)

I am so blessed, and feel so content and yeah...happy!!!

I've realizing more and more what a bad awesome circle of good, God-lovin' friends I have.

oh what sweet delight. =]

I've also been going CrAzY with my camera, so look forward to pictures!!!

Starting this week I am house sitting at a farm....until the end of the month. It's not too far from my home, but with that added to the list of craziness I can't really say when my next post will be! My computer will be staying at home for now... so blogging and such will be minimal.

sadness..... however, do keep in touch!! drop a line by commenting or emailing me... ( those who have my number go right ahead and text/call away!)

So. How has your summer been? Do share!

HAVE A HAPPY MONDAY!!!

photos are from recent pool outing =]

Snips and Snails & Puppydog Tails

Did I ever tell you all how kool & FUN it is to have a brother?

It's the chip in my chocolate I tell ya!

I've always been quite the "Tomboy" of the family....

ever since I was a little kid( yeah once upon a time I was small) I loved getting dirty, catching bugs and lizards, wrestling with the boys on my street( and winning! ha ha!) doing tricks on my bike, being one of the "boys", the outdoors was where I lived and thrived! I hated wearing dresses... and my stockings ( *shivers* I can't believe I had to wear white stockings) never went a Sunday without being ripped. I was very loud and boisterous, always making up imaginary games and going on adventures. pink was considered a plaque in my book...and shoes took way to much time to put on.

I wanted a brother so so badly.

I knew that once I had a brother it would like Batman and Robin, we would have SO much fun!

I'm the 2nd oldest.... with one big sis and 3 sisters after me. I never thought it would happen... even when I was in the hospital room as my brother entered the world, the Doctor holding the very loud and red baby up and announcing " it's a boy!" I remember thinking "no, nooo way, it's always been a girl. Seriously?!"

Abel has been such a blessing in my life!

even though he is the youngest, and the only boy, he is one smart, tough, hilarious, & independent cookie! ( and slightly spoiled I admit, aren't they always?)

Abel and I are 12 years apart. and even though I have quite obviously learned to embrace my girly side and even enjoy it to some extent ( a big extent I admit! ha ha).....

.... I will always have that tomboy inside me...

I have had so much fun with this dude over the past 7 years. we play football, catch bugs/lizards, wrestle, crack endless jokes, act silly, and tease and play tricks on the other sisters.

He's one bad awesome brotha!

with all that said I leave you with a vid of his most recent shenanigan, he's a goofball with some purty insane dancing skillz!

Post HH

wow. what a month.

summer.... you know it's always coming, every year....... yet it's so inconsistent and spontaneous as far as personal schedules are concerned! ( and that my friends is what I loooove about it!)

Except for one thing. Harmony Highlands Singing School.

oooh gawsh, how do i describe it?

.awesome.

.hot.

.blessed.

.humid.

.amazing.

.yummy.

.mind blowing.

.wonderful.

.sweaty.

.challenging.

.GREAT.

.THE BEST.

( this photo courtesy of Laura,^^ I had to share her awesome photo skills!!)

Every year I look forward to going, people who have never been before think it strange that I want to drive 12 hours to stay at a secluded campground where I will be sleeping on a bunk bed in a dorm with 30+ girls ( in fact there were about 88 girls this year...so we had 2 dorms while the boys had 1..goodness) and I'm waking up at 6am every morning and the temperature most of the day is close to 100 degrees. May sound strange, but it's worth every mile and is literally the best week out of the year!!!! We are talking about making lifelong friendships, reconnecting with old ones, hearing the most beautiful sound God created all day everyday- A Capella singing, the feeling of belonging, of teamwork, the closeness you can only feel with your brothers and sisters in Christ, kids of all ages playing together, the best food around 3 times a day,

.... HH is something you must truly experience in person to truly appreciate. I can hardly believe that this was my 7th+ year attending! and every single year it just gets better and better. and even though i sang every single day...I somehow managed to salvage a little of my voice for the final performance.

This year I realized I needed that special week more than ever. ( is it not amazing how God brings about something, someone, or some event in your life at just the right time, when you need it most?) I was so caught up in things at home...with my work and intern. It is scary how easy it is to get caught up in the things of the world, my routine schedule... I was running myself down and didn't realize it. I had tunnel vision, focusing on only a few choice things....and putting the rest on the back burner. Satan was drawing me closer and closer....it was becoming more about what I wanted than what others needed( and what I should really be doing). I felt lost, confused, and out of place. I didn't feel %100 me if you know what I'm sayin'. Something was off. Harmony Highlands turned the switch back on for me. During that week of isolation, as in there were no distractions from work, home, the world. I realized I was stumbling in the dark...trying to find what mattered... when in reality only ONE thing matters.

Serving Jesus. Oh what a blessing last week was! I felt as if someone had splashed ice cold water at my face. I realized that all that matters is following God, praising Him, trusting in GOD, that I was BLESSED beyond what I deserved...

God is the reason I am here, the reason I am alive and breathing at this very moment. This world is not my home. During that week I felt such a peace, a closeness to God. Contentment.

God is in control...and he has done so much for me.. why should I not be content with my life and strive to serve Him better in every aspect of it!?

Blessed Assurance! Jesus is Mine!!

I know this was long, but I wanted to share this experience with you... =]

right now I am just starting to recover from the post HH singing school sickness... some annoying sniffly coughing virus EVERYONE seemed to have caught this year. ( it's worth being able to go though ha ha) GET WELL SOON YA'LL!!

"What's somebody like you doin in a place like This?"

HELLO HELLO HELLO HELLO!

Mee oh my ooh oh oh my!

So diddya miss me???

ha ha ha.

I know this past month has been really random and inconsistent as far posting is concerned... every summer I think I will have WAY more time for blogging, and every summer I end up posting very irregularly. But for those of you who still bother to comment, thank you from the tippy top of my favorite hat!

Lack of posting just means I'm busy workin' and interning, and squeezing out every last drop of the summer sun and what little free time I have. I feel like the intern is starting to find a happy spot in my schedule and it looks like blogger will be popping up on my comp screen a whole lot ( ok, hopefully) more now! { choose thy words carefully Rachel, verrry carefully}

So summer so far here has been. H.O.T. Florida was unusually warm in May, and then all of the sudden SUMMER hit with sizzling snap! Boy oooh Boy is it humid and hooooottttt!!! The sun is brutal, but in all honesty this weather just makes the pool more inviting, the lemonade more refreshing, the Popsicles more fun, and my tank top tan line more obvious. ha ha.

So what have I been up to besides the intern??

2010 Grad bash parties and ceremonies

a trip to Wet n' Wild where me and the water slides faced off

( bah ha! I HAVE conquered you Brainwasher!!)

Plenty of movie watching: Letters to Juliet, Prince of Persia, Babies, and Robin Hood.

( ooh yes I am a movie theatre junkie!)

A whole lot of sunscreen applying and re-applying...( im learning I really am)

wasting what little money I have on a summer music play list since my itunes is working again.

( I'll be in debt before im 20 thanks to this store!)

driving with the windows down and really loud music

listening to the afternoon summer rainstorms.

.eating.

Mall time= a lot of laughs, and realizing how much I relate to the Movie "Confessions of a shopaholic"

deciding over and over again that I MUST have a starbucks Frapp because it's soo hot.

Practicing the art of remembering I do OWN camera and I really should take more pictures.

and with that i leave you with some pictures of a recent summer Sunday afternoon

The power of adding extra shots. it's sooo very wicked!!!

Me and my beautiful sisters ( just a few of them ha ha)

Starbucks Love. It's a family affair.