it came and it went
So I have tried to start this entry over and over again and I just can not seem to be able to decide what I should say...in short: being home was wonderful, I had an awesome time catching up with friends, but the week was to short, and now Stephen is gone and I am back at school. There that is the short version of Spring Break. So what really happened this week? Here are the highlights.
*I finally relented and let Dad have his dress up night. He has been asking to take me somewhere nice and for us to get dressed up for about a year now. So My parents and I went out to dinner on Long Boat Key. Mom made sure I had enough manners to make it through the night. I can't believe I made it through :-)
* I made Hero watch the Village and I think I scared her for life. At least she was a good sport about it. I may have even upset Candy, her adorable new puppy. What kind of friend am I?
*Sunday Hannah and I woke to the sounds of a storm and my Dad calling to tell us that there was a tornado watch for the Tampa Bay area. We managed to keep or plans to meet Mark, Debi, and Stephen in Tampa at the new CHIPOTLE after church anyway. I am not sure anything would have kept us from seeing our friend from India the moment he came into town.
*Mom and Dad had me doing fun projects around the "farm." We painted the barn and I helped dad cut down a huge tree the hurricanes knocked over. I love working outside and getting to use my muscles! Of course that includes spending time with my horse too! I finally got to ride her at the end of the week. I have to brag... she was an angel today.
*Girls night out! Hannah, Samira, and I off to the Brandon mall. One of its main redeeming qualities, I have discovered, is the Lazy Boys stragically placed throughout the mall. So comfortable....
* Tuesday, I picked Stephen up at the Missionary Village and went to Marlyssa's to see Hannah and get lunch. The rest of the day we drove all over B-ton from the beach to the Ramsey's 2x. We finally found Samira and I was able to introduce them. It was fun to see Kamal's sister and best friend meet for the first time. When Hannah got off work we went to the Doghouse for dinner. Stephen wanted a greasy hole in the wall joint for dinner and he got his wish. Then we tried to decide what to do....a feat Stephen and I could not seem to master all day. After ruling out all the exciting activities in Bradenton, which include, well, bowling....yeah, thats it bowling, we went to the beach instead. We snuck out on the beach (apparently it closes at 9...but I am still wondering how on earth you close a beach) and walked and ran down the beach. It was a beautiful night that was ment to be spent under the clear sky listening to the hum the waves reaching the shore and stories from the long absence of a friend. After we had enough illegal beach walking, we went to Applebees....because NO coffe shop in B-ton is open at night apparently. All to soon our time was spent and we had to go home. What a day.
*Frye Bonfire! And a special thanks to Mark for bringing dubble bubble! If you want to read more about this even please visit my Hero's journal (lovelycreation). She went into detail. Despite not many people coming who Stephen wanted to see before he left, it was a good time. After most of the adults left the "college group" stayed by the fire and sang, talked, and joked around. It was entertaining to share stories from the past two years from opposite sides of the world. Stephen seems to know everyone and goes everywhere. It just blows my mind...I am just going to have to "make stories" of my own...maybe I will just have to start by going to India someday. One thing I always take away from spending time with Stephen is that it is there is so much of the world and so many facinating people I have not seen or met. It is so easy to get in a rut, simply falling into expected and normal behavior. In school, work, friendships, life, and especially our walk with God. It is easy to simply do what is expected and never consider another life. What would it look like if we were really purposefully open and available to what God wants for us? Dare I say that "r" word...radical about our lives as Christians. Would it realy look like school, job, marriage, career, kids, white picket fence, the American dream? Or would it take on a form we may never expect? Would get so much more out of by trusting God and seeing what He is really capable of if we are just available. Would we be where we are today, would we be where we expect to be in the future? Radical surrender may or may not take me to the ends of the earth to see the distance places I want to see or meet the people I want to meet, but knows what it would mean? Anyway, that was more a tangent than a highlight, but I thought it needed to be said. It is something I think about regularly, wondering what that means where I am right now and where I am going.
Well this turned into a much longer post than I expected. I am going now.
....signing off
*I finally relented and let Dad have his dress up night. He has been asking to take me somewhere nice and for us to get dressed up for about a year now. So My parents and I went out to dinner on Long Boat Key. Mom made sure I had enough manners to make it through the night. I can't believe I made it through :-)
* I made Hero watch the Village and I think I scared her for life. At least she was a good sport about it. I may have even upset Candy, her adorable new puppy. What kind of friend am I?
*Sunday Hannah and I woke to the sounds of a storm and my Dad calling to tell us that there was a tornado watch for the Tampa Bay area. We managed to keep or plans to meet Mark, Debi, and Stephen in Tampa at the new CHIPOTLE after church anyway. I am not sure anything would have kept us from seeing our friend from India the moment he came into town.
*Mom and Dad had me doing fun projects around the "farm." We painted the barn and I helped dad cut down a huge tree the hurricanes knocked over. I love working outside and getting to use my muscles! Of course that includes spending time with my horse too! I finally got to ride her at the end of the week. I have to brag... she was an angel today.
*Girls night out! Hannah, Samira, and I off to the Brandon mall. One of its main redeeming qualities, I have discovered, is the Lazy Boys stragically placed throughout the mall. So comfortable....
* Tuesday, I picked Stephen up at the Missionary Village and went to Marlyssa's to see Hannah and get lunch. The rest of the day we drove all over B-ton from the beach to the Ramsey's 2x. We finally found Samira and I was able to introduce them. It was fun to see Kamal's sister and best friend meet for the first time. When Hannah got off work we went to the Doghouse for dinner. Stephen wanted a greasy hole in the wall joint for dinner and he got his wish. Then we tried to decide what to do....a feat Stephen and I could not seem to master all day. After ruling out all the exciting activities in Bradenton, which include, well, bowling....yeah, thats it bowling, we went to the beach instead. We snuck out on the beach (apparently it closes at 9...but I am still wondering how on earth you close a beach) and walked and ran down the beach. It was a beautiful night that was ment to be spent under the clear sky listening to the hum the waves reaching the shore and stories from the long absence of a friend. After we had enough illegal beach walking, we went to Applebees....because NO coffe shop in B-ton is open at night apparently. All to soon our time was spent and we had to go home. What a day.
*Frye Bonfire! And a special thanks to Mark for bringing dubble bubble! If you want to read more about this even please visit my Hero's journal (lovelycreation). She went into detail. Despite not many people coming who Stephen wanted to see before he left, it was a good time. After most of the adults left the "college group" stayed by the fire and sang, talked, and joked around. It was entertaining to share stories from the past two years from opposite sides of the world. Stephen seems to know everyone and goes everywhere. It just blows my mind...I am just going to have to "make stories" of my own...maybe I will just have to start by going to India someday. One thing I always take away from spending time with Stephen is that it is there is so much of the world and so many facinating people I have not seen or met. It is so easy to get in a rut, simply falling into expected and normal behavior. In school, work, friendships, life, and especially our walk with God. It is easy to simply do what is expected and never consider another life. What would it look like if we were really purposefully open and available to what God wants for us? Dare I say that "r" word...radical about our lives as Christians. Would it realy look like school, job, marriage, career, kids, white picket fence, the American dream? Or would it take on a form we may never expect? Would get so much more out of by trusting God and seeing what He is really capable of if we are just available. Would we be where we are today, would we be where we expect to be in the future? Radical surrender may or may not take me to the ends of the earth to see the distance places I want to see or meet the people I want to meet, but knows what it would mean? Anyway, that was more a tangent than a highlight, but I thought it needed to be said. It is something I think about regularly, wondering what that means where I am right now and where I am going.
Well this turned into a much longer post than I expected. I am going now.
....signing off