Summertime

There are so many reasons my heart is happy when summer finally arrives. The obvious reasons would be the warm (or suffocatingly hot) weather, the longer daylight hours, or all of the blooming trees and flowers. However, I'm learning to appreciate the little things in life and have come to realize one of the best things about summer is......


ICE COLD WATERMELON!! AHHHHHHH!

Rendezvous

This past Thursday I was able to catch up with Megan and Leslie, which proves to be more and more difficult the farther they walk on the Appalachian Trail. Last time I saw them was in Franklin, NC about a month or so ago. This time, I caught up with them in Wythesville, VA. They needed a ride to the thriving metropololis of Pearisburg, Virginia and I was more than glad to resprise my role as the AT Shuttle. It only took me about four hours to get there and it was worth it. I can easily forget how much I miss my friends and even more so just how much I crave interaction with people my own age. I miss them! It was good to see them. We ended up staying in this five-star establishment called the "Rendezvous Motel" and the name pretty much says it all. It was sketchy on so many levels, but the time with friends was priceless. They're only about a fourth of the way in; 630 miles or so. They've got a long way to go still and I'm sure I will be willing to go a long way to catch up with them again. Who knows when or where that will be, but I can't wait!

a little bit of heaven

So as I stated in my previous blog, today I celebrated my 26th birthday. On one's birthday, in keeping with the good old Southern tradition, it is customary for that person to choose the menu for their birthday dinner. I am not one to break tradition. After gorging myself in true "big haw" fashion, I got to indulge it what has become one of my most favorite desserts: Butter Pecan Cake! I mention this tidbit of information only to spread the love that one only encounters when tasting this unbelievable treat. If you have never had it - TRY IT! As you can tell by the look on my face.....it's a little piece of Heaven on Earth! SIMPLY DIVINE!!!!

Happy Birthday To Me!!!!!

So, yeah! Today is my 26th birthday and to be quite honest, it feels like every other one I've ever had. The only difference, in my mind, is the fact that 30 is looming ever-closer on the horizon. Not that 30 is a number to be feared, but I guess that number makes me think of all the things I've yet to do in my life that society implies I should have already done. Who makes these rules? Who sets these cookie cutter goals for everyone? If I've learned anything over the past year it is that everyone is different; everyone has a different path to take in life; and ultimately everyone's fulfillment in life is not held in a 9-to-5 job, a husband and 2.5 children, or a 401K.

True fulfillment lies in finding God's plan for your life and living in that reality. That plan just might involve a husband and children, or it may not. It may involve a 9-to-5 job that allows you to have a nest egg put away for retirement, or it may not. I don't know what anyone else's plan looks like anymore than I know what my own future looks like. However, I do know, and can state with certainty, that my path does not look like anyone else's and my path has been paved already. The trick is, finding the courage and faith to stay on that path even when it bends and curves out of sight ahead of me. So as I celebrate another year, I renew my strength and take the next step on MY path.