i'm very sorry about my lack-of-updatedness, i have been quite the busy girl.

today, i feel, pretty much marked the "commencer" of my summer. (non-french speakers: start). The weather was gorgeous, and i ended up doing some really summer-y things. the day started off great; christina and i did our normal run, backwards again, and then i went home and slept some more. nikki popped over around 2 with a couple of colorful balls that we sent in the mail to ashley and kelli (more about that later!!...sooo funny.) then i played some basketball with jess, christina, and linds, and we talked some. i love those girls, and i am very much looking forward to spending more time with them as summer progresses. i had a guitar lesson, so i went to the post office and then there. then there was a young life camp meeting that i attended, which was very fun, and encompassed a big surprise!

lately, i've been really enthralled with random items you can send in the mail....ie beach balls, frisbees, flip flops. today i sent 2 beach-ish balls in the mail, and you know what the best part was? they are light. much to my surprise, the mail system goes by weight. this is a silly system, i think, because beach-ish balls are by no means small, but are cheap to send because of their light weight!picture this: 5'2", brown haired girl carrying 2 20-24inch diameter balls into the post office. just for the record kids, there is only one way to carry to large balls: one under each arm. i looked like a goon, but i didn't care, i was excited by the whole thing. i waited patiently in line, and then, of course, it was my turn, and i mosied up to the counter with balls-in-arms only to be commented to by the cockiest mail person on the face of this earth. he says, "those are some nice balls you have there." i, not very amused by his joke, smile warmly and reply, "i know." what a weirdo! lol, glad he could get some entertainment out of his job. then, after several tries of balancing the balls on the weight scale, found that it was very cheap to send such an awesome mail item! this kind of thing really makes my day. hooray for the post office. i can't wait until the girls get them!

then, as forementioned, the girls came over, first nikki. (ps. kudos to nikki for buying the beach-ish balls, i heart that girl. nikki also did a very cool thing today, so, anyone who reads this should head over to the AAL trail right now, and check out some special spiritual messages.) i am laughing to myself now thinking of part of our conversation that involved the advantages and disadvantages of driving in the summer...hahaha. ps. everyone should visit LINDSEY AT COPPS FOOD CENTER on friday 10-4, or just stop in another day and see if she is working. i know i will...

i haven't really been around much to write in here, because i've been spending a lot of time with david. he left for camp today. the last ten days with him have been such a blast. it was sad to know that he was actually going, and that he's gone for the [majority] of the summer. i feel kind of sad today, however, i'm really glad to know that he is having a wonderful time at his favorite place!

yesterday, i spent the day with david, grace, and matt. grace is one of my new favorite people--she lives out of town, and i met her through matt. she's very cool, and i look forward to the time i get to spend with her (lifest!!)

the young life meeting tonight made me really excited for camp in a couple of weeks (i'll be gone from the 27th of june until the 3rd of july) however, you all have a fantastic opportunity to write to me. there are no excuses...here is the address:

other people you may feel like writing to could include dan parks or justin coenen (this was the big surprise of the night!) i feel really excited for camp, like i said, but also nervous because i don't really know any girls going and that makes me kind of scared. i really hope that i get to know many people though, because i think God is using this as an opportunity to share His Word and Message to people, and that really really excites me. i don't even feel like i'm going to camp for me as much as i am going to camp for God. if writing to me is a feat, prayers would also be just as appreciated!

tomorrow should be another fun day. the weather is supposed to be gorgeous again, and i think we are heading to jenny's pool. i also can't wait for our summer girls bible study to get rolling, since we are going to be following a very good book, Authentic Beauty and that is very cool. and and and...if you are around from 7-9pm tomorrow night, you should go to frank's pizza palace, and see the leftovers because dan parks plays bass in that band. there is also some very cool guitar stuff going on because mr. parks is excellent on guitar as well as dan's youth pastor! so go kids, you'll be glad you did.

i can't wait for more summer events to occur, getting more and more into God's Word, and seeing more people. call me really, and we can hang out...i would absolutely love to!

sorry about the obsurd length of the blog, it's because of my lack-of-updation recently. however, i plan on a more consistant updating plan from now on, and yes, they will be shorter because i won't be covering a weeks worth of stuff!

have yourself a wonderful....and and and Live for Jesus.

Lauren

Have a wonderful night!

Actually kids, I am going to try to keep up with this for the summer. I've decided to re-start my journaling in light of the next few months. It will be a lot easier to keep up with you all this way, and you can comment here (even if you are not a member!!!) so we can keep in touch. yay.

Summer vacation is only a few short breaths away, and I'm all mixed-feelings about it. I am definately looking forward to the good times and I am looking, surprisingly a lot, forward to volunteering this summer. This sounds weird--but I love the elderly! Not only will hanging out with them be fun, but in the final years of their lives, I think it's important for them to have someone to talk to, and I'm really looking forward to those conversations. Also, when I head over to Pilgrim's Cafe Library to return my almost-overdue books, I'm going to ask if they need volunteers as well. I'm really feeling like I need to spend time absorbing knowledge this summer, since I probably didn't devote enough time to learning more about the bible, and God, and especially comparing Catholicism and born-again Christianity this school year. Knowing that I have a lot of time this summer to do that, and then volunteering at a Christian library--is there a better combination? I think not!

Yesterday, Nikki got a puppy. It's adorable. If it wasn't hers, I'd take it home with me. Although, if my family decides to get a dog, our dogs can be friends, and we can go and hang out at the dog park and such.

Also, last night I was able to hang out with Ashley and Nikki. That was fun because I love those girls. I missed Dave's party on Saturday night, because I went to the Griffin's house instead, and then crashed because I didn't feel so good.

Friday night was Bandemonium at North, and that was a really good time because all good bands played this year...including one of my favorites: Johnny Okay. Also, Oak Switch Division made their debut, and that is always fun to see your friends up there making music.

Today was the parade, and I thought it was a good time. Amazingly, the rain seemed to seize in that hour long time slot that we were outside rhythmically walking and playing our patriotic tune. I was surprised when David showed up there, since I didn't think he was going to be home, and I wasn't expecting to see him at all this weekend. He's leaving for camp in a couple weeks, which is so awesome for him, because he loves it there. I'm excited for him to come back and tell me all about the things he's learned, and just see all the spiritual growth. On a side note, though, I'm sad he's going to be away for so long. That's life.

Until next time...

Lo