A Week to Remember

I just got home yesterday from a week at Maryah's house.

It was the best week of my life to date.

For one thing, I lived with my best friend and her wonderful family for a week. So, that was pretty fantastic by itself. But, we also went to Dance Camp, which made everything like, 20 times better. For those of you who don't know, Dance Camp is an annual outreach that the Christian Hope Center does for girls. 227 girls from 1st grade to college age came this year. We all learned a dance in our age group, and then had two group dances.

Every morning, Maryah and I woke up early and read our Bibles together, then went downstairs and made our breakfast. We would get ready for a day of dancing; pick out matching outfits for the day, do our hair up, and tie on our jazz shoes. We spent three hours each day with our wonderful teachers and class, growing in our relationships with Jesus, and learning dances that glorified Him. The day would begin with everyone gathered in the sanctuary for prayer and a talk from Mrs. Bowman about being God Girls, and from there we all went to our classes. Maryah and my teachers were Miss Mary and Miss Mariah. They taught us the dance to Surrender by Flame ft. V. Rose, prayed for us, talked to us about serious subjects, made fun of us, and made us laugh. I really love them.

During our week, Maryah and I cooked all our meals together (we make such great food), ate almost a whole container of melted carob chips, practiced our dances, went on long walks, used and lost lots of bobby pins, drank tea, played BananaGrams (hah, I won!), had some interesting miscommunication, went shopping together, and took lots of pictures. And, in case you were wondering, we never got in any fights, and I don't think I ever got even slightly annoyed with her. Hopefully she can say the same about me. =)

The theme of Dance Camp was God Girl. That song was one of our group dances. I've been learning how to be one this week, and I've realized that being a God girl is a privilege. Not every girl in the world has something to smile about, even at the hardest of times. Not every girl in the world has a Father and a Lover who will never, EVER disappoint her, or hurt her in any way. Not every girl can be a tool to change the world, and not every girl is going to spend eternity with Jesus Christ. I honestly can't believe how blessed I am. I have been hand picked by God. He wants me. He loves me. And I'm special to Him. I want people to see that I'm a God Girl. I want them to notice the way I smile, the way I talk, the way I live, and say, "That girl is different." I want to be a literal light for the Lord.

This week has really made me see things differently, my life, and other people's lives. It's shown me what I can be and how to be it, and I've grown closer to Jesus and the people who I love. It's definitely been a week to remember.

I'm a God Girl, that's who I be, from the top of my head to the soles of my feet! I can't deny it, can't even try, I'm Your Girl for the whole wide world to see. <3 

Spring

I love this time of year. The air is perfumed with wild roses and cut grass. The whole world is alive with color and life; everything is singing to its Creator. After so many days of rain, the sun seems to shine brighter, and the sky is bluer. The creek is roaring, and the ground is still a little muddy. Spring, I've waited a long time for you. ^.^

My Mom loves clematises. =)

Our creek. (This was taken a few days ago, so it's rushing a lot more now.)

A swallowtail butterfly that I got to hold!

I love our road.