Last night I laid on the sidewalk with one of my best friends at midnight as rain poured. We watched two of our guy friends dance around and do one-handed cartwheels in the rain while we laughed and laughed. I realized in that moment that God has blessed me so much. He has answered so many prayers and is so faithful.

Hold to Your Traditions

So blogger uploads images in a really stupid way, so these are all out of order. But that's ok. They're still here.


So every day the girls (and guys) have forum. Which is basically just discussion about things that we're dealing with. This year the 18 and 19 year old's leader was Marna Wewe. Probably one of my favorite people ever. I look up to her so much and always have. Words seriously cannot express my love for her.


Every year the oldest boys hang up the "alfalfa hay" sign and every year the oldest girls steal it. It's kinda a weird tradition but whatever. We didn't have it for long this year but we still had it.


This counselor didn't wear pants all week. It was kinda scandalous.

Me and Laura. I am so incredibly glad she got to come because this year would not have been the same without her.

Meredith and Anna. Some of my greatest friends from Arlington.

Meredith, Aaron, Anna, and Henry. They decided to drink the water in one gulp.

We love Twilight!!! Me, Jennalee, Mandy, Emily, and a counselor, Kim. Two gorgeous girls from my cabin. Miranda, the one right next to me, and I have gone to Sooner every year together. I love her so much!!!
Anna Barker!! One of my favorite people. And probably the funniest person I know.
A gorgeous sunset Thursday night at the lake.
Meredith and Anna again. All dressed up.

Laura, Meredith, Anna, and me on Monday night.

This kid, Alec, did the whole evolution of dance off of youtube. It was hilarious!!!

The beautiful Maddie Schweiss. I miss her so incredibly much!!!
So Anna drew this weird raccoon thing. I'm making the same face as it.
We take this picture every year. Anna, Me, Maddie, Dith, Laura.

Sooner was absolutely amazing this year. I loved almost every minute of it. (What would Sooner be without a little drama??) I still can't believe that my camping days are over. But I am so thankful for the wonderful, wonderful years I spent there. This camp changed my life. The relationships I made and strengthened there are ones that time really can't destroy. I know that I will never spend a week with most of those people again and that I probably won't see a lot of them until the day we meet again in Heaven. But that in no way means that I won't still think about them. I know that I can call almost anyone from Sooner anytime I need anything. No matter what time of day or night. I love that place and those people.

Phillipians 1:3 "I thank my God every time I remember you."

I'm Still Alive!!

I promise. I'm still here. I know I need to post about Sooner. And I have the pictures ready and most of the captions are already thought of. But the second I post, Sooner is officially over. So bear with me. Maybe tomorrow I'll be ready. (And for those of you who think I am officially insane, I already knew that.)

It is Time

Finally.
Time for my last year. Have I started packing? Of course not. Have I showered or shaved? Nope. Have I put gas in my car so I won't have to do it right after church? No way. Have I thought about this with great regularity for the past 7 years? Absolutely.
Sooner, as I'm sure I've already mentioned, is amazing. Some of my greatest memories happened at that camp. I made a list of them the other night just for kicks (or because I was insanely bored) and laughed hysterically for so long. One time I got hit in the face with a rock. Last year we convinced the first years to pan for gold in the lake. So many games of tug-of-war. Table wars. Social hour. Circle time. Praise time. The game. I've been in so many fights at that camp. But also experienced some of the most selfless, unconditional love at that camp. Tonight I'm kinda sad that this is my last time. But, at the same time, I am so incredibly excited that at this time tomorrow I will be sitting in a lawn chair fighting off bugs and sweating profusely. I. Can't. Wait. So it's time to pack. And plan every outfit. And buy things I won't need or use. And worry about who's going to ask who on Friday. And have the best week ever. One last time.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

It's one of my favorite people in the entire world's birthday today. Now, I can't tell you who because I'm under strict orders not to embarrass this person or let anyone else know that it is his or her birthday. However, on the off-chance that he or she reads my blog somewhat regularly, I wanted to wish him or her a happy birthday! I love you so much!!! (And don't you all love the mystery?!?!?)

White Water Pain

Working at Starbucks comes with many, many perks. Regular customers who love you is one of the best ones. So on the 4th, one of our regulars gave me and my friend Miceala free tickets to White Water Bay. This past Saturday we, along with two other girls from work, used the tickets. Let me tell you, it was so much fun!!! I absolutely loved riding all of the rides. It was wonderful... on Saturday. Sunday was another story. I woke up in so much pain. I could not move my neck the full range of movements it is supposed to move. It was horrible. And all for an innocent day at the water park. Does this mean I'm growing up??? This isn't supposed to happen yet!!! Oh well. I guess I'll just stick with the family rides from now on. No more Acapulco Cliff Falls.

What If His People Prayed?

Ok, this is a bit more serious than I usually blog about, but this subject has really been on my heart recently.

This summer has been such a growing and learning experience for me, especially in my walk with God. I have come to know Him so much more intimately than I thought possible and I'm loving it. And prayer is a subject that I feel God is really leading me and teaching me in.

I just typed the word prayer into BibleGateway.com and there were 362 results. So prayer is obviously important if the Word of God feels the need to mention it 362 times. Sometimes I feel though that prayer is just one of those chores. I come to God with a list of things to talk about and to ask for and then we're done. I pray before dinner and before bed and of course before the Lord's Supper. I pray desperately when I need to find something I've lost or when I need direct answers. But I think that prayer is supposed to be much, much more than that.

