I knew this summer would be amazing.

Everything's been really busy up until now. Two days after school let out, I left for the Student Leadership University seminar I've been looking forward to all year. This year was my first year, so I went off to SLU 101 for a week in Orlando, Florida. I got to not only listen to amazing seminars by amazing Christian leaders, but I got to go to Sea World AND to Universal Studios. I almost exploded from the awesomeness of it all.

A week after I got back, I was off again to a missions trip in St. Vincent, a little island off the coast of Barbados. We stayed in Barbados for a day at the Hilton before we took off the next evening to our destination. Again, it was an awesomeness overload. But still, it could not compare to the amazingness that is St. Vinny's.

The children there are....outstanding. I worked in Sandy Bay Village, and it was just...a phenomenal experience. I formed so many bonds with the kids, and it was so sad to have to leave them. We worked on the mission field until Thursday, and then Friday was our tourism day. We went to the area where parts of the first Pirates of the Carribbean was filmed EXCLUSIVELY.

THAT'S RIGHT, I TOUCHED SOIL JOHNNY DEPP SET HIS BEAUTIFUL FEET ON.

So now, I can watch that movie and say, "Oh yeah, I've been there. See that mast that he's swinging on? SAW THAT! The Dead Man's Cove? I WAS THERE! That patch of soil? I KISSED IT!"

Beforehand, we were able to go shopping at the markets they had. Ohh, did I EVER enjoy myself. Oh man. And the people are just so friendly, I love them so much. After that and our Pirates escapade, we went to one of the beaches. All of the beaches there are black sand beaches, btdubbs. Meaning that yes, instead of white sand, the sand is BLACK. And the water is CRYSTAL CLEAR. UNLIKE YUCKY AMERICAN WATER THAT IS USUALLY OFF-GREEN.

We left at 4 am Saturday (YES, I AM SERIOUS) and got back around the same time Sunday. And guess who was at church just a few hours later? THAT'S RIGHT, I WAS. (I love church : )) Also, in the car on the way there, as I was enjoying my first taste of American music since my time away, do you know what came on? An entire marathon of the Beatles. For those of you that don't know, the Beatles are my favorite band EVER. So that was just...amazing. It was like God was giving me a pat on the back.

FOOD

So, I have had no chicken or rice or spicy foods since I got back, as this was what most of our meals consisted of. Chicken, rice, spicy chicken, spicy rice....I got back and 3 am, what am I pleading for? A CHEESEBURGER. We had a cookout at my friend's house the next night, to celebrate a late 4th of July (she was on the trip with me), and do you know what I had? A CHEESEBURGER.

And it was the best frickin' cheeseburger I've ever had.





Watch "He's Just Not That Into You". I think they should include it as part of Family Life at schools so that girls have the ability to be so much WISER about boys. And vice versa.

Just a suggestion.