Alohhha

(Sorry for the small image)

Yikes.
Be back on the 12th!

Item #5 on the Summer List: Have a Tea Party

Check!

A look at my time in Seattle...

Early morning view from the back deck of our house. This is Greenlake, one of the sportiest/most beautiful parts of the city (in my opinion).

Mount Rainier floating above the Puget Sound. We took a ferry from Bremerton to downtown and scored on a beautiful, clear afternoon.

Bremerton harbor before departure.

Seattle sunlight through curtains.

The downtown skyline.

Not pictured (but just as memorable) highlights from the trip included New Student Advising for school (I registered for classes..ah!), amazing dinners, cozy mornings, watching the full moon from the Space Needle, and getting to meet a lovely friend over coffee!
It was a great trip and now I'm settling back in for two days until we fly off to Hawaii for 10 days. Ahhhh.

I'm off to Seattle for the weekend!
I'm registering for classes for next year, exploring more of the city with my parents and hoping for some sunshine. I hope to be able to get a little t.v. time while I'm there as well (Wimbledon, World Cup).
I will be back on Sunday and then on Thursday I leave for Hawaii for 10 days!

I have been complaining lately that my summer hasn't had enough depth...how ludicrous! I'm such a wanker. I'm very lucky to be able to travel to these beautiful places.

Summer always reminds of how incredibly blessed I am to live in one of the most beautiful cities in the world with almost complete freedom to do whatever I want with my time.
I just bought a French Bible at the used bookstore and I found this Psalm, which has been on my heart lately, to be quite beautiful in this translation.

Psaume 18:2-3
Je t'aime, Eternel, ma force!
Eternel, mon roc, ma forteresse, mon liberateur! Mon Dieu, mon rocher, ou je me refugie!
Mon bouclier, la force ue me sauve, ma haute retraite!

In the Queue

One of my favorite parts of summer is finally having time to read! I am the type of person that has lists everywhere of books that have drawn my attention or that were suggested by friends. I am so thankful for the library at this time, because not only do I get to check these out, but I also get new music! I love coming home with a pile of books and cd's in my arms.
I've also fallen in love with a little used bookstore downtown where, once I have the proper funds, I will be stocking up on plenty of beach/pool reading material.
What's on your summer reading list?

Catching Up

My past two months at a glance. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't still recovering.

Prom. Was not expecting to have as much fun as I did. Or win this little baby!
Photo by the extremely talented Cara Robbins

Westmont, Wheaton, Seattle Pacific, Guatemala

Small group came to a close after 3 years with three amazing people who I can now honestly call my best friends. We are headed to completely different parts of the world next year; we ended with great hopes of where God will lead us all.

What's the last day of school without a picnic at the mission? All of our friends turned out and it was glorious.

Graduation. Not very emotional, or fun for that matter. I found it very interesting that high schools make seniors be at school (not with family who might have come to see them) for 4+ hours and then send them off to a night of sleep deprivation and sensory overload at Disneyland and then they sleep through their next day as an official graduate.
Hmmph.

Palm Springs! Hot hot hot. (No I'm not talking about our rompers...) So much fun. Pool, shopping, and there may have been a little Dexter marathon..

P.S.

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Happy Summer!

I found this while going through some of my old writing and thought I could share it

I wound my way further up the mountain as the wind grew stronger and I raced to catch the last of the light.
I reached the top as the last glow of the sun poured lazily over the cloud-swathed giants on the horizon.
The wind suffocated the weeds that hung over the hill as they hugged the ground for warmth.
I stepped to the edge.
My fears and expectations donned wings and took flight, racing, dancing, being carried by the rushing wind.
Joining in the airborne symphony, I was lifted up, my tethers snapping as I idled above the ground, scathed not by the follies of the world.
With a shock of sudden consciousness my hair was blown like tangled flotsam about my face.
The glow of the sun was consumed by the shadow of the mountain on the horizon.
All motion ceased, yet a presence lingered.
The air, the ground, the sun, they all took their exits and I was left alone.
The final light danced in the distance, waving goodbye.
The maestro bowed, the opus was complete, and I remained, a happy audience for the days swansong.

*I realize I haven't posted in quite some time; I have been enjoying life offline and the start to a beautiful summer. I hope to do a few intermittent posts in the next few months before I leave for school, however, and hopefully recap on some of the events of the past month.