goodbye summer, hello school year!

Can't believe I'm saying that, but it's a truth I can't deny ~ the school year is fast approaching. Sigh. Fortunately, this year my family has a unique way of ending the summer/starting the school year... we're going on a 3-week road trip to Yellowstone national park. I'm not super duper way excited for it, but it should be cool. I'm looking forward to taking cool pictures of God's unique creations that I've never seen, as well as getting highschool credit ~ PE hours for hiking, and geography hours for traveling! Yessss!

Anyway, this summer has been incredible. I'm going to copy a list of my highlights that I posted on Buzz this evening:

~ beach with cousins :)
~ youth camp. (just can't ignore it ;) )
~ music camp.
~ working. {random russian guy/electric fly swatter in the hands of my boss/fun managers}
~ piano lessons & practice.
~ visiting the Andersons.
~ reading.
~ sleeping in.
~ buzz ;)
~ and um, being in a hot tub with 9 guys is definitely up there too. ;) ;)

Lot's of memories & stories :)

I've felt pretty busy throughout all 3 months, but I've had enough days of just relaxing and doing whatever I feel like that it hasn't blown by in a blur. In fact, June seems like a terribly long time ago. So, it's been a very refreshing, relaxing, but invigorating time for me :)


As for school time/fall... seeing as there's no avoiding it, I may as well approach it with a good attitude. Actually, I have high hopes as well as faith that these next two years of high school will be much better than the first two. My freshman & sophomore years were full of ups & downs... and I know that my junior & senior years will be that way too. But I'm hoping to conquer and move past, by the grace of God, a lot of the lies I believed & temptations I faced.

Here are some things I'm looking forward to for the next months:

~ fall, in general. it's my favorite season :)
~ hot tea in the mornings. and afternoons. and evenings. ;)
~ CHOIR!!!! both Homeschool Praise, and Tri-state this year, which is a four-part high school homeschool choir. very exciting!
~ Cross Culture <3
~ friday nights with a fire in the fireplace.
~ candles.
~ baking. my mom rarely lets me bake in the summer, because it gets the house hot. i'm especially looking forward to baking fall things, like pumpkin and cinnamon and spice things.
~ pumpkin spice lattes at Starbucks <3
~ cozy blankets.


I'm not looking forward to school at alllll... but I'll be praying for diligence and joys found in the midst of monotony. Anything is possible with God :)