Summers at the Fireworks Stand

Hot summer days, rook games, foot long subs from Winco, sleeping in parking lots, yelling with cardboard signs in our hands on the sidewalk, riddles, inside jokes, Jess and CoCo days, creating "art" out of the supplies, throwing wall balls over flags....the list goes on and on of the memories that I have had over the past five summers I have helped out at my youth group's fireworks stand. I have many great memories in my years in Crosswalk, but being at the fireworks stand is definitely one of my favorites. It has been a great way for our youth group to raise money, and the youth always love coming to help out in the tent. This year is the first out of the last five summers that I have not helped out at the tent. Although I miss it a lot, and wish that I could be helping out there again this year, I will always have the memories of the summers I have worked at the fireworks stand.

Sixteen Years of Life

Every one can remember when they were a kid and they would think and dream about when they would be sixteen. They would be so cool and have life all figured out. I turned sixteen this past weekend, and I honestly don't feel any different than I did last week.=) And I sure don't have the rest of my life figured out either. It is really cool for me to look back on the past sixteen years of my life and see all that God has done for me. The friendships I have had, the ways my faith has grown, the things I have learned, finding out how to be the person God has created me to be...the list goes on and on. God has blessed me with sixteen great years of life, and I am thankful for every day.
Even though I wasn't able to celebrate my birthday with my friends and family in Oregon, (or get my drivers license) like I wanted to, I still had a great birthday. I had a party with my friends on Saturday and we had a blast. We went to the mall and took pictures with a bunch of crazy stuff, then came back to my house and made a scrapbook page out of the pictures we took. The next day I had another party with some friends that live in our neighborhood.
Thank you to all of you in Oregon that called, emailed, or thought of me on my birthday. You guys made my birthday all the more awesome!