I said goodbye to the last weekend of Summer 2013 yesterday, and I couldn't have imagined a better time.

Saturday:
Saturday, I woke up sick (again) and watched Parenthood in my pj's for awhile with my mom, because I was feeling pretty lousy. I love that I've gotten her hooked on the show, just like I did with Gilmore Girls many years ago. Anyway, I had breakfast and some hot tea, and eventually I started feeling better. Which was great, because I had plans with my dad that we'd been talking about for the last couple months.

When my dad came home, we were off to LA for some good 'ole fashioned father/daughter bonding time. We stopped for lunch at Chipotle, and hit the open road! I really need to work on the cliche's, I think, but that's to work on another time. We got to L.A. and still had a couple hours to kill around town. But, I didn't really know of where to go this time (since my mom wasn't with us and most of what I had in mind, she might have wanted to do). So, my dad ends up driving up to the Warner Brothers Ranch lot, which is closed to the public. And let's just say...He, uh, had connections. So, we're driving into the lot, park and get out just to see the Friends water fountain from the show's opener. I have been joking about getting to see that for the longest time and actually put it on my bucket list to get my picture in front of it. Well, thanks to my dad, it actually happened! I was freaking out, and it all happened so fast, I didn't have much time to think about what I wanted to do, I was just snapping pictures and taking it all in. I mean, that might be the closest I actually get to meeting any of the "Friends" cast, just standing where they stood (and sat), other than seeing Matthew Perry at a Dodger game. My dad and I made a video, so I sent it to my mom to show her where we were, and I guess I made her cry in the middle of JCPenney, because she knew how excited I was. AH! She's the sweetest :).

We didn't stay too long, but I didn't mind, because I got to see it, and that's what mattered! It was one of the coolest moments ever! After that, I didn't care what else we did...That moment trumped all. So, we drove around the Toluca Lake area, went by the studios (Universal and Warner Brothers), and near The Grove. After a little while, we headed up to Dodger Stadium for the game that night.
The Dodgers took a really bad defeat, and lost to the Giants, with a score of 19-3. Yeah, it was bad. But, my dad and I had fun chatting and joking around. We didn't see any celebrities, but I wasn't really counting on that either. I haven't been to a game in at least a month or so, so it was good to be back!

After the game, we stopped at Krispy Kreme and Jack-in-the-Box...More healthy choices, right? HAHA! But, we had to get home, so we never usually stop for anything else! On the way home, we played this random radio game we came up with one time, of guessing which artist or song we thought was going to come up next. Let's just say it wasn't as predictable as we thought it would be, listening to The Highway on XM radio...But, we were having fun and laughing about our choices, so it seemed to keep us entertained.
We made it home around 12:15, talked to my mom for a few minutes and I fell asleep pretty quickly, after checking Twitter one last time, of course.

Sunday:

I woke up feeling so tired and groggy yesterday morning, but got up earlier than usual, and even had time to eat a donut from Krispy Kreme! We went to church, which was a great message about family, as the new series is focusing on that. We were also celebrating 50 years for our Pastor's wife (and also a pastor herself), since it was her birthday, which was a lot of fun seeing her testimony in new ways and in pictures/interviews with her parents.
After church, my parents and I had lunch at Chilli's, then came home for a little while.
At 3:00, I had a coffee date with one of my best friends, as we celebrated for her birthday (since I had to miss her dinner the night before) and caught up on life. We're both getting ready to start universities this week, so we talked about that and some of our ministry positions at the moment, and she told me all about work. But, the biggest thing I took away from our conversation, and as simple as it sounds, is that...We're young. We don't have to have everything together. We don't have to know where this road we're on is going to take us. Sure, it's great to plan, but it's better to be open to what God might have up His sleeve. I'm trying to remind myself not to rush, because Nashville and all of the things that I want will always be out there. But, I'm not always going to be living at home, being able to spend quality time with my parents, and having home-cooked meals with no bills to pay. I won't always be able to call my closest friends up to see if they want to run to Starbucks or hang out at my house for a marathon of The Office or Glee. And I won't always be able to get involved with church activities or things at school to meet new people or get to know what else is out there, while still "learning."These are the moments that I don't want to take for granted. Besides that, I just really love my heart to hearts with Viviyan. I always come out feeling much better about whatever situation I'm in and usually she helps me see things from another perspective.

After that, I came home and later on, my uncle and grandparents came over for dinner-my grandma made Manicotti, along with salad and breadsticks that we picked up from Olive Garden! YUM! We talked for a little while, then watched the testimony of a former mob guy who spoke to my grandpa's church a few weeks ago. His message is so powerful about how God can transform any heart! If you're interested to find out more about him, google Michael Franzese and see what he's all about! They're even making a movie about his life.

When that finished, we had cake and ice cream for dessert and visited with everyone for awhile, while the guys finished watching the football game. Pretty soon, the house was empty again and nerves were setting in for school, as my imagination played tricks on me and tried to freak me out. It was the last remaining moments of summer and freedom. I watched the Million Second gameshow quiz with my parents and wrote a little more (as if I don't do that enough).

I tried to go to bed a little earlier, and managed...But, let's face it. I am always going to be a night owl.

That's all for now,
Shelby :)

Stay tuned for highlights from my summer!!