clearrrllyyyy.

everyone's writing notes about summer. i like trends, so i'm joining the club. i wrote a note last summer highlighting some of my favorite moments & lessons, so why not repeat?

1. i spent most of my summer living out of a suitcase, and i loved it.
2. i still owned the leggings this summer. i will wear them every season for the rest of eternity. mark my words.
3. it's OK to build relationships with people who aren't going to be a constant in my life. people come & go in life, and it's important to learn what i can from them while i can.
4. i have a solitaire addiction worthy of an mtv true life episode. not even lying.
5. i will be marrying charlie hall...if he's not already married. why can't anyone give me a straight answer on his relationship status?!
6. i started drinking brewed coffee. who knew i'd get boring like that? goodbye, chai.
7. i finished school! i'm watching everyone else worry about buying books while i'm starting my vacation. i can't belive it!
8. feeling complete & satisfied with God as an individual is my ultimate need & goal for the upcoming months.
9. i made five awesome friends who changed my life: Shelby Nichols, Jamie Joyce, Brittany Whyte, Kenny Miller, & Logan Phillips. they made my summer even more epic than it already was.
10. nertz/pounce/dutch blitz is the best game on the planet.
11. i got to see my lifelong best friend, anna dorminey, when i went to DC. seeing her always makes me feel like home.
12. "clearly"--the title of my note. typical me.
13. i started hanging out with my beebop, ivy laing, and katy jane this summer, and i love them to pieces. they are such blessings.
14. i can't believe it took me so long to get to thursday night Bible studies at the Bennetts.' oh, what a fun time i've had getting to know the Bible study crew & learning more about the Word.
15. i love Sherwood youth. i love them. i love them. i love them. i love working with youth, in general, but these kids steal my heart.
16. i saw the oil spill firsthand. i still have oil on my tennis shoes from a nice jog on the beach. it broke my heart for all the sea life that suffered & for all the damage done.
17. i'm sponsoring a four year-old little boy named Rewat through Compassion International. maybe one day i'll meet him. :)
18. hearing David Platt speak at camp rocked my world. he explained God in ways that i hadn't thought about, & i left feeling humbled & challenged.
19. i met some phenomenal kids at the Merrick Center in DC & in Baltimore. serving on tour has impacted me for a lifetime.
20. ben only made me cry one time while we played nertz this summer, which clearly means it was a successful summer.
21. sitting on the front row and watching shane & shane sing "embracing accusation" was unbelievable.
22. the five hour car ride to south carolina with jamie joyce was epic. first IKEA experience. unbreakable blackberries. dreams. gangsta rap. sum 41. and good talks. a definite summer highlight.
23. the short lived friend nights with brittany bonnell & smalec edwards were great. i never stop laughing around them.
24. thanks to everyone who spread the news about how ticklish my neck is. i've started to not get embarrassed when i fall to the ground and get forced into the fetal position while being attacked. i owe it all to you guys.
25. my stuffed animal, bob the tomato, went with me on every overnight trip, only because moo moo mr. cow & sherbert the bear had to stay at the house.
26. grits lost most of her hair this summer. i still have no idea why.
27. my mom & dad celebrated 25 years of marriage in august.
28. i'm really glad i met tiffany bailey this summer. she's an amazing person.
29. i found out that people actually actively read my blog this summer, which embarrasses me a little. it is what it is.
30. stimulus tuesdays made this summer possible. inception=movie of the summer, say what?
31. this summer was brought to you by harvest moon. i ate there at least twice a week--when i was in town.
32. i lost ten pounds this summer. eighteen pounds since last year. i'm feeling much healthier.
33. butts & guts came back into my life, as well as a little zumba. we're going to be friends for a long time.
34. casey perkins & lindsey stewart understand me better than most people, and this summer was no exception. i didn't get to see them much in july, but they bring me so much joy.
35. i can count on both hands the number of times i swam this summer. sad.
36. i had a cyster. she is finally dead, austin mobley. let her rest in peace.
37. i learned how to ride a bike in june!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
38. i hit my first hole-in-one ever playing putt-putt.
39. i slept on busses for a total of eighteen hours this summer. i really appreciate my bed since then.
40. i learned that God will lead me if i stay content & stop trying to force my own path into creation.
41. i also learned that proximity does not equal intimacy. i'll be chewing on that one for a while.
42. i painted three canvases for the Courageous movie set. being asked to sit down and paint felt like being asked to spend a million dollars on myself.
43. i think i met over 100 people this summer. expanding my world & my friendships like this has been such an awesome experience.
44. mission days at gillespie park were so cool to be a part of. i miss jonathan running around hitting people, and i miss holding zah-zah in my arms.
45. i learned that it is better to deal with hurtful situations in life as promptly as possible and as healthily as possible. even though it isn't fun in the moment, it frees me up later from having deeply-rooted scars.
46. i also learned that i can overcome anything, not that i'd like to test that theory. it takes perserverance, but overcoming obstacles or failures is possible when you allow the Lord to take control.
47. even though the Lord has used me & accomplished some things through me this summer, i am no better a human being than anyone else on this earth. i am still just as unworthy of salvation, and i cannot live each day without God's grace, because i'll always be a crappy sinner without the Lord leading my life. i aim to always walk humbly.
48. the grubbs & the hands are awesome. i'm glad i get to spend the next year with both of them working for Garrett & Stephen.
49. i learned that the stupid charms people stick in crocs are called jibbitz, and i laugh everytime i think about it. thanks, case.
50. it's OK that i find cargo shorts & crocs unattractive. i never asked you to like my leggings. wear what you want.

this list doesn't really sum up the immense amount of fun i had this summer or the true depth of things i learned, but it's fun to keep a record for memory's sake. i didn't mention every impactful person by name, but you know i love you. and at the top of the list, i appreciate my boss, mary beth, at heritagebank for allowing me to have a flexible schedule while i pursued all my travels and things this summer. i'll never forget it.
thanks to everyone who made summer 2010 rule.
have fun at school, suckaaas! ;)
love ya, mean it.