So many times Jesus went off by himself to pray. The night he was betrayed he was definitely praying pretty hard. I think that prayer is supposed to be intimate conversation with our Father. Ok, I know that most of the people that read my blog are married but stretch your mind for one second back to before that time. Remember when you were in the first stages of a relationship? Like the kind where you've only hung out a couple times and you seriously can't wait til the next time you can see them again. You want to talk to them all the time. ALL THE TIME! You want their opinion on everything. You just love to hear the sound of their voice, no matter what they're saying. Basically, you're completely infatuated and you want to spend every waking second with them. I think that's how prayer is supposed to be.

This summer, more than ever before, I've come to know prayer as an intimate and wonderful time with my Creator. I look forward to it and long for it. But there are still times when I revert back to my grocery-list prayers. And my heart breaks when I realize that I've neglected intimate time with my Lord.

One last quick thing (sorrry I know this has been a super long post). About two months ago I asked a friend to pray for me. Her immediate response was "I LOVE PRAYING!" She then asked me what I needed prayers for and even followed up later. But that quick response was what stuck with me and what has ultimately changed me. I love praying. I have started more and more to absolutely love praying. Absolutely adore it.

What if His people prayed? What if we all fell in love with our Father again and started having conversations with Him all the time?

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this incredibly long post. Hope you all have a great week!!! 8 days til Sooner!

I think I would have gone insane today without this man. 10 days.

LAURA'S COMING TO SOONER!

I cannot even describe to you how incredibly excited I am that she's coming! So so so many of my Sooner memories involve Laura in some form or fashion. Swimming to the middle of the lake. Our "butt" picture every year. Watching her and Travis start their relationship. I remember my very first year when she was still a camper and the last years have to take the first years to the middle of the circle and she chose me. I thought I was so cool. I remember so many nights (at Sooner and at home) talking about boys at Sooner and what to do about them or not do about them. I did not know how I was going to be able to go to my last year without her there. So Laura, I am SO excited. We are going to make this the best year ever. I can't wait to see you!!!!! 12 days!

Addiction

I am addicted. I crave Starbucks almost all day long. Iced venti two-pump melon 1/2 lemonade 1/2 apple juice passion tea lemonade. Grande raspberry nonfat no-whip extra hot mocha (I stole that one, Summer. Sorry. I just love it!) Iced venti Chai. Grande caramel mocha creme frappucino. It's ridiculous. The friend that I'm staying with for the next few days said that I talked about it in my sleep last night. I spend most of my time there even on my days off. It doesn't help that three of my favorite people work there with me and I absolutely love working with them not to mention hanging out with them. I need a 12 step program.

14.

The Fourth

I have a really cool sister. Really.

Word.

She caught the biggest fish.

I seriously have the most amazing grandfather in the entire world. Culp is one of the most godly, loving, and selfless men I know. My family is so blessed!!

And then I had to work. But it's ok because I worked with my two favorite people!!! I love these girls so much!

15 DAYS!

Tops, Totes, and Towels

In my 19 years as a girl, I have never been one to shop emotionally. Never. In fact, I just about hated shopping for my entire high school career. You would never find me at the mall unless a boy had asked me to go there. This summer, however, I have found myself shopping more and more. Two of my friends are shop-aholics. No joke. I guess they rubbed off. Anyway, I feel slightly guilty (although slightly impressed with myself) at the amount of stuff I've purchased in the last two days. First, my friend Whitney took me to 1/2 of 1/2 Name Brand Clothing. BEST STORE EVER!!! 5 swimsuit tops (most of them from Victoria's Secret), 1 bottom, 2 one-pieces, 1 full two-piece set, and a pair of sunglasses for $45. You can't beat that. Then me and Amy went to Target and of course today had to hit up Zida for the huge sale. Oh my. Ohhhhhh my. I'm probably going to ban myself from shopping for a month or so.


In other news, I hate line-dried towels. My mom has decided that this is the best way to dry towels. Now, I absolutely love my mom. I do. But I'm thinking this idea is gonna have to go. They are stiff and coarse and let me tell you, grass all over my body after a perfectly clean shower is not exactly my cup of tea. Don't let the picture fool you. They are not your normal towels. They are line-dried monsters just waiting to make your most wonderful shower perfectly miserable.



17 DAYS.

The Countdown Begins

Alright everyone. It is officially July. Anyone who knows me well at all knows that this is probably my favorite month of the year for one specific reason. Sooner. Youth. Camp. I can't believe that this will be my last year. This is the last countdown I will ever do for Sooner (at least as a camper) and, believe me, I have been counting down every year for 7 years. As the week approaches, I will probably do top ten lists. So get pumped! Only 19 days til Sooner!!!!!

Ooo-wee Summer Dog Days

The Rock Creek concert. Summer Singers and family all in one!
Bryson's cake. That we had to wait for about 2 hours to put in the oven!
Some of my favorite people in the entire world!!
And two more of my favorite ladies that I don't know what I would do without.

So this is what I do during the summer. I go to Summer Singers concerts. And make cakes and desserts. And go to more Summer Singers concerts. Ha. Call me a groupie. It's really okay. I'm absolutely loving this summer, though. I can't even begin to describe how amazing God has been to me in the past two months and how much He is working in my life! I have incredibly amazing friends. And I am loving every minute of life.