Best Friends

I just want to dedicate this post to Lana and Hillary. After spending a weekend in Destin with these two, I must say that they are absolutely two amazing young ladies. They are truly beautiful from the inside out. We started out our trip to Destin with hopes to go to Big Kahuna's. However, the weather had different plans. Saturday night we kicked off our mini vacation by going to Hard Rock Cafe and the movies. The next day we went and got our nails done, shopped at both malls in Destin, ate at the Melting Pot, and had a night walk on the beach. The next day Lana and I went to the beach and went and got piercings. Then we met up with Hillary for lunch after her physical therapy appointment. Unfortunately, after lunch we had to head home :( Eating at the Melting Pot was definitely our favorite part. The server we had was awesome and the whole experience was memorable. This trip was definitely something we all needed before school started. As I was saying before, these girls are awesome, and I could not imagine my life without them. I am so blessed to say that I still have remained friends with Lana even after moving to another city. We have been friends for about seven years, and I love her dearly. Hillary is also another blessing in my life. When I started UWF, I was nervous about sharing a room with a complete stranger. However, God sure knew what He was doing when he paired us up. Hillary has became a sister to me. She knows me better than almost anyone,and I could not have asked for a better roommate. Without her, I could not have made it through college. I could go on and on about how thankful for the two of them, but I will save them the embarrassment :) Here are some pictures to show how wonderful these two really are:

Verse of the week: "A friend loves at all times..." Proverbs 17:17

Lana and I with our matching jackets

Hillary thought she was too cool to get one.

Nap time after shopping! 

Lana and I after we got our different piercings. 

Industrial piercing! 

Lunch at Fudpuckers

Rainbows

The other day +Julia Veit came to visit me in Pensacola, and we went to the port in Pensacola after we ate dinner. As we were walking down to the port, it started to sprinkle on us. When we started on our walk, the skies were blue (as you can see on the left);however, by the end of the walk, it started to rain (as you can see on the right).  Fortunately, Julia captured a picture of the weather we endured along with the beautiful rainbow that starts in the blue sky. As I look at this picture, I can't help but think about how this is a perfect illustration of life. Sometimes life is going great (blue sky), but then circumstances occur and any minute it can turn to not so great (gray sky). However, there is always beauty in the darkness (rainbow). In life we should strive to find the beauty. We should realize that it is not always going to be gray skies. These circumstances come and go just like the weather. Life is all about perspective not circumstances. Thankfully, our God sees beyond our circumstances.

Verse of the week: Though sorrow may last through the night, joy comes in the morning. Psalm 30:5

Julia and I with our milkshakes from Tin Cow

It decided to rain on us after we left Target

Eating lunch at Petrella's

Julia was freaked out by the man staring at her in the picture

TCBY. We get pretty excited about food. 

Something Different

Last week I broke out of the monotonous of working as a waitress and worked at a Christian summer camp in Louisiana for deaf children. It was definitely the highlight of my summer. For starters it was one of the most humbling experiences I have ever had. Being apart of a Hearing culture automatically puts me in the majority. However, this last week I was part of the minority as I struggled to grasp the language (sign language) that was all around me. I used what knowledge I had of sign language, but I still struggled with communicating fluenting. I learned a lot not only about sign language but also about the Deaf culture as a whole. Unfortunately, for deaf individuals they are stereotyped as being deaf and dumb. However, if anyone was to spend a week around the people I associated with, he or she would find this statement to be far from the truth. It is sad that this stereotype has even been started and just shows how ignorant people can be when other people do not fit into a mold that they consider "normal." Ok I will get off my soapbox now because honestly I can go on and on about this subject. After camp, I visited my friend Alyssa and her sweet family, and they were kind enough to give me a tour of New Orleans. It was BEAUTIFUL and so much fun! I can't wait to go back and visit again! A really moving event happened to me on the way over to Alyssa's home. I hit traffic when I was halfway over a bridge. At first I was somewhat aggravated. I just wanted to hurry up and get to my destination and my phone battery was dying, which made me nervous about being on the road without communication. However, after sitting in traffic for 30 minutes without moving, I realized I was not going anywhere anytime soon, so I might as well enjoy the moment. I got out of my car and watched the sunset and read a book. There was a gentleman in a truck behind me who walked up to the front of the traffic line. He reported to me that there was a really bad accident where a 18 wheeler had hit two cars off the road and there were body bags everywhere. Instantly I felt convicted about being aggravated at first about being held up in traffic. I couldn't help but think about all the lives that were affected by the deaths of the people involved in the accident. Yeah sure I was two hours late to my destination, but I was so thankful to be alive. If I wouldn't have stopped to get gas, who is to say that I wouldn't of been one of those cars. The trip to Louisiana was not only fun but it gave me a new perspective on life. I need to enjoy life more and really try to fellowship with those around me. I should not be so focused on work, my life, and my problems that I forget to really live and by living I mean truly serving those around me.

Verse for the week: "My heart may fail and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart. He is mine forever." Psalm 73:26

P.S. I would like to give a shout out to +Matthew Denson for my package with yummy homemade cookies :)

My sweet friend Alyssa

The view from the bridge