Another week of firsts

[sammyanne]

First trip to the beach just because, first lacrosse practice today, first fantastic small group study on Captivating by John and Stasi Eldridge, first trip to Malibu Yo(gurt), first trip to the Promenade in Santa Monica (first time to Santa Monica, pretty sweet), first birthday away from home, first time to get 2 cakes that day, first time running on the gorgeous track (first of many, I hope), first time going to Malibu Presbyterian and feeling at home at a church not in CV, first "volunteering" experience in the Malibu Colony where a bunch of rich people live --> first time folding napkins into fans and stuffing them into water glasses, first time talking to some friends from back home, first time going to the Cheesecake Factory, first time riding without a seatbelt (the girl seriously had no idea that her middle seat didn't have a seatbelt...not even kidding), first discussion with a Catholic about birth control, first time crawling under my bed using my cellphone as a light to find my camera memory converter so I could post pictures, first time to talk to my little cousins over the phone and have them fight over who gets to talk to me, first time reading 140 pages of The Illiad in 3 days, time first time ordering a California Club pizza at California Pizza kitchen, first time to see, see a physical, real human brain in Psychology class, first time to sing "My hope is in you" since I've been in Malibu.

Not the first time to feel God's presence, to make new friends, to be sore, to be happy, and definitely not the first time I've missed you guys.

This is from my time at the beach: