“She lives!!”
That’s what my grandma says whenever I (or a sibling or cousin) finally come downstairs after sleeping in super late during a visit. I’m going to use it here: I LIVE!! A little banged up and tired from my adventures this summer, but alive. XD
My original goal for this summer was to write 15 blog posts. Hah. That did not happen.
A lot happened this summer, and I was way busier than I expected originally. Last summer I had quite a lot of free time as the world was still mostly shut down, and although I was very disappointed to miss things like camp and VBS, I enjoyed my quiet summer. This year, for some reason I was kind of expecting it to be the same… I was in for a shock, those first few weeks of June when I fully realized just how many things were crammed into the family schedule. All fun things, but “things” just the same. XD
So. As my first post in… months, *gulp* I thought a summer recap was in order. Let’s start with the last half of May!
May
The second-to-last weekend in May, I went on a serve weekend trip with my youth group to a little camp on an island in Lake Erie. We got a ton of work done, and helped get them ready to host summer camp! The island was gorgeous, not to mention the ferry trips back and forth, and it was so much fun to hang out with friends in the evenings.
June
I believe we ended school the last week of May. I painted a lot the first few weeks of summer break because my aunt invited me to sell some products at her consignment shop’s anniversary sale, which was a lot of fun! The sale was fun and challenging at the same time, as I had to practice talking to strangers and not panic too much about my stock levels. XD I did have enough stock, thankfully, and I’ve been meaning to list my extra notecards and bookmarks on Etsy… I still have not gotten around to doing this, so in the meantime have some horribly-lit teaser photos. (Yep, that's my sister in the background. XD)
(My friend Lily is doing a giveaway partnering with me through her e-magazine, the link to the actual giveaway should be up in a few days. Subscribe to both of us and enter to win a couple of these bookmarks!)
In the middle of that we went up to Michigan for a weekend, for my cousin Masen’s grad party. Then during the last week of June I spent a lot of time at our church getting ready for VBS, or Summerblast as we call it. I really enjoyed getting to use my art skills to serve others… and was pretty darn proud of this gigantic volcano that I added layers to all week. :P
July
For the 4th we had a huge cookout party at my aunt and uncles’ (they’re not actually related but they feel like family, and they used to go to our church so lots of people we know came too :D), and Emily’s family got to come too! It was great to paddle around in the pond, ride on a hay wagon pulled by my uncle’s tractor, and watch fireworks with all of my fake family members. ;)
^this photo is technically awful but I kinda love it.
The following Monday through Friday was Summerblast! This is always such a fun and stressful week. Our entire church building got turned into Mystery Island and I spent the week herding 12 energetic preschoolers to each tropical-themed activity. That was great and all, but the highlight was getting to spend parts of two days with my very dear friend Kinsley who I hadn’t gotten to see in two years since her family moved to Nebraska- a complicated story that I don’t have time or room to write about in detail, but I will say that there were a lot of laughs and tears and emotions and… it definitely added a very interesting layer to this year’s Summerblast that nobody, not even the church staff and our other friends, will soon be forgetting. <3
^shaving cream war at youth group with Kinsley's bestie Ellie and our youth pastor Alex :D
The next weekend, my mom and I headed up to Columbus and stayed with my grandparents (they’re also not biological but they’ve been my grandparents as long as I’ve been alive <3). My mom had a homeschool retreat, and I had been invited by a homeschool friend in the area to a formal Celtic ball on Saturday! It was… magical. I’ve literally dreamed of doing something like this for ages. Real, formal dances, so much movement and color and music. So perfect. Thanks again, Margaret! ;) I didn't get many good photos but here are a few:
^loved how my hair turned out! 8D
The last two weeks of July were somewhat quieter. Evening walks, a babyshower, a family reunion, my mom’s birthday, lots of painting and time at the barn. Nice to have breaks between the big stuff!
August
Last week I went to summer camp with Emily and her sister Christa! I had so much fun, this was the first time I’ve been to Camp Carl and it felt like home. I did a program called Wrangler In Training where I was basically a junior wrangler (horse barn staff) all week, while Emily and Christa did Crew or junior kitchen staff. I loved getting to know the camp staff better and being one of them for a week. We had a really great group of guys and girls and some amazing counselors. There were some very special conversations around a bonfire or in the shade of the trees that week. I've never been to a camp where the love of Jesus was this present! <3 I believe Emily is planning on doing a post just about camp in the near future, keep an eye out for that. ;)
The past week has been a bit of a rollercoaster ride emotionally. So many thoughts and feelings and memories left over from camp mixed with the realization that summer is about over, plus some other personal stuff I’ve been trying to work through. Next week I start a new job, an online college class, and a whole new schedule. The week after I start the rest of my school. Prayers for discipline and confidence would be appreciated! :) I’ve been doing a lot of writing, much of which could end up in some future blog posts. We’re also going on vacation with extended family in September, and I’ll try to post about that too!
This summer has been filled with so many magical moments, I can’t pick a single favorite. I’ve been reminded of how much God loves me and I pray that the same is true for you over this next change of seasons! Thanks for reading this lengthy post, I hope the pictures and memories made you smile. Let me know in the comments or through a private email what the best part of your summer was, and how I can be praying for you! Apologies again for my absence. XD
Goodbye for now, my dears, my ramble-readers,
-Alayna
(P.S.- I’ve been having a bit of trouble getting Wix to send emails about new posts to my subscribers. If you could somehow let me know that you have or haven’t been getting notified, that would be very much appreciated!)