"everyday is a good day at ro-o-o-o-o-ckbridge"

This summer I was blessed enough to spend 5 weeks at Rockbridge Alum Springs on workcrew. I made absolutely incredible friends and grew so close to the Lord. Doing laundry all day every week for five weeks got pretty frustrating at times, but I was sooooo lucky to be able to spend that time with two other beautfiul laundry girls who taught me so much. Sometimes the days would be so hard but then I would walk into my cabin at night and be surrounded by beautiful, loving girls who quickly became my best friends. A few weeks later, I was again blessed to be able to do capernuam camp at Rockbridge. This challenged me in so many ways, but I again grew closer to the Lord by seeing him work through kids with disabilities. My buddy was Lindsey and as challenging as she was, she had a beautiful spirit and I learned a lot by watching how much she loved Jesus.In the fall, I went back to Rockbridge again for Fall Weekend. This was my third fall weekend but it was the best by far. I got to see great friends and grow closer to new ones. Well, I most recently went back to Rockbridge last weekend. It was for prayer overnight. I've never felt so connected to the Lord. I stood in awe of Him as I felt his presence all around that weekend.

For all of these reasons, I'm so glad to have Rockbridge and the experiences in my life. It's been so awesome to see God work through all of them, and yeah, Rockbridge is my home away from home.

youre clever, God.

Sometimes, I get so mad at God. I cant understand why something happens or his reasoning for it. I get so sick of hearing "theres a reson for everything" and I just get angry. However, just in time, God always reveals himself to me in the most clever and unique ways and I realize how silly I am. Lately, I went through one of those stages. I was so mad at God, and just exhausted. God snuck up on me though and showed himself to me in some clever ways. I'm blessed to have some really awesome friends in my life who are striving after the Lord. I had a conversation with one of these friends last night about how sometimes people love you SOOOO much, its overwhelming, so overwhelming, you cant even see how much love it is. I've been so blessed in that category: love. I have so many people in my life who love me SO much. There are times when I don't feel loved at all, and that's when I have to step back and realize I'm completely surrounded by love and just how blessed I am. Best of all, NOTHING can seperate us from God's love. (Romans 8:38) So when people on earth can't make me feel as loved as I need to, God can provide unconditional love.

where are you Christmas?

Christmas was yesterday. However, it was a lot different this year. Sure, we opened gifts and spent time with family but it just didn't feel the same. The stockings were hanging on the mantle, the lights were on the tree, and there was even snow on the ground, but it didn't feel like Christmas. I'm extremely grateful for everything I recieved and my family. The holidays definitely make me miss my Pawpaw though. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Christmas, more than anything. I love the mood it puts people in, the idea of giving (and recieving too of course) but this year, I heard so much about gifts getting stolen and some kids not getting any Christmas at all. It kind of ruins the joy of Christmas. However. in a few days I'll have three amazing, beautiful, Christ-loving friends at my house. That's my favorite Christmas gift of all. Normally, I wouldn't be so excited for a sleepover with my friends, and it probably seems kind of lame that I am, but it brings me great joy to know someone would drive 8 and a 1/2 hours to spend time with me. Also, there's the fact that I haven't seen them in months and they impacted my life in crazy ways. So I guess through all the sad things happening in the world, I can learn to appreciate the simple joys: time with great friends and family. I think the most important thing about the holidays is love, and I feel so loved.