Golden

I'm alive. I thought I'd throw that out there since it's been a week, and a crazy one at that. Alex and Rebecca are married, I'm back from Tennessee and surprisingly enough in one piece with some stories for sure.

Learning a lot about myself for the better or worse, and hours on the road have provided some time for thought and some time for self-entertainment. If you know much about me, the entertainment comes more smoothly than the thought.

Tomorrow I leave for Tampa (or the wilderness just South of Tampa) on the farm where my Dad's family lives. Excited to see family I haven't seen in months and some that I haven't seen in a couple of years since I was out of the country last Christmas.

Speaking of, I've been thinking a lot about where I was last year I this time. I had no idea what the Lord would do in this past year, but whew it has been an adventure. I'm praying for all of the students that flew out yesterday, for the people the meet and for the relationships that are built. Especially for Mary Beth who was on my team last year and is there again.

In other news, I got a call from the firm this week and I'm scheduled for another interview/office visit with all of the shareholders at the end of January. So I guess it's the next step in this process that I'm trying to be completely trusting in. I also heard from my new "boss" for this summer's FUGE placement: Mobile, AL. The lovely Carrie Griffin shared with me this wonderful news as a special birthday present for me. So great, more decisions, more waiting, more praying (isn't it ironic that Shane and Shane are singing me Psalm 13 right now?!).

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Enough of the real world and back to the adventure,

Soon after my family time, I will (hopefully) find myself in the Golden state of California. After I drop by the set of the Hills, I plan on visiting my wonderfully fabulous friend, Jenni Price.

the Lord brought Jenni to camp to work the first 4 weeks as a happy surprise to the staff, the students, and especially me. Jenni lived in the back room of my apartment and blessed my heart with Christy Nockles songs, nervous laughter, and a whole lot of wisdom/encouragement.


Jenni and I bonded over basketball games, construction paper, cave conversations, white water rafting near death experiences, Jason's "tickling", and my fabulous driving skills on Tennessee interstates.

I've decided it was Jenni who put my car in neutral, no matter how much she and Carrie try to convince me otherwise. Jenni taught me things about "duh" moments, made words like 'bust' and 'lame' become regular words in conversation, and is the reason why I to have to play Track 4 on my Rascal Flatts CD 5 times before moving on. I taught Jenni songs that are a little less reputable, but equally as fun (I got 'em.)


Jenni is a driven individual, and the drive comes from a desire to glorify the Lord with each breath. She sees the Lord in moments that many overlook and I am so thankful that she shares that with others because it has challenged me to see Him and His grace in the everyday. She sees the Lord in sunsets, in conversations with students, in grief, in struggle, in happy laughter, and in tears too. And through these things and in so much more I have seen the Lord in Jenni and in her ministry.


Jenni is an includer and genuinely wants everyone to feel apart of the group. She works to demonstrate this desire through the way she chooses to see the best in people, and the way in which she highlights their strengths. That has challenged me as I find myself easily finding the faults in myself and in others. Jenni is honest and stays true to what she believes . . and is grounded in Truth. The Truth radiates in her choices and in her life.

I have really enjoyed getting to know Jenni in 'real' life from skyping out and hearing about the people in her life. She continues to invest in me and encourage me and I continue to learn from our friendship.

One of the biggest things Jenni has taught me is about sisterhood. Both biologically and spiritually I have seen Jenni be a sister to many. I have seen her teach, listen to, cry with/over, laugh with, pray for, invest in, tell stories about, share joy and hardship with, and grow with. At camp, I saw her take on the roles of being a big sister to people on staff (myself included), and I have had the privilege of seeing glimpses of how she is a sister to her real sisters at home.

I would like to be the kind of sister Jenni is to my sister and to my friends too.

I can't believe that in just 9 more days, I'll get to see Jenni. Maybe her reaction to me showing up will be a little better than mine to her surprise visit at the end of the summer :) I love Jenni and I'm sure our time together will be...Golden.

Bee Tea Dubs. . ."There is no friend like a sister, in calm or stormy weather, to cheer one on the tedious way, to fetch one if one goes astray, to lift one if one totters down, to strengthen whilst one stands." -Christina G. Rossetti