Yep- it's summertime. I always look so forward to being out of school and having time to relax, but it just hasn't come yet. Don't get me wrong, I have loved every minute of my break...it's just been crazy busy!
After my stay at the dog hotel (haha), we had VBS at church. I was in charge of crafts and it actually went very smoothly. Gena did a great job organizing things and I thought this year's "Say It! Yell It! Tell It" went wonderfully.
The day after VBS was over, we flew out for NEW YORK CITY! We left at four in the morning and our flight arrived at LaQuardia around 10:30 Thursday morning. We had such a fantastic time! Thursday afternoon we walked around Time Square. I was so amazed that the city is exactly as it is portrayed on television. Cabs galore, horns honking, people everywhere. I loved every minute of it! Friday we got up really early to go to the Today Show and see the Black-Eyed Peas. There were tons of people there, but we managed to catch a glimpse of Fergie! :) We also were actually on the show and didn't even know it until someone from home watched and told us! It was tons of fun! We also went to the Museum of Modern Art, SoHo, and on a harbor lights cruise at sunset. We saw the Empire State Building, sailed under the Brooklyn Bridge, saw the Statue of Liberty and took no less than hundreds of pictures. Saturday we went to Ground Zero. I didn't expect to be as emotional as I was there. It was so surreal to stand at the very spot that I saw on TV years before. We went in St. Paul's church, which became a shelter for all the volunteers. It has now become a museum and is full of letters, posters, etc. We went from there to the NBC studio tour. We saw the sets of SNL and Jimmy Fallon. It was really cool. Our page (tour guide) was from Birmingham and his mom actually used to work with my sister. So neat! We went from there to see Rock of Ages on Broadway. It was AMAZING! I LOVED it! I so had a crush on Constantine and was thrilled to get to meet him after the show. He's a cutie! Sunday we took a tour of Central Park and headed home around 3:30. It was a wonderful trip and definitely one I will never forget. Here are a few pictures from our trip.
I came home on Sunday and went straight to be with the Willinghams' after sweet Jon's death. I was extremely emotional and could not stop thinking about them. I felt terrible not being able to be back in time for the funeral, but my awesome friends sat with me in NYC and prayed for the family and for me to feel at peace until I could get back to them. I knew that was all I could do. It was great to finally be able to be with them and tell stories of Jon and our memories of him. They have shown SO much faith and I have absolutely no doubt that the story of Jon's life will impact people for years and years to come. We will surely miss him.
I got home from New York Sunday, spent time with the Willinghams, and left for Impact Wednesday. The theme this year was "Hidden" and we talked about how we hide our sins and allow Satan to talk us into carrying them all alone. So many people broke free from the chains that Satan had us bound to that week, and decided to live a life of freedom. I saw God in so many places, including friendships I made and also nurtured while I was there. There are no words to describe what an awesome experience being there is. I genuinely love my Impact family and plan to be a part of that staff as long as God allows.
This brings me to now. I got home from Impact this past Saturday and am going to attempt to have a few days to rest. I need time to do absolutely nothing in order to feel like I've had a summer. My plans are to be spontaneous and do as I please (haha) until I leave for the beach the 18th.
God is good and my summer has been fantastic to this point! I look forward to the rest of it!
