A Taste of Home

I had less than two weeks at home after getting back from school, but it was really awesome, and I'm thankful for the time. 

I got to spend a pretty good amount of time with my family and a lot of time with Miles, which was good too.

We played disc golf.

This is the beginning of his routine for throwing.

We explored the Catawba River.

And much to my dismay he spent most of the day trying to catch snakes and ended up snagging this little guy. Yuck!

I also had the extreme pleasure of getting to have lunch with Amelia...and she is engaged! It's really awesome. Her and her fiancé are both sound Christ-followers, and I am so happy for them and this new stage of their life. 

For Mothers Day Weekend we met my grandparents at Cracker Barrel, which was nice. 

I had to snap this picture because the two of them are just too much alike. 

Like father, like son. 

Mothers Day.

Man am I thankful for my mother. 

She rocks. She really really does. She is a rock and serves as the level-headed one in our family. She loves the Lord, which allows her to love our family well. She knows me inside and out and is quick to my rescue. She constantly encourages my heart. She is a fantastic mom and I couldn't imagine life with anyone else as my mom, much less wish for someone else to be. 

Since we were dressed up, I wanted to take some pictures, although I'm pretty sure I was alone in that desire. But the guys were cooperative, so three cheers for that. 

The family and Miles (who my mom considers family anyways) went to Charlotte for dinner and a movie. We saw The Amazing Spiderman 2. It was awesome. I highly recommend it. 

For some reason I really like super hero movies. Maybe I inherited the 5-year-old-boy gene from my dad. Hehe. (Love you Dad!)

Family selfie minus Josh

I can't go home without playing a game or two of Settlers. So we played a couple. We finally got my mom to participate, which is just short of a miracle, and we ate pizza bigger than our faces. 

Successful night I'd say. 

Finally, FINALLY, I got to go strawberry picking, and Miles was so gracious as to let me drag him along with me. It was so worth it. He may not have had an extreme amount of fun, but I sure did!

I also had the extreme pleasure of getting to go on the High School Retreat with my youth group. Admittedly, I originally didn't want to go because it was my last weekend at home, but I am so thankful that I ended up going. 

I got to spend time with sweet friends, hear about lives, pour truth into students, and lend advice to seniors who are about to come to Clemson. (They're the really brilliant ones). 

I also got to experience God's glorious creation and massive waterfalls at DuPont State Park. 

Hopefully I will be returning there with some college friends come August.

Monday morning I got on a plane at 6:40 am to fly to Birmingham, Alabama. 

I actually had a layover in Chicago. How sweet is this picture??

I must say, I really love flying, especially when I get a window seat. To see the world from high up...there is nothing to compare it to. When I see cars that look like toys and remember that there are people my size in them, I am reminded of my insignificance, but not in a bad way. In a good way.

In a really good way. 

I remember how huge the Lord is and that leads me to worship Him. I see the earth below me and think about how He spoke it into being. How He saw it and called it good. How we as humans have, in our sin, corrupted it all. And how, through Christ, He is redeeming His people and reconciling them unto Him. 

Oh praise Him, for He is worthy!

His goodness and grace in my life are constantly evident, currently through the fact that this week I am in Alabama for training week with Student Life camp. I am doing something that I have dreamt of doing since I was in 6th grade. While that is reason enough to thank God, the really awesome thing is that I am now here for Him and His glory, not my own. 

I will hopefully update my little blog world on training week adventures (mainly consisting of meetings) in the future, but until then, please be praying. 

Pray for my team, and pray for me, that I would be humble, that I would work hard, and that I would love and serve them well.