Challenge number four...

...a picture of you and your friends.

Hmmmm...I have lots of friends, and not all of them hang out together. You see, I have groups of friends. I have my camp friends, my Millar friends, my Regina friends...
Sooooo I guess that calls for a series of pictures!
(I actually just wanted to finish that sentence with the word collage but then I realized that maybe I wouldn't be able to arrange them much like a collage unless I made a real collage on picnik. However, I'm too lazy to go onto picnik and make a collage. So series it is.)

Some of my Bible school friends reunited this summer at a wedding. I made amazing friends at bible school, it's really true when they say you'll meet people who will be in your life forever during your college years.

and this right here is some of my camp friends a few years ago at a baby dedication. I wish I had a picture of all my camp friends because they are amazing! I feel like they are my family, spending entire summers with them all is such a blessing!

Oh, and here's a picture of me and my oldest friend Barbie...this is about 5 years ago when she was pregnant with her first baybay! See how I'm pointing at her cute belly! We've been friends since we were little. Best friends for a long, long time. You know when you have someone in you life that will always be there, no matter what. And no matter how much time goes by without seeing each other you know that things will still be the same? That's Barbie.

and now here I am with my buddiest Debbie! we have about 5 million self portraits of the 2 of us. For this one we pulled classy and used a timer! We've been pals ever since she invited me randomly to her birthday party many moons ago. We've been on lots of adventures and I can always count on Debbie to do random things with me.

I want to upload more but at the same time I don't. I hope you enjoyed meeting some of my besties, they aaare spectacular!

Change is in the wind...

It's almost that time of year again. Fall. Fall always makes me think of change. people usually move in the fall, last years graduating class takes off for school. There's just always new stuff going on.

I have this strong feeling that this fall is going to bring some major change in my life. Some of it scary change and some of it good change. For example, on September 5th Jenny and Janelle will both be leaving for their first year of Bible school. It's a little sad for me because I feel like I've grown so close to them this past year. On the other hand on Sunday I met Anna, she's new to town and I have a feeling that we are going to be great friends!

I'm thankful that in an everchanging world God will always remain the same. I really like having something constant in my life. I cling to that in the changes that scare me.

It's going to be a good year though, I can tell!

You Learn This At Camp...

It's true.

The Meaning of a Hug

Arms go out to another in a warm embrace. The gesture is self-explanatory, "I include you in my circle of caring." A hug is a spontaneous signal of acceptance. A hug holds a universe of silent meaning. Loving mothers hug their babies. Parents hug children of all ages. In all of humanity, embracing is a symbol of togetherness and belonging.

Our Father in Heaven will greet each of us back into his presence with a hug. Christ reaches with outstretched arms to enfold each of us in his love.

Hugs are loaded with benefits. "Hugging is healthy: it helps our body's immune system, it keeps you healthier, it cures depression, it reduces stress, it induces sleep, it's invigorating, it's rejuvenating, it has no unpleasant side effects, and hugging is nothing less than a miracle drug." (Author unknown, from Adventures With Personology) Hugs benefit both the giver and the receiver. Renowned psychologist Leo Buscaglia stresses the importance of daily supplements of hugs. Every person needs at least three hugs every day. Husbands, wives, parents and children all have their own minimum daily requirement of heartfelt affection. More hugs would improve our overall well-being.

Rules For Hugging:

1. Let your hug be pure, meaning simply, "I care for you."

2. A hug is neutral territory. By closing the space with your loved one, there is no room in that moment for disagreements or grudges--only acceptance, understanding and sympathy.

3. "To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven ... a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing" (from Ecclesiastes, or the Preacher 3). If you aren't sure if it's the right time for a hug, it's appropriate to ask.

4. A hug may only be given, not taken.

5. A request for a hug from your spouse should never be left ungranted.

6. Live in the moment of a hug. Don't let anything distract your attention. From an early age, our little one seemed to be aware of everything going on around him. He was so aware that, when I wanted to cuddle, it was like trying to hug a radar antenna. He was eager to absorb and assimilate the whole world in every moment. He was everywhere except in the hug. I resigned myself, thinking that was the price to loving a baby genius. But as he grew he became more cuddly. Now at 15 months, he melts into hugs and enjoys cuddling to sleep like other babies. For small children, a hug is a moment of eternity. Sometimes they can sustain a hug forever, without being distracted by the cares of the world. We can learn a lot from babies.

Let our hugs be pure and our affection for our loved ones genuine.

Full of crab meat and content

Today was a great day! First off I had an awesome hair and outfit day, that always makes a girl happy! Then I actually got to go to the adult Sunday School class because none of my students showed up (I know that may be a strange thing to be happy about but hey.) Then during church a whole whack of my youth group friends that I grew up with showed up! (You see my youth group pretty much married each other and now are all related so when one comes home they all come home!)

Then after church Debbie and I went to Rick and Colette's house for lunch. After lunch we wound up just hanging out all afternoon, talking and having a good time. We also wound up calling Cory who as well came to hang out. We hung out for so long that we all wound up staying for supper! (I used the phrase 'wound up' a lot up there, my English teacher would be angry!) We had a crab leg feast! Which reminds me, I think I may be intollerant to shell fish... but that's besides the point.

I love hanging out with Rick, Colette, Debbie and Cory. It just makes my day! it's amazing what a little fellowship with good friends can do for your heart and soul. After today I walked home content and happier then I've been for a few days. We had some good laughs, discussed some important points brought up in church today, I got to hold baby Jordan (he puked on me but that's okay, baby puke isn't that gross!) we played a game and I got to play with Trenace for a solid 20 minutes! It was a good day indeed!