I’m kinda really bad with being consistent… and this time I stayed away for awhile.
well, the summer is just about over for me, and it was so. so. long. parts of it felt never-ending, and parts of it felt perfect. God really gave me peace throughout it. I never even really had a big “panic moment” or anything like that.
it started out in preparing for my big trip to Hawaii! while I was there is when I last posted I think. when I returned, there was about 2 weeks with just my family, and then Hannah came over here to NJ, as well as 2 other girls who are sisters of some of my family’s closest friends from Florida. they all flew in on the same day, too! I remember being very overwhelmed beforehand about how the dynamic would be between the 4 of us since they hadn’t ever met each other, but God surprised me again. we had the best girls’ week and had such a fun time together.
right after Bobbi and Ava (the sisters) went back to FL, Hannah and I started our month of summer-staff where dad works – a Bible Conference / retreat center. we were housekeepers and we stayed in a dorm with around 30 other girls! it was a really neat experience for us for a few reasons. first, we learned a ton about each other – how we live, our differences in priorities, how we cope with each other ;), and how we work together. the summer as a whole was pretty much all about that! which is very interesting, because I think we’d both say we have now learned more about each other by living in separate states than we did living in the same town in Florida. I think we really made an effort to get to know not just the deep person inside of each other, but also how we handle situations and carry ourselves. perfect timing, too, because we are both kind of in a season of growing up and changing and sorting through what our parents have instilled in us and taught us thus far; what we have made our own personal convictions, and what things come from choosing to honor their convictions.
we were able to have some really really tough conversations and get super honest with each other. we had arguments for the first time that were more than just disagreeing on a favorite movie or food to eat. and I don’t regret a single one because they humbled me, and they shaped our friendship into something that allows us to go deeper and be more authentic than before. not only that, but I have so much new trust in her that she will continue to make an effort to pursue our friendship while being honest with her feelings! some friendships can just be tiring if you don’t know whether or not they are being honest with you about how they are feeling.
well, that was a rabbit trail, but it was a huge part of this summer to me. and it leads into the next part of the story, and that is when we had to part. Hannie, a mutual friend whom I have mentioned before, (we met in Hawaii) just made a big move to the east coast! her family was able to come for about a day and a half and meet my family for the first time! then Hannah went back home with them, a little south of us, and they took her to the airport a few days later. it was all a jumble of emotions; between the girls saying their goodbyes to each other and spending as much time together as possible, me getting excited because Hannie lives closer now, our families meeting, and of course saying goodbye to Hannah for the summer, it was very overwhelming (and even typing all that and re-reading it confused me🤦🏽♀️). however, God truly directed how it went down in the moment, because while it took a few days to adjust after, the initial leaving was filled with more of a comforting hope than it had been in our past goodbye’s. I’m not even sure how to explain it, but that’s that best part about it.
to wrap it up, we got to spend a little time as a family at a house near the beach (needed), we’ve started kind of a “fall schedule/routine”, and I have been able to start on some research for what comes next!
I’m so excited already, actually. more to come on that later! you can stick around if you want, and hopefully my next update will be a bit more timely 😂❤️
anna cherie