Beautiful

The sun is setting, turning to gold the windows on nearby Tuscan-style mansions. Pink streaks of clouds float motionless low in the horizon, just barely cleaning the rolling hills. Colorful hot air balloons drift silently across the dusty blue space between. I step out the door onto the brick patio, and watch the evening arrive. There is no sound but that of distant traffic and a few shy crickets. An American flag drapes solemnly from a pole, and a TV flickers in the window behind it. I survey the world around me and focus in on the golf course just beyond the back yard. I am alone; most likely no one will see me do it. This may be the only chance I get... And so I do it. I  step on the golf course grass with my bare feet, just to see what it feels like. The grass wasn't that exciting, honestly. It would have been more fun if I could have rolled down one of the gentle hills or jumped into a sand pit. I probably could have done it and gotten away with it... But I'm almo...

I don't know exactly who reads my blog, but in case there is some girl out there who is reading this and has been thinking along these lines, here you go -this post is dedicated to you.    Now, although I do try to proof read what I write, I have not taken the time to carefully construct a logical flow of thought. You may find that I bounce around quite a bit, so I'm just preparing you. Follow me, and perhaps if I left some loose ends, you can use them to create your own new trails of thought.  I grew up a tomboy, never minded getting dirt under my nails,  (actually, growing up practicing musical instruments daily made it imperative that I kept my fingernails short), hated wearing dresses, and didn't place physical attractiveness at the top of my list of things to worry about. However, when I got a little older, I realized that certain girls were getting a lot more attention than others. I soon discovered that those girls were what you call "cute" or "pretty...

The little car pulls into one of the allotted empty slots, purrs into silence, we climb out into the cool morning air.  I open the hatch, and lug out the bag with my computer and textbooks. It weighs close to one hundred pounds, seems like.  We gather our things and approach the sleek, modern building, wondering where to go once we enter. This early in the morning, we have seen only a couple of other people on campus; will they be our classmates, or do they work here?  What will class be like?  I smile at Hannah as we ride the elevator to the second floor. We are happy we have each other. This will be the first time either of us have had a non-Adventist teacher. Will she teach evolution? Will our faith be challenged? Will the class be hard? How many are in the class?  We stand on the second floor tile, studying the floor plan, our voices echoing through the empty halls. It's thirty minutes before class starts, so we have time to find the room and be ready. ...

Last summer I had a decision to make. I had to decide if I was going to work at summer camp or if I was going to canvass. I asked a lot of people for their opinion, prayed about it, and wrote down the pros and cons of each option to aid me in making the right decision.  Summer Camp:  + horses!!! + horses!!! + kids + different atmosphere than OHC ( I thought that would be nice at the time) + schedule allowing nap time : )  + lots of variety and fun things to do + horses!!! - less chance for spiritual growth - possibly less income Canvassing: + guaranteed spiritual growth  + more money - no nap time! - exhausting work  - not fun  - what if I don't make it the whole summer?  So I decided to work at camp. It was about what I was expecting; all the pros hand cons were there. I came home dissatisfied with a simple country lifestyle and the spiritual emphasis that pervaded. I felt trapped again, and unable to really let loose and be myself and have fun. I wan...